Wilton 600 Vise

[BynumRick]

Howdy,
I am new here so please be gentle. It is cold here in Texas today, dang cold so I am inside. I have been looking at this forum for a couple days and y'all seem like a bunch of good guys that might help an ol' boy like me.
I recently replaced an old vise in my farm shop and put an ad on CL looking for a large USA made vise. This guy sent me some pics of an older Wilton 600 he had bought at an auction. It looks very nice but it is seized up. He still wants $400 for it.
I just bought a new Wilton 1780A so I don't need this but I thought maybe this would be something to play with. The guy heated it up thus the burnt paint. Did that hurt it?
If I could get him to come down in price, what would be a fair price?
Thanx in advance for your expertise.
bynumrick

 

[MalibuLX3]

Yikes! I know those vices are cool and collectible to some, but that seems like a heck of a lot of money for one, let alone one that is seized up!

I'd pass, but that's just me.

 

[gilbo]

yea, PASS

 

[kool55]

I had one of those machinist vices on the back of my sevice truck in the 80's. Wrong choice for a vice that sits outside. Had to constantly take it apart and lube the barrel.I would pass.

 

[Davefr]

I'd go look at it in person and try and assess if the seize is something that would be easily fixed. (I wonder if the heat caused it to seize or if he already tried to free it up with heat and failed.)

If you're reasonably confident it could be freed up then I'd wave 3 dead presidents in his face.

It looks decent to me. Nothing missing, good jaws and straight handles.

That vise new is $1300+!!

 

[BynumRick]

Howdy,
Thanx for the replies. He said it was seized up when he bought it. Used heat to see if it would "thaw."
Thanx,
bynumrick

 

[cglasgow]

For a little more you can get one almost like new:
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/tls/2205935926.html

 

[Davefr]

For a little more you can get one almost like new:
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/tls/2205935926.html

Wow, that's a beauty but I bet freight would be close to $200.

 

[bgott]

Go to "shopfloortalk.com" and search for "Cutter's Vise". He found a frozen 6" Wilton like that and it took a couple of years to free it up. It's a great read! He got it for free,IIRC. For $400 it would need to be in functional condition with good paint. I've seen 'em go for $300 in good shape around here.

 

[old salvage]

I wonder if he got it so hot that it ruined the temper of the metal.

 

[Danglerb]

Funny two posts up looks like same vise, except in good cond and poster is wondering if $70 is a good price.

Keep your money in your pocket, better deals by far will turn up.

 

[v7guy]

I wouldn't give more than $50 and that's only if I was looking for a project and didn't have a good sized vise.

 

[stafford]

It oughta be chrome for 400.00, I'd pass, quickly

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

It oughta be chrome for 400.00, I'd pass, quickly

If it looked like new and worked well, I would give someone $400 for one in a heartbeat. That vise weighs about 160 pounds, is over 24" long (closed) and will sell for around $1,100 new.

I gave $175 for 6-900 and was happy at that price although I couldn't resist tearing it down, blasting and doing a re-paint on it.

 

[ron in sc]

About 4 years ago I bought a new Wilton 1765 It cost $260 plus insured shipping with delivery confirmation which added $45. It was shipped from Washington to South Carolina.

It's USA made and the nicest vice I've ever had. It has 6 1/2" jaws and it's a good size to attach to a workbench.

 

[BynumRick]

Thanx gentlemen. I guess I will pass on this after getting advice from y'all. Like I said, I bought a new 1780A and it's a beauty!
Thanx again,
BynumRick

 

[Davefr]

Funny two posts up looks like same vise, except in good cond and poster is wondering if $70 is a good price.

No, they're not the same or even close!!

 

[mjozefow]

I would not trust the integrity of the vise if he torched it. You never know how hot he got it. I'm no foundryman, but I believe this can ruin the ductility of the iron. $400 would be a stretch for one in perfect shape of that size. Your 1780 is a good vise, I know because I own one.

I'm sure A_P or one of the other more metallurgicaly savvy members will be able to chime in with more info.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Cast iron is not like steel. Steel properties can be changed due to tempering and annealing a hardened steel. Cast iron is cast iron. As long as you do not melt it, the basic properties it has will remain. In this case, nodular iron is what the Wilton is made of and should not be affected one way or the other by a little heat.

Just think about the heat that goes into one while being brazed. The steel jaws can be affected though and might get a little softer but they can be replaced as well as the bolts.