Vise ID help
- Thread starter AV tinker er
- Start date
Zeke
Well-known member
It's a bullet. And you **** for getting it for 35.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
i'm guessing you know it is a US made Wilton Bullet vise and for $35 you can't go too far wrong. most of the parts are available from Kevin and I think his web site is www.Wiltonviseparts.net
give more details as you know them. did you take it apart? any cracks, old welds or missing parts that you know of? any date on the slide on the bottom of the dynamic jaw (the one that pulls out of the vise), dust cover on it back and so on.
you have the start of a very nice old US made vise as far as I can tell you so far. by the way most guys take the jaws off to clean them and they paint before putting them back on. check out the hundreds and maybe thousands of pictures of Wilton Bullet vises and if you want to paint it all then do because it is after all your vise.
give more details as you know them. did you take it apart? any cracks, old welds or missing parts that you know of? any date on the slide on the bottom of the dynamic jaw (the one that pulls out of the vise), dust cover on it back and so on.
you have the start of a very nice old US made vise as far as I can tell you so far. by the way most guys take the jaws off to clean them and they paint before putting them back on. check out the hundreds and maybe thousands of pictures of Wilton Bullet vises and if you want to paint it all then do because it is after all your vise.
OP
AV tinker er
Well-known member
Thanks for the info, I knew it was a wilton bullet when I was it. I'm just trying to figure out which wilton. A 500 perhaps? It heavy, close to 100lbs if I had to guess.
I'll check out that website and see if Kevin has the parts I need. Thanks again for the help.
I'll check out that website and see if Kevin has the parts I need. Thanks again for the help.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
most of the guys that have many of these Wilton vises have old eyes like me so without more details or bigger pictures would maybe get you some more answers. do you know how to put your pictures on www.photobucket.com and then copy a link to your posts here? that would help them a lot if they find your post and maybe give you their opinion.
also the jaw width looks like maybe a 3.5 to 4.5 inch and that measurement would help. there is also #'s on each of the 2 main body parts that might help. the key to using GJ is to give as many details as you can to get better answers. you might be able to find the answers yourself once you do a little more research with that information.
I think a 450 is a 4.5 inch jaw width so maybe the 500 you think it is might be a 5 inch wide jaw which i'm thinking isn't your vise. i'm not 100% on this so correct me if i'm wrong.
if there are not any cracks in the main body parts or excessive damage to the screw pieces you have plenty of room to buy new parts and make this vise work like a new one (or better) for a lot less money.
happy holidays
also the jaw width looks like maybe a 3.5 to 4.5 inch and that measurement would help. there is also #'s on each of the 2 main body parts that might help. the key to using GJ is to give as many details as you can to get better answers. you might be able to find the answers yourself once you do a little more research with that information.
I think a 450 is a 4.5 inch jaw width so maybe the 500 you think it is might be a 5 inch wide jaw which i'm thinking isn't your vise. i'm not 100% on this so correct me if i'm wrong.
if there are not any cracks in the main body parts or excessive damage to the screw pieces you have plenty of room to buy new parts and make this vise work like a new one (or better) for a lot less money.
happy holidays
OP
AV tinker er
Well-known member
I will work on putting full res pictures on photobucket later. The jaw width is 5", even though the picture is misleading. I started to take the rest of the vise apart and noticed that the end cap, "nut barrel" (atleast that's what I'm calling it) inside the bullet, and the "C" plate that holds the spindle to the moving jaw are missing. Those along with the swivel base make it very incomplete. I'll have to check for some part numbers on the pieces that I have.
Alexbn921
Well-known member
Hi
Nice find. Most likely a 500N or a 9500. Same thing one is just older. Take pictures of the numbers on the side under the jaws. These will give a positive ID. Also there is a stamped date on the bottom of the slide. Check out my restore for a complete picture of the parts.
Nice find. Most likely a 500N or a 9500. Same thing one is just older. Take pictures of the numbers on the side under the jaws. These will give a positive ID. Also there is a stamped date on the bottom of the slide. Check out my restore for a complete picture of the parts.
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Many of these vises were available with or without the swivel base, so yours may not be "missing" the base; it may never have had one.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
The C plate is a fairly common part to hold the main screw onto the vise and I imagine if you want to keep costs down you could probably make one out of a big washer on your grinder. This is not my first choice nor have I done this and it may only be a $10 part.
I'm not sure what you are calling the end cap or nut barrel. if you are talking the dust cap on the end a $1.10 freeze plug will work. i'm going to try to make one with a chain link fence cap because it is round and not flat. I'll have to do some grinding work on it to maybe make that work and try it on my next Wilton restoration. if you are talking about the female part your screw goes into then you have something I've never bought a vise without one.
glad to hear your jaw is 5 inches wide so you might have a more expensive vise to spend your time and money on. Bob is also correct in saying a lot of Wilton's came without a swivel so if you really need one you might want to restore this one and sell it to buy another one that has the swivel. just a thought.
