Any Vise Collectors Here? (1 Viewer)

[FARMAN33]

@TomH definately some cool stuff there!

I have three modes when buying vises… (Swing for the Fences) price be damned, I am going to own this. My 800 and the baby apply here. (Buy to Sell) look for give aways and negotiate down from there. And (Buy for Friends). Basically the same as buy to sell but only for “quality” pieces that make sense for the user.

 

[e9999]

well, one good thing about sinking big $ in big vises is that it's not like a guest is going to walk off with one after a work party. That's something. But better hide that lil' guy...

 

[TomH]

Been a while since I bought a vise but picked this one up today. No markings on it but it sure looks like a Prentiss #19. Some damage to the slide and a chip out of the swivel jaw but otherwise pretty good shape.

 

[e9999]

Is that a spring pin to lock the swivel?

(I would be surprised if Prentiss did not label vises they sold to the public. Seems like all the old US manufacturers very much liked to show off their stuff. Maybe a foreign clone or one contracted out to a reseller?)

 

[TomH]

Is that a spring pin to lock the swivel?

(I would be surprised if Prentiss did not label vises they sold to the public. Seems like all the old US manufacturers very much liked to show off their stuff. Maybe a foreign clone or one contracted out to a reseller?)

Yes, spring pin that you pull up. There are about 10 positions in the base for the pin.

Prentiss, and probably others, made "no name" vises that were basically sold as a generic vise for probably a couple dollars less.

 

[FARMAN33]

Definitely a Prentiss. I just sold my collection #18-#23. Early swivel jaw Prentiss vises had their name cast only on the top (if at all). See pics. The “button” swivel lock is prone to fail and later they redesigned it as a “lever” lock. Most Prentiss buses are over 100 years old. @TomH your definitely is.

 

[TomH]

Been a couple years since I hit an estate sale because of the covid thing. Checked the listings today and saw one with a couple vises so decided to stop by. It was half price day and there was a nice Columbian 504 for $30 that I couldn't leave behind. I'm just going to flip this one to pay for the other junk I bought.

Then spent a couple hours this afternoon working on a new pin for the Prentiss. Found the design here: Swivel Jaw Taper Pins: Removal, Sizing and Fabrication - https://wiltonviseparts.wordpress.com/2016/05/05/swivel-jaw-taper-pins-removal-sizing-and-fabrication/. All I had to work with was a 1 inch belt sander so it's nothing special but better than what was there. Next up will be to try to braze the slide. Never really brazed before so it will be fun to learn.

 

[scrapdaddy]

Great timing with that link. My buddy has a swivel pin stuck and this will help.

 

[FARMAN33]

@TomH I know I have said it before but... I LOVE Columbians! A 504 for $30 is a steal. Looks barely used. I got lucky making the swivel pin for my 18. I found a large pick with a good taper already on it. Took a little off the top and bottom and had a great fit with a good patina match to boot! Nice work.

 

[firestopper]

Back in my junior year of HS (1980) I built this vice from scratch. It was a fairly long project that took close to 18 weeks.
I was fortunate to have two back to back machine shop class that year. Advanced followed by teachers aid assisting with beginners. The project included machining, welding and casting.
I hope it's cool to share as its does relate to vices and add content to the subject.

It was required to grind all HHS cutters for the different operations. The Acme threads were no exception. The piece below the main threaded handle has internal Acme threads. The required welding was on that threaded boss to the pipe and a small key for the sliding portion of the vise key way to follow. The two vice jaws are reversible with one side smooth.

A close up of the Acme internal/external threads.

The pipe on the sliding jaw has a key way milled. All the machine work was done prior to casting the aluminum. The machined pieces had to be indexed accurately into the two halves of the green sand molds.

The fixed jaw has the welded key prior to this casting.

The assembled vice.

 

[firestopper]

fully open is close to 5"

The jaws lined up pretty good considering the pieces were place in by hand prior to casting.

I had given this vice to my father when I finished it. He passed back in 07 and I found it in his shed. He never used it to my knowledge most likely because its cast aluminum but it does work and now sits on shelf. I'll most likely give it to my son. A cool project and if I recall correctly I got a B+ grade.

 

[scrapdaddy]

Cool stuff! I suspect your Dad didn't use it because it came from his Son and wanted to save it.

 

[FARMAN33]

@firestopper I LOVE to see shop made vises. There is a niche collector market for them believe it or not. To make a vise requires so many aspects of metalwork from casting to milling and welding. Looks great! Curious on the weight and jaw size.

