Vise Info Thread

[MrDayne]

Top is definitely a 67 ford galaxie.

 

[Dandy Dave]

The car on top is a 1967 Ford Galaxy.

 

[cclfn]

The car in the middle is a 1969 Pontiac GTO.

Actually thats a Pontiac GP if you look close are the letters on the grill. Not positive about the year but I believe its a 1967 by the grill.

 

[Fierljeppen]

Dandy Dave, MrDayne and cclfn...Thanks for the information, you nailed it! The 3rd car is probably around the same age.

I'm thinking this catalog is around (1968-69), which would make the release of the Tradesman and 740 series vises much earlier than I previously thought. The earliest date stamp I've seen on a Tradesman vise is 1972, which had a -3- year warranty. Based on my research and printed data, I strongly believe the date stamped on the slide beginning in 1959 is the expiration date. That would support a 1969 catalog date.

 

[KMScott]

I sure like that Fairlane. I would have guessed 67 too.

 

[KMScott]

Charles Parker 229X. 3-1/4 jaws that opens to 4" and weights 39lbs. One of my restorations.

 

[sqyards]

Little 1&1/2inch jaw vise I found at a market today for 5 bucks can't find any info about it yet, but I like it

 

[AngryBeaver]

I'm looking for help identifying the cars and year in the Wilton no. 835 brochure below. This will help us put a more solid date on the beginning of the Wilton Tradesman "1700 series" and "740 series" mechanics vises.

My first inclination is late 1960's Ford, GTO and Mercury? But, I'm looking for more knowledgeable eyes than my own. Thanks in advance!

67 Galaxy

67 Pontiac Grand Prix

67 Mercury Montery


which one of the mechanics vise had a 3 year warranty?

Then we need to figure out when wilton switched to actual date stamps when produced.

 

[Fierljeppen]

67 Galaxy
67 Pontiac Grand Prix
67 Mercury Montery

Which one of the mechanics vise had a 3 year warranty?

Then we need to figure out when wilton switched to actual date stamps when produced.

Ah, the Montery, thanks.

The -3- year warranty was for the Tradesman only, I don't have any warranty information on the "740" series vises.

As far as when Wilton started stamping the actual release date, I'm going to just continue building my Wilton date-stamp database and concentrate on the 1980's and 1990's vises. I'm very leery of information coming from the current Wilton Co.

 

[AngryBeaver]

Ah, the Montery, thanks.

The -3- year warranty was for the Tradesman only, I don't have any warranty information on the "740" series vises.

I'm very leery of information coming from the current Wilton Co.

As you should be. they discarded all information when they when they were bought out the last time. Every time I've called to ask information, they actually reccomned coming here for information... Seems we have put a better timeline together, than they have.


Like Iv'e said before. I bought a 745 brand new before I graduated in 1998. its dated 10/97 on the slide. I don't remember exactly when I bought it, but I guarantee that the warranty wasn't expired when I bought it..

The company I worked for opened in 1997 and bought a tradesman 1750. new style casting (one piece static, looks like a 1755 but with 5" jaws) and is dated 5/97 on the spindle and 7/97 on the slide. I find it very hard to believe that that brand new style casting dated that late, had already expired by the time they bought it... Meaning I believe the dates to be stamped as made.

When the spindles stated being stamped might be an indication. earliest spindle date i've seen is 92/93 but I didn't really pay attention to those in the first 30-40 I sold.

Oh, and my 75th anniversary 1755 was stamped 10/16. So I know that was a production date, not an expiration.

 

[Fierljeppen]

Angrybeaver...You may be our best source for figuring out this particular timeline. Your Wilton 1750 with the new style casting is very interesting. I've added your post to my notes. I did just find a -2- year warranty for a "740" series safety color vise from a 1990s Wilton catalog.

