How can you tell how old a vise is?
One clue can be changes to the design/style of the vise that took place at a known time, allowing people to say their vise is either before, or after, a ballpark date. The other common clue can be patent date markings since issue dates are easily determined in most cases.
How are vise measurements measured?
Vise Measurements: Nothing causes more confusion when searching online for a vise. Sellers will list a vise as a 6" Vise when the jaw width is really 4" and they are measuring the opening dimension. Jaw Width: THE way vises are measured and referred to since the history of vises began!
How do I know when my Wilton vise was made?
In short, if your Wilton vise doesn’t have “GUAR EXP” stamped on the slide, it was released for sale on the date shown stamped on the slide. If it has no date stamped it’s either a mistake (it happened) or made from 1941 to 1944.
What do the numbers on a vise mean?
Jaw Width: THE way vises are measured and referred to since the history of vises began! This is the number most model numbers reference e.g. Charles Parker 954 (last number in model is jaw width) Open: How far the vise opens.
What is a vintage vise handle?
Vintage Vise Dictionary. It's always good to know how to speak vise! Handle: The working end of the vise, where your hands grasp to turn the spindle. Most handles are made from steel and have some form of end caps to prevent the handle from slipping out of the meatball.
What is the front jaw of a vise?
Front Jaw: The jaw closest to you when operating the vise, sometimes referred to as the movable ja w or dynamic jaw. This is due to the fact that it's usually the jaw that moves when the spindle is turned. (Except on European vises like the FPU/Bison where the Rear Jaw moves)
What is a Wilton vise?
Wilton vises are famous for using a round slide design (iconic bullet shape) and a key to keep the slide from rotating. Vise Measurements: Nothing causes more confusion when searching online for a vise.
How many turns of spindle on Wilton vise?
In the case of Wilton vises, 2 turns of the spindle should be enough engagement for full clamping strength. This still may not be the strongest position for the vise if you are swinging a large hammer at what you have clamped in the vise, so proceed with caution.
What is the throat dimension?
Throat: The distance from the top of the jaws to the top of the slide. This dimension represent how deep a part you can clamp into the vise.
Is Vise a good forum?
This information was compiled from the users at GarageJournal.com and to view most vise images linked in the details require a membership there. It's a great forum and highly recommended.
How to check if a vise has a swivel base?
If the vise has a swivel base, check that the base doesn’t have missing/cracked mounting tabs/ears. Check that the swivel base itself doesn’t have any cracks. Flip the vise over and make sure the internal parts of the swivel base aren’t cracked, damaged, or repaired.
What is the crack in the front of a vise?
Essentially, the front half of the vise breaks off the slide, or develops a crack from being overstressed. Another is the ledge that sticks out from the front of the main body to support the dynamic jaw as it extends forward. That area also cracks, or breaks off from being overstressed.
What is the center bolt on a swivel base?
Many models with a swivel base will have a large center bolt that keeps the main body of the vise centered on the swivel base. Sometimes people lose, or remove those center bolts, and finding one is next to impossible.
What is a Parker 474?
(short for Charles) Parker vises are nowhere near as popular, but are extremely high quality. If you happen to find a Parker 474, called a double swivel because the base swivels and the entire vise rotates, it’s going to be worth more than all but the biggest Wilton bullets.
How to fix bent handle on a ram?
If the bend is mild, you can often place the handle on a flat surface and hammer it close to flat, or some folks will put them in a vise and clamp down to remove minor bends. I’ve had good luck using a couple of pieces of shim steel and a shop press to remove bends. You simply put the shim stock on either side of the bend, put the high side under the ram and lower until it’s just past level since it will rebound a bit. I made two pieces of shim stock with U-shaped channels so the handle doesn’t roll around so much, but even flat stock will work.
Can you replace jaws on vintage vises?
Some vises were made with jaws that can be replaced, and some were made with the jaws integral to the jaw supports. Some jaw patterns for vintage vises are readily available while others would require contacting a machine shop and having them make a custom set, which will likely be cost-prohibitive.
Can you close a vise with a handle?
If it’s really bad you might be able to close the vise with the handle , and have to pull it open by hand. That isn’t a deal-breaker, but is a good negotiating point if you’re the buyer. One thing to look for is when you unscrew the vise all the way, some will start to bind.
When did Wilton vises start?
Most people seem to agree Wilton started making vises in 1941 and several sources indicate they were dedicated to military or government contracts until around the end of World War II. Hugh W. Vogl was the founder of Wilton, and he filed for a patent on his vise in August of 1941 after being in business for only a few months. The patent was a Design Patent which is far less complex than a Utility Patent, so it was approved in March of 1942, which is very rapid for the patent process. My personal feeling is that the buildup to World War II probably pushed patent approvals at a faster rate than normal.
What is a slide key on a Wilton vise?
The slide key is a square length of key stock that fits into a groove in the body of the vise to keep the front jaw from rotating. Unscrew the slide all the way out, flip it over, and you’ll probably find a date stamp in one of several formats. Some will look like 9-945, which would be September of 1945. Some will look like 9-50 which would be September of 1950. Others will look like 6-30-60, which would be June 30, 1960. Others will look like 12-31-60 and have “GUAR EXP” above the dates indicating the manufacturer’s warranty would expire on December 31, 1960 (more about this later). Some have no stamp at all, and some have been known to have typos with dates that are almost certainly wrong. For those with no stamp a few were accidentally released without a stamp, and some were made early on before Wilton added that feature.
Do vises have date stamps?
Most manufacturers didn’t use date stamping on their vises , so there are only a few clues for us to work with. One clue can be changes to the design/style of the vise that took place at a known time, allowing people to say their vise is either before, or after, a ballpark date.
