To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Picked up two old vises today!

Valkyrie Rider

Active member
Joined
Mar 8, 2007
Messages
35
Location
Thomaston, CT
Hi all... first post here! I've been lurking on and off for a while now. I'm always looking at Craigslist tool section locally and recently saw an ad in the town I live in for "old tools".... in that ad was a drill press I was interested in and it also mention "vises". I emailed right away and got a response, but wasn't able to get to meet up with the seller until today. I did buy the drill press although it's nothing special and chinese made (back in 1987) it will MORE then suit my current needs for the $25 asking price.

Now on to the good stuff.....
When I emailed the seller, I said I was really interested in the drill press, but mentioned I may be interested in the vises and asked what she wanted for them... she replied saying she knew nothing about any of the tools and $15 each would be good.

So today when I got there we looked at the drill press and I bought it for $25 and she said the one vise was in the other room (in the basement) and the other she wasn't sure where she put it..... maybe in the garage. I looked at the basement vise... it's been spray canned, and all I saw was made in USA... so I said I'll take it since it wasn't small and seemed to work. While I was carrying that one up she said she found the other in the garage.... so I went to look at that one. a Chas. PARKER! I said I'll take that one too!. Lady thought I was strange for buying two vises... but I paid her the $55 for the drill press and the two vises.

Once I got home I looked only a little better at the vises and The one that was in the basement is a Athol Mfg. model 715. The Vise in the Garage was a Chas. Parker No.974. I don't know much about vises, but recogonized the names from lurking here. I pretty much know I scored BIG! Not sure how big yet.. but even at scrap price, I think I did OK at $15!

Both have been rattle canned silver... Hopefully this weekend I can take them apart and see what I have and inspect them more closely. Will also take pictures at that time.

Thanks to all who post vise info as just searching a little this evening had given me all the info I need on what to look for and how to disassemble (at least I hope!)!

Hopefully
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
OP
V

Valkyrie Rider

Active member
Joined
Mar 8, 2007
Messages
35
Location
Thomaston, CT
Re: Picked up two old vises today! (Now with pics!)

OK! Here are the quick and dirty quick pics taken with my cell phone on the tailgate of my truck.

standard.jpg


standard.jpg


standard.jpg


standard.jpg


standard.jpg


standard.jpg


standard.jpg
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

srmofo

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 15, 2009
Messages
6,161
Location
SW ohio
man you got screwed. Im in a good mood today so Im gonna do you a favor and offer you twice what you paid for them. Im on my out now so Ill just stop by and pick them up
 
OP
V

Valkyrie Rider

Active member
Joined
Mar 8, 2007
Messages
35
Location
Thomaston, CT
I'm really liking the Parker, I'm keeping that one... and hope to restore it and make it look pretty again. Meriden, CT where it was made is only about 45 min from where I live in CT which is kind of cool!

I may clean up/restore and sell the Athol.... not sure yet. Noticed the handle on the Athol is "fixed" (as well as the base).... it doesn't slide like every other vise I've ever seen. Is this a feature for a certain kind of work?

A question... both vises have smooth "jaws". Is this normal for a particular type of vise?

The guy who originally used these made wrought iron railing as a hobby years ago from what his daughter told me (although none of the old tools seemed to point to that...unless they were sold off many years ago). Is this so it didn't mar the finish or are they just that worn?
 

mjozefow

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 9, 2009
Messages
2,111
Location
Lafayette, IN
I may clean up/restore and sell the Athol.... not sure yet. Noticed the handle on the Athol is "fixed" (as well as the base).... it doesn't slide like every other vise I've ever seen. Is this a feature for a certain kind of work?

Nope, someone got "creative" at some point.
 
OP
V

Valkyrie Rider

Active member
Joined
Mar 8, 2007
Messages
35
Location
Thomaston, CT
Both my Athols have smooth jaws, handy if you are working with soft metal such as sheet aluminum for aircraft skins etc. I know at least one of them came out of Lockheed & suspect the other also did.[/QU

Sikorsky isn't far from here...and neither is Pratt and Whitney.... Wonder where that Athol came from?
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom