The VISES of Garage Journal

[drivesitfar]

CW: yes I agree there could be some myth to the silver tools on really how pure the silver is or was. the guy telling me this would have been a baby when WWII was happening so it would have been a story retold, but maybe only once if it was his dad or relative. he did mention he has a triple swivel Parker vise like the barrel vises some of the luckier members have been finding and his has silver jaws. i'll have to see it in person because he has it at his farm that is a 7 hour drive, but he is helping set up a museum with vintage tools and knows a thing or two so I'm thinking there is a good chance there is a lot of facts in his story.

I know if I find a 695 pound Railroad vise i'm calling him to help me haul it off because he picked up this 600+ pound of solid steel like it was a toothpick with the lift on his truck yesterday. I would have liked to make a vise stand out of it but he needs steel on his farm so it's his now.

 

[mtnbiker26]

Anyone familiar with the Athol 682? I searched around for a while and couldn't find any info on it. I want to replace the Columbian D43 1/2 on my home workbench with something more stout and this 682 is on craigslist for $85 and it's only 30 minutes away.

I did enough Googling to find a chart that cross references old Athol numbers with new Athol numbers and it turns out that this 682 is the old number for the 624 1/2. I picked it up yesterday for $85. The seller looked to be in his mid 50's and this vise was his grandfather's. It's been in his basement for 20 years but he's moving and didn't want to haul it. The thing is mint other than a very slight bend in the handle. The white stuff is just latex paint that came off with 5F5 stripper. It has a very thin coat of black paint and a layer of mild surface rust. Some parts of the slide are still shiny metal, though. Here's the other side of it on my bench at home.

 

[drivesitfar]

Biker: thanks for translating the #'s of Athol and that is a SWEET LOOKING VISE. you won't need anything much bigger than that to use in your shop.

WELL DONE and hope you stick around the forum because learning and sharing information is what it's all about.

 

[scooternut]

That ATHOL is sharp mtnbiker, nice find.

 

[CRSINMICH]

mtnbiker: You got a great deal on a great vise!

ATHOL NUMBER CHANGE CHART For anyone interested, here is the Athol chart.

 

[1NRO]

Yesterday's identity request went perfectly, can we make it 2 out of 2 and call the maker of this one?

 

[1NRO]

From the front.

 

[1NRO]

and above

 

[G-ManBart]

Scored a Reed 104 1/2" today...they threw in a mismatched set of 4" bronze jaws for free (forgot to take a pic of those). The jaws are literally perfect (must have been used with the bronze jaws), the handle is straight and there are no grinder marks, cracks, welds etc...it really just needs to be cleaned and painted.

 

[G-ManBart]

The same guy had this Cardinal vise as well....I don't know anything about them. It's says model 140, Speed Vise, and has 4" jaws that appeared perfect. It has a cross pin that allows the screw to rise up and the front is machined so the spindle can move up and down...must be the speed part, right? It's only about 20min from my office so I can go back if folks think it's worth the $100 he's asking for it.

Anybody know anything about them?

 

[Loydski29]

G-man Nice score! Looks like it's in great shape!

 

[dutchgray]

View media item 60645Got this today
Parkinsons No 4
The one in the back is a No 5
This is the only one I have ever seen, even CW's old catalogues don't list it (although I found a no4 in the 1913 that has very close dimensions but no picture)
Its 2 7/8" jaw width opening 3 3/8"
The quick release parts are missing but you could remake them if you wanted.
Despite being the same type vise the design is different between the two.

 

[zoomieport]

I have one, they are cool... I'd get it if I were you.

The same guy had this Cardinal vise as well....I don't know anything about them. It's says model 140, Speed Vise, and has 4" jaws that appeared perfect. It has a cross pin that allows the screw to rise up and the front is machined so the spindle can move up and down...must be the speed part, right? It's only about 20min from my office so I can go back if folks think it's worth the $100 he's asking for it.

Anybody know anything about them?

 

[drivesitfar]

GMAN: that REED is AWESOME and unless you have a swivel jaw or C series vise or another one you like better that one should do almost any job you ask it to. nice find

I've never heard of Cardinal and couldn't read where it was made. i'd probably pay a Benji just because it's different and unique. it also looks well made so your call. half a Benji would be a no brainer even if it was a common old vise so your call.

Dutch: SWEET. nice find

 

[zoomieport]

Made in the USA.

GMAN: that REED is AWESOME and unless you have a swivel jaw or C series vise or another one you like better that one should do almost any job you ask it to. nice find

I've never heard of Cardinal and couldn't read where it was made. i'd probably pay a Benji just because it's different and unique. it also looks well made so your call. half a Benji would be a no brainer even if it was a common old vise so your call.

 

[drivesitfar]

Zoomie: I couldn't read the city. anybody with younger or better eyes tell me (us). I agree its a keeper, but GMan owns a few vises and he's going down that RABBIT HOLE to find us.

cheers

 

[zoomieport]

HAHA! He might as well join us, maybe we can get a "group rate" in rehab...
Cheers!