Some 1990's events that may be pertinent. Wilton acquires The Warren Group, including the Columbian Vise Co. and also contracts the machining, painting and packaging of their machinist, "C" series and Tradesman vises to a machine company in Carpentersville, IL. I've reached out to one of the owners, but he wasn't interested at all in answering any of my questions.

I've attached a Tradesman page from a 1994-95 and 1998 Wilton catalog for your notes.

 

[KMScott]

Rock Island 154A. 4-1/2 swivel jaw Coachmaker's vise that opens to 8-1/2" and weights 70lbs.

 

[antwon412]

I have a pretty old Sears craftsman 4 inch vice my father-in-law gave me. The handle is pretty bent on it. Where would be the best place to source a new one?

 

[KMScott]

I have a pretty old Sears craftsman 4 inch vice my father-in-law gave me. The handle is pretty bent on it. Where would be the best place to source a new one?

Try this young man, he is young and very talented and does great work.

Zariczny Metalworks

 

[KMScott]

Hibbard Spencer Bartlett & Co. #163. 3" jaws. This is all I know about this vise.

Hibbard Spencer Bartlett & Co

 

[Fierljeppen]

It's a private labeled Parker Eclipse no.102 vise, manufactured for the Hibbard, Spencer & Bartlett Co. in Chicago. HS&B was a major US hardware store for many years, boasting as having the largest hardware store in the world at one time. Their most prime location on the Chicago river was back in the day when the river had working boats and freight trains that extended to both the north and south sides of the river.

Times have changed a lot in Chicago since then. Used to be, if a tool had Chicago on it, it was considered a hi-quality tool mfg. in Chicago. Now, it means that it's complete garbage made in China, sold at Harbor Freight.

 

[KMScott]

It's a private labeled Parker Eclipse no.102 vise, manufactured for the Hibbard, Spencer & Bartlett Co. in Chicago. HS&B was a major US hardware store for many years, boasting as having the largest hardware store in the world at one time. Their most prime location on the Chicago river was back in the day when the river had working boats and freight trains that extended to both the north and south sides of the river.

Times have changed a lot in Chicago since then. Used to be, if a tool had Chicago on it, it was considered a hi-quality tool mfg. in Chicago. Now, it means that it's complete garbage made in China, sold at Harbor Freight.

Thanks Fierljeppen, you are such great help. I knew they were Parker after seeing the two pins underneath the dynamic on the 163 model but no idea what Parker numbered vise they were.

 

[KMScott]

Charles Parker 239. 3-3/4 jaws that opens to 6-1/4" and weights 53 lbs. Semi steel bar model.

 

[KMScott]

Charles Parker 270. 3-1/4" jaws that opens to 3-1/8" and weights 30 lbs.

 

[KMScott]

Fortis 12/O. 6" offset jaws.

 

[va.grouseman]

Man, that's really off-set.---and QR.---A rare piece there.

 

[KMScott]

Lewis (Prentiss) #48. 7-1/2" jaws opens to 12" and weights 214lbs

 

[KMScott]

Charles Parker 178. Early Swivel jaw with the taper pin chain. 4-1/4 jaws and weights 40lbs.

 

[Smitty]

This is a Prentiss 504 Ironworkers vise, it has 4” jaws, opens 5” and weighs in at 55 lbs. This is only the second one I’ve seen of this particular model. I was lucky to find it.


Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[KMScott]

Nice vise Smitty, great addition to the Spreadsheet.

 

[Smitty]

Thanks KMS, I’ve been on kind a drought spreadsheet wise lately. Let’s face it, it’s not easy to find a Prentiss that isn’t listed already. With that in mind I have a stunner coming tomorrow that will fill another slot in the Prentiss column.

 

[bagged89s10]

Charles Parker 178. Early Swivel jaw with the taper pin chain. 4-1/4 jaws and weights 40lbs.

Thanks for posting that for me.

