When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Buoyed by my success w repairing the work vise, i dismantled my vise and cut the slide at the bend. The bend in the slide caused the screw to jam inside the slide so it was tough to get apart.
once apart i cut the slide at the damage, ground the the slide to be perpindicular to the jaw and boxed the slide in for strength. Cuz im smart
then i went to fit the repaired and boxed slide into the stationary part of the vise. At this point i realized im not smart because i had cut out most of the boxing so the slide would go past the screw.
i was able to get the jaws close to parrellel and i think w a little file fit ill get the jaws on the same plane
over all this worked out pretty good, im still in the market for a wilton and the other vise the guy me gave is actually pretty nice im going to refurb it and mount it in the garage when im done. The red vise is in my basement workshop.
i did learn it is hard to work on a vise w out another vise, i had to do some pounding on the slide and w no working vise i had to improvise.
thanks for the replies, i learned alot about different vises researching fir a new one beforei repaired my old one
Last edited by RetroRanger; February 27th, 2021 at 07:37 PM.
i actually saw some similar ones while searching for a new vise. I would see a similar vise w 1-3 hammers included maybe it was $200, then later i would see a ridiculously priced vise like your picture that would appear to be the same vise. I just assumed its a scam to ensnare the unaware who might click it.
Good job, Dean! I'm still all hot and bothered about Funk's vise. There's a few of those Wilton's and Snappy's around Providence for sale. Big bucks for something I really don't need, though. They are easy on the eye.
ive been all over CL and ebay looking for local ish vises. Youre right they all want top dollar, they are nice tho....maybe to nice for me!
i did find an old vise forum thats been killing a lot of my time, there is some ridiculous vises on there, from super large ones to beautifully restored and polished vises, i would guess the trailer queen equivalent to our cars.
in related news i have found one vise picture on the entire internet like the one the guy at work gave me. No ID or history on it. I mention it because ive looked at 100s maybe 1000s of images and links in the last several weeks and while there are 100s of manufacturers many ofthe vises have similar features and in general have a name, number or manufacturer cast into the vise. the one the guy gave me has several unique features and no markings that ive found. Ill be working on that vise as time permits.
this morning i repaired the sled spindle that originally damaged the red vise, now that its back in action i could finally complete that project lol.
heres a pic of a polished and accented craftsman vise, that i thought was pretty cool
i repaired my original vise, i repainted it w tractor supply “massey ferguson” red. The red is close to the original color red and appears to be good quality. The red is a nice vise red color im happy w it. I put the red vise back in service.
the white vice i got from a coworker is a nice tool as well. I stripped the paint and old lube and accumulated debris. I cleaned everything up and got it working and sliding nicely. I believe it was part of a larger tool like a mill or something as evidenced by the reverse opening jaw, the machined sliding mechanism and its inline style of mounting. I can find no more info on this vise my guess based on non removal jaws is it 75 or more years old. When i stripped it i found some green paint on the vise. I repainted the vise w tractor supply “oliver” (an old brand of tractor) green. The paint was actually a little brighter and closer to john deere green at first. To flashy for me! I misted the still wet paint w some “stainless” paint i had to break up the green a bit (i had seen some other vises painted w green almost speckle paint so i tried to emulate that). I think it worked the green looks less bright and more interesting to me, although not the exact shade i hoped for in the end then i thought well maybe im over thinking this its a vise.
ill use the green vise in my garage w no swivel it will be nice to hold stuff or bend things. The larger red one is in the basement work shop it can handle larger pieces, can swivel for different angles and w wide opening jaws it makes a good press for big stuff.
what did i learn?
most sub$200 vises availible today are probably enough for avarage homeowner use. Features like the slide shape and size can add strength ie a u channel isnt as strong c channel. Some rotate and have teeth on the rotate locking mechanism that will ensure the vice is less likely to rotate under load, some just have a friction fit on the rotate that wont hold as well, most have a pipe jaw of some sort thats handy for holding round objects, some have rotating heads which can be handy but i would investigate what holds thehead in a rotated position and is it secure.
theres tons of older vises out there. Many are well built and heavy but years use may show up as not parallel jaws or not perfectly cast jaws or well beaten non replacable jaws. Imo the best values here are 50-70s craftsmen rock island yosh wiltons columbians etc. these tools appear to be well made (USA) and of robust mettalurgy. I did come across a NOS 74ish craftsmen vice new in box for around $100 that looked like a nice piece.
the nicest vises IMO are ones like funks older wilton these came in a variety of sizes and were often found in manufacturing facilities that relied on such tools for daily dependable use. These are the vices that indeed helped make america great. My buddy who worked at a well known gun manufacturer for decades said they had the old wiltons all over the facility. Dont be fooled by modern chinese knockoffs off these marketed By wilton, they are not in the same league.
heres the red one and green one after paint... who knew after leaving them alone for a bit these oldsters still have it in them... the little ones are handy for third hand kind if work. I cleaned and lubed them and repaired the darker one
heres closer pic of the green w stainless mist
this pic shows the jaws a little beat up, i cleaned and filed them to add some bite back into its grip. I found one jaw was not perfectly flat across the knurling ( is it knurling?) a minor imperfection but notable
big red in its natural habitat... this is a 1991 vise i bought new at the big box store... its reasonably well made but i learned its dirty secret when i flipped it over and saw the C word. I suspect it was made when some semblance of quality was still required before retail sale ....