Zoomie: I couldn't read the city. anybody with younger or better eyes tell me (us). I agree its a keeper, but GMan owns a few vises and he's going down that RABBIT HOLE to find us.

cheers

 

[bulletpruf]

The same guy had this Cardinal vise as well....I don't know anything about them. It's says model 140, Speed Vise, and has 4" jaws that appeared perfect. It has a cross pin that allows the screw to rise up and the front is machined so the spindle can move up and down...must be the speed part, right? It's only about 20min from my office so I can go back if folks think it's worth the $100 he's asking for it.

Anybody know anything about them?

Cool and obviously rare. I'd pay $100 for that in a heartbeat.

 

[Fretters]

View media item 60645Got this today
Parkinsons No 4
The one in the back is a No 5
This is the only one I have ever seen, even CW's old catalogues don't list it (although I found a no4 in the 1913 that has very close dimensions but no picture)
Its 2 7/8" jaw width opening 3 3/8"
The quick release parts are missing but you could remake them if you wanted.
Despite being the same type vise the design is different between the two.

Nice find. Didn't even realise they'd ever made a No.4. That design, from what CW and I can figure, is the model which came inbetween the later style with bolt through jaws, and the old style Victorian two part body vice. Not too many of that style seem to be about, and it being a No.4 to boot makes it even more of a find.

 

[dutchgray]

Fretters
I saw it on eBay as a BIN and I knew I had to buy it pretty quickly. Its got a lot of rust pitting on the front end, like it was left nose down in the dirt for a few decades. I have seen a couple in the non bolt through style but they are normally pretty beat up, this one is actually pretty good.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

That's excellent Dutch Can we see a picture of the underneath please? And a close up of the logo?

The only No4 I could see in the 1913 catalogue was for a Handy vise before they renumbered them.

There seem to have been 4 designs over the years, we should photograph an example of each to have a comparison of changes.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Yesterday's identity request went perfectly, can we make it 2 out of 2 and call the maker of this one?

That's one funky vise you have there, I've no idea on the maker though. Sorry

 

[diagnosis]

Got this today
Parkinsons No 4
The one in the back is a No 5
This is the only one I have ever seen, even CW's old catalogues don't list it (although I found a no4 in the 1913 that has very close dimensions but no picture)
Its 2 7/8" jaw width opening 3 3/8"
The quick release parts are missing but you could remake them if you wanted.
Despite being the same type vise the design is different between the two.

The No.4 looks identical to the Record 83 I recently refinished, and the No.5 identical to the Record 84. I can only imagine Parkinsons was the parent company at the time?

Beautiful pair, I really envy the QR vise selection over there in the UK.

 

[G-ManBart]

GMAN: that REED is AWESOME and unless you have a swivel jaw or C series vise or another one you like better that one should do almost any job you ask it to. nice find

I've never heard of Cardinal and couldn't read where it was made. i'd probably pay a Benji just because it's different and unique. it also looks well made so your call. half a Benji would be a no brainer even if it was a common old vise so your call.

Dutch: SWEET. nice find

Yeah, I thought the Reed was a no-brainer, but I probably should have taken the Cardinal at the same time! It says it was made in Glendale, CA, and felt really smooth/tight when I looked at it. The guy had a welding table I'm interested in so I may have to see if he'll do a package deal price

 

[dutchgray]

CW
View media item 60646View media item 60647
If you look at the 1913 catalogue page 71 bottom right its dimensionally very close to that No4 but it should be with the other model F's above.
We need to find more catalogues.

 

[dutchgray]

The No.4 looks identical to the Record 83 I recently refinished, and the No.5 identical to the Record 84. I can only imagine Parkinsons was the parent company at the time?

Beautiful pair, I really envy the QR vise selection over there in the UK.

The look the same because the record's are copied from the Parkinsons, which are the original maker of this type.
The No5 is the same size as a Record No21
Record become the most know manufacturer in the UK and Parkinson got bought out in the 50's with their products probably lingering on into the 60's

 

[drivesitfar]

GMan: I kinda thought it said CALIF but the only old vise makers I could think of off hand was BARCALO (SP?) in Oakland, CA. and I think they moved factory or supplier across the big pond years ago.

WELDING TABLES ARE GOOD COMBOS FOR VISE BUYING. I might save my money to see the REED vise welding table combos you mentioned first if you are choosing.

BTW its tough finding your way at the beginning of the RABBIT HOLE and pretty scary, but once you get to a certain point you'll find plenty of company.

good luck

 

[G-ManBart]

I have one, they are cool... I'd get it if I were you.

Does yours have a swivel base? I just found a thread where another GJ member has one...same number, and looks the same, but has a swivel base. When I was looking at the one today I sort of wondered if it originally had a swivel base.