 

[firestopper]

@firestopper I LOVE to see shop made vises. There is a niche collector market for them believe it or not. To make a vise requires so many aspects of metalwork from casting to milling and welding. Looks great! Curious on the weight and jaw size.

The jaws measure 3-3/8" wide and the vice comes in at 20 pounds.
Thank for letting me share.

 

[MrMikeyG]

@firestopper That is really cool. I can now add a 3rd category the "if I could do it over" line of thought regarding high school: more shop classes.
The first 2 being foreign language and more math.

 

[firestopper]

@firestopper That is really cool. I can now add a 3rd category the "if I could do it over" line of thought regarding high school: more shop classes.
The first 2 being foreign language and more math.

I took my first shop class in 76 while attending junior high. Those two years 7-8th the electives I took were wood shop, sheet metal, plastics, electronics, leather shop. I even took home economics that included sewing and cooking/baking.
HS offered (and I took) machine shop,welding, drafting, sheet metal, auto mechanics.
All these vocational courses began as beginners followed by intermediate and advanced. If you showed promise the course also offed teachers aid positions but you had to have had a minimum of a B In the advance class.
America is different now. Sadly “middle school” doesn’t offer any shop or industrial education courses. Public HS also have abolished vocational education in most all schools. They may offer special programs but I’m betting is totally basic and without things like metallurgy (heat treating) and foundry work. I also invested in higher math as machining requires a fair amount of geometry. I use calculators now. But I still own a slide rule. As a sophomore, I worked in a machine shop making parts for a Sunnen honing machine clone/s. This job paid $4.40/hr. Back in 79. That was more than double from the $2.25 minimum wage in those days.
Public schools now fail most students and it’s my personal belief we have dropped the ball.
Sorry for the longish post and partial rant but America would be much better off if young graduates could have a chance in life had they graduated with some vocational skills.
I served in the Navy at seventeen (six days after graduation) and breezed through the Philadelphia Naval Shipyards (welding fabrication and pipe fitting) after boot camp. The experiences from all aspects of shop classes and even sewing/cooking helped my advancement.
After 4 years I enlisted in the USAF and again breezed through Pneudraulics,schematics and fuel systems on cargo and fighter aircraft.
Today I use those skills in the shop (some more than others).
My point is; without those special teachers (many WWII veterans) and classes, I would have been another lost soul and most likely incarcerated or dead. I was a horrible student from 4-6 and was constantly being reprimanded and paddled. These courses gave me purpose, and most importantly discipline I was lacking outside my parents control.
We need to reinvest in our children again…

 

[scrapdaddy]

Firestopper, very well stated. You were lucky to be able to decide what you wanted and liked at such an early age. My school was small with @ 300 kids in HS, so we didn't have those type of classes ( takes money ). I often wish we did have more in school or at the least some guidance to where a kid could learn some skills.

 

[firestopper]

Firestopper, very well stated. You were lucky to be able to decide what you wanted and liked at such an early age. My school was small with @ 300 kids in HS, so we didn't have those type of classes ( takes money ). I often wish we did have more in school or at the least some guidance to where a kid could learn some skills.

I am blessed for sure to have grown up in the 70’s and early 80’s with a public school system that was solid. Now they cheat kids into passing grades to not jeopardize federal funding. As parents we owe it to our children to expose them to as much skills as we can.
A post HS vocational welding course now can cost upwards of $50k with only basic certifications.
So the students are indebted to the financial institutions right off the bat. The Navy still offers good skills training but many parents don’t push that rout.
My only son was appointed to a service academy right out of HS and was a commissioned officer for ten years and left for private sector. The education he received in the military has enabled him to secure decent paying careers but he knows how to weld and machine (basic) and wrenches on his own rigs. I had to teach him as his HS was more focused in sports with a million dollar field and sports medicine programs. Not a popular opinion but the US places too much credence in sports and not enough in life skills. Sorry sports fans…..
Man I feel I’ve hijacked this cool vice thread and for that I’m sorry.
Peace.

 

[MrMikeyG]

Well said you guys. My Junior high and high school offered a lot of "vocational" stuff; drafting, auto shop, shop (metal and wood), tv production, It was all there for the taking. If I do end up moving and/or building a shop, my wife will never see me, as I'll be in the shop learning by doing. I also took the "home economics" class in 7th grade. 3 guys in whole class. Sewing and cooking. It was fun.
Back to vises:
I saw this last weekend. I like the overall look of the vise, and I find the rear jaw movement to be an interesting option.

 

[FARMAN33]

@MrMikeyG Rear dynamics are common on European vises. All FPU (Polish) vises are for sure and some Heur are as well. I have an 8” FPU milling vise that is also a rear dynamic.