I was just about to post pictures of today’s acquisition on this Parker No 178 vise. This is one of the oldest swivel jaw vises I’ve owned. It has what looks to be the original chain for the swivel jaw pin too! This one dates Pre-1884. Does anyone have a catalog or catalog page for this vise and was this style swivel jaw patented? I think I’m going to throw this in my electrolysis tank so I don’t destroy my evaporust. It’s really dirty.

 

[PghJKB]

Thanks for posting that for me.

I was just about to post pictures of today’s acquisition on this Parker No 178 vise. This is one of the oldest swivel jaw vises I’ve owned. It has what looks to be the original chain for the swivel jaw pin too! This one dates Pre-1884. Does anyone have a catalog or catalog page for this vise and was this style swivel jaw patented? I think I’m going to throw this in my electrolysis tank so I don’t destroy my evaporust. It’s really dirty.

Bagged
The earliest catalog image of a Parker with that type of swivel jaw that I have located is the 1876 S.D. Kimbark catalog. While the vise listed are models 41 and 51, visually, to me, the rear swivel jaw is a match.

There are several swivel jaw patents that could be a match.
Pre 1876 swivel jaw patents that resemble what I see include patents:

#32093 (1861) - the patent drawings show a post vise.
#38405 (1863), again, the drawings show a post vise.
#76656 (1868). This one, by BL Randall of Roxbury MA, has drawings of a bench vise with a fixed base.
#90800 (1869). This one, by JB Willett of West Meriden is for front and rear swivel jaws. Somewhat different from what I see in your images, Willet most likely had some sort of association with Parker.

There may be some others similar to yours. My patent accumulation has over twenty swivel jaw patents pre 1884.

Here are two images from the 1876 S.D. Kimbark catalog. They did not convert very well:

Image Meister FierlJeppen may have some better images of an actual 178 and/or better patent info.

JKB

 

[Fierljeppen]

bagged89s10...Outstanding vise, I almost PM'd KMScott to see if it was available. The only catalog scan I could find of a Parker vise no.178 is from an 1894 catalog. Why do you think that it's pre-1884?

PghJKB...Instead of converting a PDF-to-JPG, magnify the page on the archive website screen, right-click the mouse and "save as image". It's much quicker and I think you'll be impressed with the results.

Wonder what Smitty's got coming for us today.

 

[PghJKB]

bagged89s10...Outstanding vise, I almost PM'd KMScott to see if it was available. The only catalog scan I could find of a Parker vise no.178 is from an 1894 catalog. Why do you think that it's pre-1884?

PghJKB...Instead of converting a PDF-to-JPG, magnify the page on the archive website screen, right-click the mouse and "save as image". It's much quicker and I think you'll be impressed with the results.

Wonder what Smitty's got coming for us today.

The catalog is on my laptop. Could not find the URL for the one on archive.org, did not have time to search for it.

I often do the save image. My system saves them as .bmp, so I still need to convert them to .jpeg's or they are too large to upload

GIMP does the conversion, for some reason it did not like this catalog.

JKB

 

[va.grouseman]

Check out the double swivel jaw CP on the , ( Re: Oldest known Parker Vise), thread, page 1, post 37.

 

[bagged89s10]

bagged89s10...Outstanding vise, I almost PM'd KMScott to see if it was available. The only catalog scan I could find of a Parker vise no.178 is from an 1894 catalog. Why do you think that it's pre-1884?

PghJKB...Instead of converting a PDF-to-JPG, magnify the page on the archive website screen, right-click the mouse and "save as image". It's much quicker and I think you'll be impressed with the results.

Wonder what Smitty's got coming for us today.

That’s awesome. Where are those 2 images from? And now I need one of those swivel base versions.

Pre-1884 because the newest patent date year cast into this vise is 1867. Patents used to only last for 17yrs so it should not be any newer than 1884.

 

[bagged89s10]

Bagged
The earliest catalog image of a Parker with that type of swivel jaw that I have located is the 1876 S.D. Kimbark catalog. While the vise listed are models 41 and 51, visually, to me, the rear swivel jaw is a match.