Here's the other thread:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=301772

 

[G-ManBart]

GMan: I kinda thought it said CALIF but the only old vise makers I could think of off hand was BARCALO (SP?) in Oakland, CA. and I think they moved factory or supplier across the big pond years ago.

WELDING TABLES ARE GOOD COMBOS FOR VISE BUYING. I might save my money to see the REED vise welding table combos you mentioned first if you are choosing.

BTW its tough finding your way at the beginning of the RABBIT HOLE and pretty scary, but once you get to a certain point you'll find plenty of company.

good luck

Actually the Reed I bought was on one of the tables, but the top wasn't nearly thick enough to be a welding table...maybe 1/8" so really just a workbench. He did have some nice welding tables, so I'm going to do some measuring and see if they would work in my shop.

So this is a rabbit hole? I was wondering why it got so dark

 

[joe.striper]

Just lost a mint, like new, Emmert 6A, from CL....they were asking 100...i offered 150 within 15 mins of the ad going up. JUST KILL ME...IT HAD THE PIPE JAWS!!!!

 

[drivesitfar]

GMan: nice find on the one you found on GJ with swivel base. with the 3rd hole already in the base for the vise you are looking for your vise can be a non swiveler or if you find the base later make it a swiveler. you might mention it to the seller and he just might have the swivel base laying around. or maybe he'll come down a little off the Benjamin.

it looks a lot like Paramo and the old Record vises and their swivel bases look sort of like it wasn't originally made to swivel either.

JOE:

 

[zoomieport]

Does yours have a swivel base? I just found a thread where another GJ member has one...same number, and looks the same, but has a swivel base. When I was looking at the one today I sort of wondered if it originally had a swivel base.

Here's the other thread:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=301772

Yes it does, original paint, some surface rust, not many signs of use at all, very crisp...

 

[aslack99]

G-man Nice score! Looks like it's in great shape!

I just got one of these vises a week ago,had never seen another like it. I've been busy resotring it.

 

[bugdust]

Hey guys, I tried searching but didn't find anything. I have a Colombian 506 that I'm working on. Where can I get new jaws? How do the jaws come out...it looks like there are three pins I have to knock out on each one but I could not get them to move at all. Thanks.

**EDIT - I looked on viseparts.com They have them listed (for $155!!!) but out of stock. Is there another source, preferably cheaper?

 

[va.grouseman]

Yesterday's identity request went perfectly, can we make it 2 out of 2 and call the maker of this one?

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=554484&d=1463677362
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1NRO, I got nothing on that one.---Can you buy it, or just observe it.---It's an odd one.

 

[KMScott]

Hey guys, I tried searching but didn't find anything. I have a Colombian 506 that I'm working on. Where can I get new jaws? How do the jaws come out...it looks like there are three pins I have to knock out on each one but I could not get them to move at all. Thanks.

**EDIT - I looked on viseparts.com They have them listed (for $155!!!) but out of stock. Is there another source, preferably cheaper?

This is how I removed my pins. I drove them up from underneath, welded a slide hammer to each pin then pulled them out from above. I did five vises at once and it really did not take to long this way.

Those jaws are labor intensive and will not be cheap. A cheap way out would have the faces re surfaced at your local machine shop. They are hard so the results would be a smooth face. Those serrations are time consuming. Good luck.

 

[bugdust]

This is how I removed my pins. I drove them up from underneath, welded a slide hammer to each pin then pulled them out from above. I did five vises at once and it really did not take to long this way.

Those jaws are labor intensive and will not be cheap. A cheap way out would have the faces re surfaced at your local machine shop. They are hard so the results would be a smooth face. Those serrations are time consuming. Good luck.

Thanks! I used to manage a factory with a full machine shop but we never did serrated surfaces like that. Maybe I can get these cleaned up some but they are ugly...nothing like they are supposed to be.

 

[1NRO]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=554484&d=1463677362
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1NRO, I got nothing on that one.---Can you buy it, or just observe it.---It's an odd one.

I bought it the other day, it's just arrived. There was another on uk ebay a week or two ago but I stumbled on this for cheaper than the other went for. I think it has a German feel to it's design though that might be my false assumption. It's certainly stout, the shelf that the dynamic runs in looks like it's handle a fair task and the castings have plenty of meat for a fairly small vice.

 

[CrotalusAtrox]

Painted this beat up 4" Wilton sapphire satin blue, I like this blue. I may repaint the charcoal grey one this color. Going to use this one a lot so didn't spend a whole lot of time on making it shine.
If anyone has a static base for a 9400 they dont need I would be interested.

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[1NRO]

I had a trawl through ebay.de and there is one the same though my efforts to translate to see if the seller mentions the manufacturer fell short.


http://www.ebay.de/itm/Sehr-groser-...698490?hash=item2eef902b3a:g:KfkAAOSwd2xXPgE2