Last edited by RetroRanger; March 13th, 2021 at 03:10 PM.
Thats a great deal at $15. I chk the local cl a couple times a week for different stuff.
for vises theres a couple regular sellers w multiple vises listed. The prices range from $100 to $350 for some well used units. I did just see a columbian and a wilton each listed at $125. Ive got excited about the wilton, it was the mechanics 745 model not the machinists which would have been fine, except the jaws and pipe jaws had several chips in them, odd i thought. A little investigating showed at some point this vice model was moved to offshore manufacturing. The telltale was the lack of made in USA on the left side. Additional info i found indicated w the off shore move came cast instead of forged jaws as well as a lower psi casting . Long story short this wilton 745 was not as great as the USA wilton 745.
Thats a beauty for sure twilight thanks for posting it. This is an excellent example of a solid USA made vice that w care will last forever even in severe service. The way the slide is made lends strength VS the u shape slide on big red ( which is still pretty beefy)
some info if you dont know. The prentiss vice company in NY made the monarch lions head vises. Prentiss was later bought by parker vise (CT)
most of the prentiss built units ive seen have PV co or prentiss cast into them, that can help date your vise a little closer, im uncertain if parker also made the monarch line after purchasing prentiss.
Thats a beauty for sure twilight thanks for posting it. This is an excellent example of a solid USA made vice that w care will last forever even in severe service. The way the slide is made lends strength VS the u shape slide on big red ( which is still pretty beefy)
some info if you dont know. The prentiss vice company in NY made the monarch lions head vises. Prentiss was later bought by parker vise (CT)
most of the prentiss built units ive seen have PV co or prentiss cast into them, that can help date your vise a little closer, im uncertain if parker also made the monarch line after purchasing prentiss.
Thank you!!
I will check the vise for for any additional codes, but I think this vise only has the Lion head logo. I know that this vise is rock solid. I first noticed my father's vice in 1960, when I was a little boy. The vise did not look new. I am no longer a little, nor young, little boy...LoL
Last edited by twilightblue28A; March 21st, 2021 at 10:24 AM.
i saw that wilton on CL as well. Its enticing, especially when i was vise poor. Now w two good functional vises, and their baby kickers i can afford to be a little more particular. Ive got my sites set on the machinists bullet style wilton when the right one comes my way.
You wouldnt believe how much trouble i had working on repairing the vise w no vise. Straightening the slide after cutting most of the bend out, holding the 25 lb + parts for grinding and welding etc. i was so happy to get one up and running again!
Thats a beauty for sure twilight thanks for posting it. This is an excellent example of a solid USA made vice that w care will last forever even in severe service. The way the slide is made lends strength VS the u shape slide on big red ( which is still pretty beefy)
some info if you dont know. The prentiss vice company in NY made the monarch lions head vises. Prentiss was later bought by parker vise (CT)
most of the prentiss built units ive seen have PV co or prentiss cast into them, that can help date your vise a little closer, im uncertain if parker also made the monarch line after purchasing prentiss.
I took a few photographs as requested. I did see a couple of sets of numbers, although I have no idea of the vices age. I know that it is mounted on a butcher bench. The top of the bench has 3/8" steel and the vise is drilled through the steel and the butcher's table in three (3) seperate places. You can read the numbers. Curious of the age.
Another photograph.
Another photograph.
Another photograph.
Another photograph. The vise is fully open. This is a photograph of a modern pneumatic vise controlled by shop air.
Last edited by twilightblue28A; March 22nd, 2021 at 03:32 PM.
i did a little searching, some prentiss vises had prentiss or pv co as well as monarch a number and the lions head some just had the head and a number.
an old 1917 catalog ad w an OK picture shows the lion monarch and 225 w no pv co or prentiss. So I suspect the early vises are sans pv co/prentiss and later models maybe 1927 vintage have the pv co/ prentiss, lion and number on them
heres a copy of a 1917 ad w a225 sans pv co like yours
and a 225 w pv co
from reading on vises forums, a quick refurb method is a wire wheel, clean the screw and slide of old debris and grease, and oil the vise, slide and screw for corrosion protection and lubrication. Another poster suggested anti seize the screw for a smooth easy turn, i tried that on my green vise and it is nice. I did the green one because the screw is fully enclosed and you knowhow anti seize spreads around a room!!
i did a little searching, some prentiss vises had prentiss or pv co as well as monarch a number and the lions head some just had the head and a number.
an old 1917 catalog ad w an OK picture shows the lion monarch and 225 w no pv co or prentiss. So I suspect the early vises are sans pv co/prentiss and later models maybe 1927 vintage have the pv co/ prentiss, lion and number on them
heres a copy of a 1917 ad w a225 sans pv co like yours
and a 225 w pv co
from reading on vises forums, a quick refurb method is a wire wheel, clean the screw and slide of old debris and grease, and oil the vise, slide and screw for corrosion protection and lubrication. Another poster suggested anti seize the screw for a smooth easy turn, i tried that on my green vise and it is nice. I did the green one because the screw is fully enclosed and you knowhow anti seize spreads around a room!!
So what I have weighs 117lbs and only cost $25.00 according to the catalogue? And circa 1917??
February 27th, 2021, 07:33 PM
its a vise.
. Long story short this wilton 745 was not as great as the USA wilton 745.