There are several swivel jaw patents that could be a match.
Pre 1876 swivel jaw patents that resemble what I see include patents:

#32093 (1861) - the patent drawings show a post vise.
#38405 (1863), again, the drawings show a post vise.
#76656 (1868). This one, by BL Randall of Roxbury MA, has drawings of a bench vise with a fixed base.
#90800 (1869). This one, by JB Willett of West Meriden is for front and rear swivel jaws. Somewhat different from what I see in your images, Willet most likely had some sort of association with Parker.

There may be some others similar to yours. My patent accumulation has over twenty swivel jaw patents pre 1884.

Here are two images from the 1876 S.D. Kimbark catalog. They did not convert very well:

Image Meister FierlJeppen may have some better images of an actual 178 and/or better patent info.

JKB

Yes I have a copy of that catalog from archive.org. I’ll have to take a look at those patents later today.

 

[bagged89s10]

Check out the double swivel jaw CP on the , ( Re: Oldest known Parker Vise), thread, page 1, post 37.

Thanks VA. I didn’t know about that thread. I have a no 22 vise which might be older. I’m assuming it’s a parker. Does the collar say 11-22-1844?

 

[WhoWhatNow]

Thanks VA. I didn’t know about that thread. I have a no 22 vise which might be older. I’m assuming it’s a parker. Does the collar say 11-22-1844?

That’s really cool. Looks like a Parker. Another theory about the numbers on the collar is those are the number vise models that it fit. No. 11, 22 and 44. Obviously, that assumes that a model 11 and 44 existed.

Is that a “22” on the swivel base?

 

[Smitty]

Prentiss jewelers vise no. 36, it has 1 3/4” jaws, opens 1 3/4” and weighs in at 3 1/2 lbs.


Sent from my iPad using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[bagged89s10]

That’s really cool. Looks like a Parker. Another theory about the numbers on the collar is those are the number vise models that it fit. No. 11, 22 and 44. Obviously, that assumes that a model 11 and 44 existed.

Is that a “22” on the swivel base?

Yes the 22 is an old style with a thru the bench swivel.

I have an old no42 of the same period as my 148. A friend actually left it in my yard for me while I was out on date night with my wife last year.









Here is a catalog link showing a parker 11, 22, and a 44.


https://archive.org/details/ParkersVises1876/mode/1up

 

[va.grouseman]

Yea Bagged, that has all the hallmarks of a CP and that is defiantly a 44 on the collar but I'm not the historian that some of these other guys are.---Personally I'd like to know that CP was making vises back that far, cause they did start up in 1832.---But someone else have to come with the provenance.


From Wikipedia

''The Charles Parker Company (1832-) was formed in Meriden, Connecticut by Charles Parker, and over the years manufactured products including metalware, Art Brass (now in museums), hardware, lamps, spectacles, and piano stools. Also related to the company were others founded by Charles Parker: including Parker Brothers (gun manufacturer), Meriden Curtain Fixture Co. (established 1869), and Parker & Whipple Co. clock manufacturers.''

 

[bagged89s10]

Yea Bagged, that has all the hallmarks of a CP and that is defiantly a 44 on the collar but I'm not the historian that some of these other guys are.---Personally I'd like to know that CP was making vises back that far, cause they did start up in 1832.---But someone else have to come with the provenance.


From Wikipedia

''The Charles Parker Company (1832-) was formed in Meriden, Connecticut by Charles Parker, and over the years manufactured products including metalware, Art Brass (now in museums), hardware, lamps, spectacles, and piano stools. Also related to the company were others founded by Charles Parker: including Parker Brothers (gun manufacturer), Meriden Curtain Fixture Co. (established 1869), and Parker & Whipple Co. clock manufacturers.''

Their catalog says they manufactured their first vise 1832.

 

[va.grouseman]

Very good Bagged.---So you are the historian.