Wilton Bullet Vise

[Eclectic Collector]

Greetings from a new member. I recently picked-up this Wilton Bullet Vise. It measures approx. 14 ¼” long in the fully closed position. The jaws are 4 1/2”. The jaws open to approx. 6”. It is marked Wilton Chicago USA on both sides. I find no additional markings anywhere. Not on the Slide, Not on the Ends of the Jaws, Not on the **** End. I don’t see any signs of being repainted so I think it may be the original red paint. From what I’ve gleaned from several forums is that it is an early Wilton vise, minimally pre-1957. I’m interested in knowing an approx. date of manufacture, if the red paint is original, if this vise has a model number, it approx. value as pictured

and any other pertinent information. TIA

 

[GeoBruin]

Hi and welcome to the forum. That's a fairly popular vise and you're bound to find some info here. The best place to start is the Vise Info Thread. There's a handy spreadsheet with lots of info that should help you nail down your quest and if not, the real vise geeks hang out there and will be able to answer your questions.

Cheers!

 

[Shiftless]

Actually the main vise discussion and show off thread is here:

The VISES of Garage Journal

I concur. Been using Duplicolor Self Etching primer with excellent success for 5 years. From what I read, DC makes the primer for Rustoleum. The zinc green is very light, similar to gray. As always , prep is key on vises; as you know, every nook and cranny needs scrubbing/degreased. I put on...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[Shiftless]

Your Wilton is a very early model like from the 1940’s. Many times there is a 3 number date code stamped into the bottom of the keyway under the slide but your pics don’t show one, I see the horizontal jaw serrations with slotted screws. That’s another sign of early production. The very earliest production went to the US military for the war effort and not sold to the public. That was 1941-1945. You might have one of those.
I have more than a few of them from different eras. I have a couple with the Chicago markings. On one of them, I removed the layers of paint that others had applied and found the original paint from that era. It is what many call hospital green. It’s a grayish green.

At no time we’re the machinist bullet vises painted red. Plus the red paint on the nose tells me that your vise was repainted by someone after it left the factory. The nose piece came from the factory as bare metal.

 

[Eclectic Collector]

Your Wilton is a very early model like from the 1940’s. Many times there is a 3 number date code stamped into the bottom of the keyway under the slide but your pics don’t show one, I see the horizontal jaw serrations with slotted screws. That’s another sign of early production. The very earliest production went to the US military for the war effort and not sold to the public. That was 1941-1945. You might have one of those.
I have more than a few of them from different eras. I have a couple with the Chicago markings. On one of them, I removed the layers of paint that others had applied and found the original paint from that era. It is what many call hospital green. It’s a grayish green.

At no time we’re the machinist bullet vises painted red. Plus the red paint on the nose tells me that your vise was repainted by someone after it left the factory. The nose piece came from the factory as bare metal.

Thanks. I want to sell this vise locally on CL. Can you give me an estimate of its actual value as pictured? I did find a very similar vise in red which is photographed in the LINK below:

Wilton Vise Date Stamping • MIVise

***Note: If you’re reading this post so you can cut and paste portions for your eBay listing please be kind enough to cite the source. There were a lot of people before me who put time into collecting this information and they should at least be given credit.*** One of the most common questions...

mivise.com

 

[Shiftless]

Value is hard to set. A lot depends on location. Here on the west coast, prices are a lot higher than in rural middle America. For maximum price, you should consider listing it on ebay.
Selling locally on C/L is less work but you might have to deal with the usual flakes and scammers.
With that being said, a very rough estimate is between $100-$200 for most situations if you are looking for a relatively quick local sale. A lot depends on whether you can attract the right kind of buyer. Somebody might pay more since it is a fairly good condition early model. If it had a swivel base and was still in original paint, it would be worth a lot more.

 

[F-22]

At no time we’re the machinist bullet vises painted red. Plus the red paint on the nose tells me that your vise was repainted by someone after it left the factory. The nose piece came from the factory as bare metal.

Yep, the color actually reminds me of the old York bullet vises which usually were red..

 

[GeoBruin]

Thanks. I want to sell this vise locally on CL. Can you give me an estimate of its actual value as pictured? I did find a very similar vise in red which is photographed in the LINK below:

Wilton Vise Date Stamping • MIVise

***Note: If you’re reading this post so you can cut and paste portions for your eBay listing please be kind enough to cite the source. There were a lot of people before me who put time into collecting this information and they should at least be given credit.*** One of the most common questions...

mivise.com

I keep a pretty close eye on the Craigslist vise market here in Southern California (the largest craigslist market in the country) and I'd place the value at between $200 and $250. There's a similar model for sale right now with the swivel base and a fresh coat of paint for $300 and it's been there a week or so.

 

[Shiftless]

I keep a pretty close eye on the Craigslist vise market here in Southern California (the largest craigslist market in the country) and I'd place the value at between $200 and $250. There's a similar model for sale right now with the swivel base and a fresh coat of paint for $300 and it's been there a week or so.

Thanks for verifying my estimate. I’m sure you realize that the swivel base adds maybe $100 or more to the value of those bullets. Any Wilton bullet that has been on Craigslist in SoCal for a week is not underpriced. A fresh coat of paint in some buyer’s eyes is actually a negative because there is always the suspicion that fresh paint covers up recent undisclosed repairs.

 

[fishwatcher]

Yours looks like it’s in great condition. Under the rust and deteriorated paint, it will clean up well.

Most un-repainted Wilton Bullets in my area (Silicon Valley) in good condition without a swivel base LIST for around $200 and around $300 (or more) with the swivel base (painted or unpainted).

A great deal from a buyer perspective is $100-$150.. but these prices are rare.

I drove 40 minutes to neighboring, more industrial city to get this 3” Bullet for $100. The Wilton Cadet 4.5” (a step down from the Bullet and cleaned but not painted in the below picture) was $150 nearby but had a chipped jaw shelf.

The Bullet was definitely a better deal.. but I’m happy with both for what I paid.

They both cleaned up really nice and I think I could sell them for a good profit IF I wanted to part with either.