Alex's restoration of his Wilton is just one of many on Garage Journal and I think I remember seeing his thread with lots of pictures. you're in pretty good hands now because you have a few of us helping you and more will follow your thread as you post your photobucket pictures.
only suggestion I have that I may have already mentioned. it looks like you have it about 90% apart. did you try to take off the jaws yet so you can shine them up and put them back on after your paint job? you can leave them on if the screws are not coming out easily and then just clean up as best you can for a better look.
good luck
I'm not sure what you are calling the end cap or nut barrel. if you are talking the dust cap on the end a $1.10 freeze plug will work. i'm going to try to make one with a chain link fence cap because it is round and not flat. I'll have to do some grinding work on it to maybe make that work and try it on my next Wilton restoration. if you are talking about the female part your screw goes into then you have something I've never bought a vise without one.
glad to hear your jaw is 5 inches wide so you might have a more expensive vise to spend your time and money on. Bob is also correct in saying a lot of Wilton's came without a swivel so if you really need one you might want to restore this one and sell it to buy another one that has the swivel. just a thought.
Alex's restoration of his Wilton is just one of many on Garage Journal and I think I remember seeing his thread with lots of pictures. you're in pretty good hands now because you have a few of us helping you and more will follow your thread as you post your photobucket pictures.
only suggestion I have that I may have already mentioned. it looks like you have it about 90% apart. did you try to take off the jaws yet so you can shine them up and put them back on after your paint job? you can leave them on if the screws are not coming out easily and then just clean up as best you can for a better look.
good luck
OP
AV tinker er
Well-known member
Here is a video I made. The numbers 101215 are stamped under the jaw but they seems to correlate with a Wilton Hoist rather than a vise.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
sorry I didn't notice the missing piece of the jaw shelf on the one side. the jaw was on the other side and the picture looked like the jaw was on the side where it is missing the shelf and the jaw. i'm not sure what to tell you on how to fix it.
Kevin makes jaws, but i'm not sure how well a jaw would stay on the side without the shelf with only screws. you might email him if another GJ Wilton expert doesn't have the answer. also since the jaw is missing the holes where the screws would go to hold a new jaw might be stripped because something hit that vise very hard to break it like that. your vise just got more expensive to fix or you still have a good parts vise if you find another 5 inch one with the other side good. again i'm sorry I didn't see that sooner.
your video didn't shoot down the hole where you said the missing part was so i'm guessing that you were pointing at just the missing inexpensive dust cover.
Kevin makes jaws, but i'm not sure how well a jaw would stay on the side without the shelf with only screws. you might email him if another GJ Wilton expert doesn't have the answer. also since the jaw is missing the holes where the screws would go to hold a new jaw might be stripped because something hit that vise very hard to break it like that. your vise just got more expensive to fix or you still have a good parts vise if you find another 5 inch one with the other side good. again i'm sorry I didn't see that sooner.
your video didn't shoot down the hole where you said the missing part was so i'm guessing that you were pointing at just the missing inexpensive dust cover.
Alexbn921
Well-known member
Hey AV
I looked at your video and you've got a rough road ahead. It can be done, but it is above most peoples skill level.
Parts missing - jaws + screws, lead bolt, dust cap, C plate + screws, maybe a side pin. No base(Might not have come with one).
Broken - main casting jaw holder.
This size of vise does not break easy, and is hard to repair. I would check the main screw to see if it is bent or threads are distressed.
If it were me, I would part it out and look for a better example. The money you spend will never be recouped and unless it is done right the vise will not be usable to its potential. No one will pay top dollar for a repaired vise.
drivesitfar is right about the jaw shelf being a integral part of the jaw support.
I looked at your video and you've got a rough road ahead. It can be done, but it is above most peoples skill level.
Parts missing - jaws + screws, lead bolt, dust cap, C plate + screws, maybe a side pin. No base(Might not have come with one).
Broken - main casting jaw holder.
This size of vise does not break easy, and is hard to repair. I would check the main screw to see if it is bent or threads are distressed.
If it were me, I would part it out and look for a better example. The money you spend will never be recouped and unless it is done right the vise will not be usable to its potential. No one will pay top dollar for a repaired vise.
drivesitfar is right about the jaw shelf being a integral part of the jaw support.
Your broken jaw support is your biggest issue. It can be repaired but you will need to find a good welding guy and cost will definetely be an issue. As suggested check out the jaw insert threads first too.
KMScott makes the jaws, not cheap but worth it.
As far as the C plate, screws and the main screw nut a friendly Air Force Veteran might be able to help you out.
And yes that is the later version of a 9500.
KMScott makes the jaws, not cheap but worth it.
As far as the C plate, screws and the main screw nut a friendly Air Force Veteran might be able to help you out.
And yes that is the later version of a 9500.
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Brrr my fingers are still cold.
These pieces came from a broken Wilton C1 parts vise, the combo version of the 9500. I used the main screw and handle on my 1940's vintage Wilton 5" bullet.
The pin for the rear nut is not usable in my opinion but good for a reference when buying a new one.
Now what do you use to hold a big 5" Wilton while working on it? A 6" Reed!
These pieces came from a broken Wilton C1 parts vise, the combo version of the 9500. I used the main screw and handle on my 1940's vintage Wilton 5" bullet.
The pin for the rear nut is not usable in my opinion but good for a reference when buying a new one.
Now what do you use to hold a big 5" Wilton while working on it? A 6" Reed!
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