Any Vise Collectors Here? (4 Viewers)

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MrMikeyG said:
Some funny stuff out here lately.
There's a person selling a vintage York that is pretty beat up and missing the swivel lock bar for $75
seattle.craigslist.org

Heavy York vise - tools - by owner - sale

Heavy older work vise in need of some love. It’s big and sturdy. $75
seattle.craigslist.org

Then there is this person:
seattle.craigslist.org

BENCH VISE COLUMBIAN 6" MODEL 206M2 BAB - tools - by owner - sale

This is a unique and hard to find giant vise. It's like new, weighs 160lbs and is the mother of all vises. it is 27-3/4" long, 15-1/4" tall with a 10-1/4" footprint. Made in the USA. You have to see...
seattle.craigslist.org
GLWS I guess?:confused:
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That vise is a Yost, not a York. I think any 5" vise that isn't welded or otherwise damaged and under $100 is a pretty good deal. That one shows a little wear in the pictures but overall looks like good condition.

@FARMAN33 you sure like the big vises. Another nice specimen, not sure where you find them. There is a Wilton 800 posted locally but I thought his price was a little crazy. Maybe not though, not sure on those 8" Wiltons.

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@MrMikeyG 800Ss move at about $2500 for really nice ones. North of that, they just sit.

Yosts are really good vises and your right that anything 5” and up for under $100 is “get in your truck and drive” material.
 
@TomH was asking about the 800's.
That "big joe" thing you found is pretty cool! I'll see how my week goes, I may inquire about that Yost.
 
@MrMikeyG if you are going after underpriced vises then you need to act quickly. I replied on the Yost about 30 minutes after the add was posted and the guy contacted me about 6 hours later. I looked at it yesterday morning and the seller pointed out that it "needs some love" and then mentioned that the jaws didn't close all the way. As I started looking at it to find the issue he pointed to the weld that was all the way around the spindle on the dynamic jaw. I said no thanks and left. He did say he had four other people interested so I recommended he mention that it was welded and the jaws wouldnt close, both nice things to mention in an add so others don't waste their time. The add disappeared about 30 minutes later.
 
Oof! Yeah, a full weld would have been a reason to not take the drive for sure. I have an old Wilton "triple duty utility" vise in pieces that I grabbed for like $5. The vise nut was brazed into the body casting. It's supposed to have the "rapid action," and I'm not sure I can restore it properly without finding another one that's broken somewhere else. I think I am missing a spring or something.


Mine is the 5" version of this little guy in the video.
 
Sorry for the double post everyone. As soon as I hit the button I thought "crap, did I already link that video?" D'oh! I haven't even finished a beer yet.
 
So you guys are the folks that drive bench vise prices into ridiculousness lol!

I have never been able to justify spending what the Wilton bullet vises go for to put one in my shop. I have the kind of environment that HD vises were designed for- A fair size machine shop that fixes whatever comes through the door.

My primary workbench is 15' long and 30" wide. It weighs about 4500 lbs so it's a good base for working on stuff. My go to vise is a nice old Simplex "Steel Slide" that opens to 8" or more. I have clamped parts in that vise and used a 10 foot cheater on a 48" Rigid pipe wrench to break glands and large threads loose. It's a tough vise. On the other end of that table I have a smaller Yost vise that was given to me in pristine condition. It's like new and I rarely use it because it's just too nice. My 3rd bench vise is a Starrett I pulled from a friends scrap pile. The jaws were welded to the body and it was pretty well locked and worthy of being scrapped. I got it apart, machined the jaws off and sent it out for commercial electrolysis cleaning. It came back looking pretty good. I smoothed it out some with a grinder and sanding, re-machined the jaw seats and made inserts for the jaw attaching bolts. I made new jaws out of aluminum. I made a new clamp for the swivel base. Then I gave it to my dad for his birthday. His Alzheimer's has gotten bad recently so I brought the Starrett back to work in the shop. It has an easy life holding delicate things.

