Two new-to-me vises

[Summersteel]

Hoping the experts here can tell me something about these two vises I have acquired.
The red one was given to me by my dad, as it was his dad's, and he doesn't use it. It has a partial decal on it that, I think, says Wilton. I wish it were a bullet, but still interested in approximate age and model. Does this one have a date code on it, like the bullets?
The other one is a cool old Craftsman 5187 that I think was made by Reed. It still has a few small spots of the original blue on it. I'm wondering how old you guys think it is? I'm not sure about painting it or not. What does a guy need to do to it so it won't rust in the shop (I'm in Oregon) if I wanted to leave I think unpainted? I thought I heard about heating it up and putting oil on it, but it seems like I would need to do more than that.
Any suggestions and info about these vises would be appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[MayerMR]

Man that Craftsman vise is just awesome. Really like it. Very old and in great shape. If I had to guess I'd say the Wilton is probably a mid-'70s-'80's era vise. Of the two, the Craftsman/Reed vise is the superior by a pretty wide margin, imo.

 

[meatsis]

Man that Craftsman vise is just awesome. Really like it. Very old and in great shape. If I had to guess I'd say the Wilton is probably a mid-'70s-'80's era vise. Of the two, the Craftsman/Reed vise is the superior by a pretty wide margin, imo.

Even if that Wilton was a bullet, the Reed would still be superior by a pretty wide margin, imo.

 

[chrisnazzy]

The Craftsman made by Reed is awesome! If it were mine I would completely disassemble it and soak any parts that were originally painted in a bucket of Simple Green for a couple days. I usually do 50/50 Simple Green to water.

Follow that up with an hour or two of wire wheelin' with a cup brush in an angle grinder or drill. A little filing looks to be all this jaw towers might need. Perhaps some sanding or polishing of the swivel lock down and handle.

If you don't want to paint it you can just coat everything in boiled linseed oil to keep it from rusting. Then just lube all the moving parts with your favorite lube and reassemble. I use Mobil 1 synthetic grease.

Or just PM me for payment and shipping info and I'll gladly take it off your hands.

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[thehorse13]

I never see the old Reed made Craftsman vises anymore. It's as if they suddenly dried up. You should send me yours for safe keeping.

It was made in the mid 40s.

 

[Summersteel]

I'm taking this vise apart to give it a good cleaning, and possible restore, and the threaded nut on the dynamic jaw is broken. Anyone know of a source for a replacement?
Thanks

 

[Carla]

I'm taking this vise apart to give it a good cleaning, and possible restore, and the threaded nut on the dynamic jaw is broken. Anyone know of a source for a replacement?
Thanks

Hi, Summersteel,

The threaded retaining ring which retains the main screw on a Reed vise was intentionally broken at the factory, as its only by putting the two halves together over the screw that the vise may be assembled.

So.....there's nothing wrong, just see that the ring halves match up when re-assembling the vise.

cheers

Carla

 

[Summersteel]

Hi, Summersteel,

The threaded retaining ring which retains the main screw on a Reed vise was intentionally broken at the factory, as its only by putting the two halves together over the screw that the vise may be assembled.

So.....there's nothing wrong, just see that the ring halves match up when re-assembling the vise.

cheers

Carla

Duh....that makes sense!
Thanks, Carla, for the reply.

 

[exmaxima1]

Hi, Summersteel,

The threaded retaining ring which retains the main screw on a Reed vise was intentionally broken at the factory, as its only by putting the two halves together over the screw that the vise may be assembled.

So.....there's nothing wrong, just see that the ring halves match up when re-assembling the vise.

cheers

Carla

Very much like connecting rods in many engines.

 

[SweetD]

Hi Summersteel,

First of all, welcome to the forum!

Secondly, I have the same Craftsman (Reed) #5187 - picked it up locally several years ago from a guy that was moving. Mine is in great original shape, minus the previous owner spray-bombed it gray. Still need to strip it.

Anyway, I did a bunch of research on it when I got it, and that model was made by Reed from 1943-1947 for Sears. So, it's an awesome, very high quality vise. Mine is mounted as my #1 shop vise (and I have quite a few good ones)...

Enjoy!



Dave

 

[larry_g]

What does a guy need to do to it so it won't rust in the shop (I'm in Oregon) if I wanted to leave I think unpainted?
Thanks.

That depends on what side of the mountain your on. Coast, valley, or high desert. At the coast then nothing is going to stop the rust, in the valley a decent paint job, and in the high desert nothing to worry about, the blowing sand will keep it shiny.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Boilerhouse]

Last week I bought a very used 5 inch Craftsman 5197, which is the Japanese made version. I had already owned the 3 inch version, which I bought new in the 70's. I decided to give them both a refreshing. The first photo is the bigger one prior to restore, the 2nd are both vises revitalized. The restoration steps where pretty basic, paint stripper, wire brush, prime, then top coat enamel.

As far as hot oil, I will be doing this to an old wood work vise - basically heat the metal to the point that the oil smokes, but not hot enough where it vaporizes on contact. I will be using boiled linseed oil, but beware these fumes are very hazardous so take the necessary precautions. I have never done this type of treatment but, from what I have seen, it seems to leave a nice patina and I don't believe any other type of treatment is necessary.

 

[Shiftless]

Summersteel:
I am also a big fan of those early Craftsman vises. Even the logo is cool. Gotta love the long C.

Boilerhouse:
That will be a worthwhile project. It’s good to see those vises get rehabbed and put back to work.
But what you have is not a Craftsman 5197. If you take another look at the numbers, I bet there is something like 391.5197
The Craftsman 5197 is the “industrial” product and is of earlier manufacture. It looks quite different.

 

[Boilerhouse]

Boilerhouse:
That will be a worthwhile project. It’s good to see those vises get rehabbed and put back to work.
But what you have is not a Craftsman 5197. If you take another look at the numbers, I bet there is something like 391.5197
The Craftsman 5197 is the “industrial” product and is of earlier manufacture. It looks quite different.

Thanks Shiftless - you are right. (had a brain cramp) Last 4 digits only -the smaller one is a 5180, and the larger a 5181, both Japanese origin.

 

[honza.vosalik]

That Craftsman vise iv very cool

 

[Summersteel]

I can see how you guys get into this.
First time I have restored a vise, so be gentle......

 

[FJ 432]

Pretty strong effort for a first time.

My highest compliment....I would put that on my bench.

 

[chrisnazzy]

I can see how you guys get into this.
First time I have restored a vise, so be gentle......

Very nice! It's ready for another 75 years of service.

I'm sure you've already been looking for your next vise. It is so addicting.

Chris.

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[Summersteel]

Very nice! It's ready for another 75 years of service.

I'm sure you've already been looking for your next vise. It is so addicting.

Chris.

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Yeah, it's sad. I already have four others to work on.

 

[MayerMR]

Summersteel, that turned out beautifully. Nicely done. Did you use cold bluing on the main screw and slide?

 

[Rileysan]

Beautiful vise, Summersteel!

 

[Summersteel]

Summersteel, that turned out beautifully. Nicely done. Did you use cold bluing on the main screw and slide?

Yes, I did use cold bluing. I like the darker look of the hardware.