BTW, you guys that paint that bench vises up all pretty- If you use a bench vise a great look is to leave them bare and oil them. I run the vise parts through a hard shot tumbler we have and then I just assemble them with a coat of Vactra 2 way oil on everything. They look nice indefinitely that way.

One vise I would like to find or build is a large capacity bench mounted chain vise. I'd like a vise that could handle 18" diameter with a chain that can hold large parts tight enough to match.
 
Welcome to the thread @PIP The culprit for the pricing is (IMO) the vise and anvil groups on FB. Lots of well heeled pickers and collectors there easily drive the larger 8" vises north of $2000. It is there that they network and "collude" to keep the values up.

I am a fan of oil coats on most vises. All vises came painted when new so... I am a fan of a flat or semi gloss black with bare metal slides and handles.

Love to see your Simplex. They are a great option for a quality newer vise.
 
Case in point… Beautiful 8” Parker that is worth quite a bit of money BUT $10,000????


MADNESS!!!!
70410FA8-6BC2-4BE7-AA65-F1B873BFD0E5.png
 
Well I’m dipping my toe in the vise collecting rabbit hole. I recently broke a basic Irwin vise doing my Ujoints.
E0B6E7BC-BC41-4930-93E9-83FEBB3B9D4A.jpeg
I scrounged up this vise at an estate sale.
CAC1EA68-2047-4D6B-8AF3-7FADF030BE6B.jpeg
2E6AADEB-68AD-4FE7-A330-CC2155DA71DD.jpeg

The handle is broken, and it’s missing a bolt that attaches the base to the vise. I just learned that it’s a fastener that is es Acme threads. So I’ll send off for one from McMaster. Any ideas on this one? It’s not particularly nice, but I think it will be fun to use on my Japanese Rig :cool:
 
PNWTreeOctopus said:
Well I’m dipping my toe in the vise collecting rabbit hole. I recently broke a basic Irwin vise doing my Ujoints. View attachment 2909083 I scrounged up this vise at an estate sale.
View attachment 2909084View attachment 2909085
The handle is broken, and it’s missing a bolt that attaches the base to the vise. I just learned that it’s a fastener that is es Acme threads. So I’ll send off for one from McMaster. Any ideas on this one? It’s not particularly nice, but I think it will be fun to use on my Japanese Rig :cool:
Click to expand...
I have a few Japanese vises. They are very well put together but are light to medium duty at best. U joints have been the demise of many a vise. As a rule, anything with an exposed thread is a light duty tool. Try to find an older Columbian, Reed or Morgan. They will not easily break and will last the rest of your days. Buy once... cry once!
 
FARMAN33 said:
Buy once... cry once!
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Too true. I just snapped up this vise as it was available, and I couldn’t pass up a MIJ one. I am and will continue to seek a stout Colombian, Reed or Morgan. Apparently there are many other collectors in my neck of the woods. I just want an user!
 
My Japanese collection. 2.25” swivel and a 1” fixed with the cutest anvil you’ve ever seen. These are early 60s vintage.
BDE266A5-14FE-4041-A784-B84A774330CD.jpeg
 
FARMAN33 said:
My Japanese collection. 2.25” swivel and a 1” fixed with the cutest anvil you’ve ever seen. These are early 60s vintage.View attachment 2909724
Click to expand...
Those are pretty cool. When you find a vice do you prefer to leave the original patina, or refinish with new paint jaws etc?
 
PNWTreeOctopus said:
Those are pretty cool. When you find a vice do you prefer to leave the original patina, or refinish with new paint jaws etc?
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Completely case by case basis. If it has old or original paint that is salvageable, a good oil coat and light sand makes it really look nice. Most I find have been poorly painted or seemingly “dunked” in paint. Those are stripped to bare metal THEN the decision to paint or leave bare is again, case by case.
 
@RUSH55 Those are quality pieces for sure. The machined handle on the Wilton C2 is beautiful! Hardly see Coles anymore (definitely a handy addition)...



but those Columbians!!! ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
 
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