Stop throwing away vintage iron!

[Ifixoldjunk 778]

It’s honestly amazing what people throw out. I’ve ended up with vintage chainsaws, tools and power equipment that people were just ready to toss.

 

lots of guys in my age group, (early, middle 20s) end up inheriting vintage iron and they just junk it. They’d rather take the junkyard money and go to the bank.
Todays find was a 1940s Wilton bullet vice. A hot ticket item according to my friend who collects such things.

 

I get that not everyone has the space for antique trinkets and whatnot, but even giving it away is better than tossing it. This is American history, they only made this stuff once and once it’s gone it’s gone.

 

Im curious to see the stuff that y’all have saved from the junker. Or even stuff that you were to late to save.

Edited April 20, 2022 by Ifixoldjunk

[SylvanLakeWH 25,547]

Yup…

 

Here’s a whole thread on the subject…

 

 

[Evguy 556]

I have rescued a number of items, unfortunately you can only drag so much home🤔. I have a nice electric chain hoist that I intercepted on the way to scrap, still use it.

 I recently parted with my grandfather’s 1941 lathe, It went to a good home to be used. 
I like the vise, I have my Dad’s old vice on the bench.

[WHX?? 48,815]

The worst part is what it would take today to buy some of the stuff we see tossed.  If you can even buy the quality of what gets tossed. 

[Ifixoldjunk 778]

@WHX?? For real. This vice is immaculate. I can’t find a scratch on it. It would’ve cost me an arm and a leg if it wasn’t in a junk pile

[WHX?? 48,815]

10 hours ago, Ifixoldjunk said:

cost me an arm and a leg

Oh yeah baby.....

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200724439_200724439

 

8" jaw but still..... 

Edited April 20, 2022 by WHX??

[TJ5208 1,824]

Stop throwing away vintage iron and give it to me.

Edited April 20, 2022 by TJ Salyers

[TJ5208 1,824]

I find all sorts of tools on our road but people drive like nuts so they just fall out. The drivers around here is as worse as the Duke boys.

Edited April 20, 2022 by TJ Salyers

[Snoopy11 5,714]

13 hours ago, Ifixoldjunk said:

They’d rather take the junkyard money and go to the bank.

Here is an argument for you...

 

They take the junkyard money and go buy more Wheel Horses...

 

Is that an acceptable behavior?

 

Don

[formariz 11,987]

@Ifixoldjunk

 Who ever threw that one away obviously did not know anything about vises nor their value , specifically that particular one . An easy $350.00 plus only because it does not have the swivel base otherwise it would be twice that number. The Wilton “bullet” vise is without peer in quality and demand for. Probably the most durable and well engineered machinists vise ever. 

[Ifixoldjunk 778]

@Snoopy11 Maybe… that vice does have some nice scrap weight to it…😅

[WHNJ701 4,165]

So on the flip side....  You can't expect people to save and or hang onto every family tool or heirloom.  After grandparents on my side and wife side passed on we had to clean out the barns and garages and the burdon was put on me to "keep" all the mechanical, tools, hardware.... Etc etc....

Honestly I don't need 3 or 4 or 12 of everything.

On another note.  Yes I used to sell online ebay, craigslist, FB.  The market has really changed it's very difficult to sell old stuff anymore.  Nobody wants it, dealing with scammers and no shows.  Have a garage sale?  Why so I can waste my day trying to sell items for 5 bucks and get jerked around offers of 2 dollars. 

So yes it's easier to stick stuff by the curb or take it to the dump.  If I can't give it away to friends that's where it goes.  

[WHX?? 48,815]

I hear ya @WHNJ701 my sentiments exactly.  Guy runs out of room to hold crap then off it goes. As soon as you get rid of it you could use it ain't that right Randy @rjg854! 

I think I found a work around tho... offer it free to a good home and make some friends.

I was just brought up to not waste anything and eat what's on yer plate so to speak. People starvin for vises in China ya know mom used to say.

Well maybe not vises but you get it. 

Still hard to kick the dumpster diving habit. Ain't  that right @Achto

Nice vise here right? ... dumpster picked.....

Edited April 20, 2022 by WHX??

[Achto 27,569]

30 minutes ago, WHX?? said:

Still hard to kick the dumpster diving habit. Ain't  that right @Achto

 

My dumpster snorkel and flippers are always on stand by at work. If me or some one I know can use it I'm going in for it. 

[Lee1977 6,657]

8 hours ago, formariz said:

@Ifixoldjunk

 Who ever threw that one away obviously did not know anything about vises nor their value , specifically that particular one . An easy $350.00 plus only because it does not have the swivel base otherwise it would be twice that number. The Wilton “bullet” vise is without peer in quality and demand for. Probably the most durable and well engineered machinists vise ever. 

It's missing one rubber ring on the handle, knock off another 25 bucks.

Here is mine bought it back in the mid 70's. My camera is dead and this is the best picture of it I have.

[EB-80/8inPA 1,641]

23 hours ago, WHX?? said:

If you can even buy the quality of what gets tossed. 

I’m not hopeful this country will ever again produce tools of the same quality that it once did, or in such abundance, and you’ll not find anything like that at HF anytime soon.  That these items are appreciated mostly by a dwindling remnant of dilapidated old geezers is a somewhat depressing thought.  Oh well.  The pyramids are looking pretty run down too these days, lol.

[WHX?? 48,815]

I might have to disagree  EB 2

They are still out there and made but way out of the shallow pockets for a hobbyist. The stuff made for the pros is pretty hi tech. Their vices prolly got electronics  built in! 

[EB-80/8inPA 1,641]

1 minute ago, WHX?? said:

I might have to disagree  EB 2

They are still out there and made but way out of the shallow pockets for a hobbyist. The stuff made for the pros is pretty hi tech. Their vices prolly got electronics  built in! 

Thanks.  That’s a good perspective.  I’m sure that Wilton was beyond the average guy’s budget back in the day as well.  That might be worth some follow up investigation…

[lynnmor 7,305]

3 hours ago, EB-80/8inPA said:

Thanks.  That’s a good perspective.  I’m sure that Wilton was beyond the average guy’s budget back in the day as well.  That might be worth some follow up investigation…

 

That vise got its start by supplying the government for the war effort.  After WW2, Wilton struggled for a time till the war surplus was consumed and private industry started buying new.  Now they are mostly another importer of junk from you know where.

[Lee1977 6,657]

11 hours ago, EB-80/8inPA said:

Thanks.  That’s a good perspective.  I’m sure that Wilton was beyond the average guy’s budget back in the day as well.  That might be worth some follow up investigation…

They were not cheap back in the mid 70's when I bought mine priced like Wheel Horses twice as much as the dirt cheap stuff.  I also bought a C-120 Wheel Horse back then and had to get a bank loan. In 1980 I bought a 4x4 Toyota truck and I still use all three of them. 

 

[davem1111 2,030]

This wasn't a dumpster rescue, but thought I'd share anyway.

 

My Dad's vise on my workbench.  Don't know how old it is - the "No.34" you can see is the only info imprinted on it.  My guess is that it was either his Dad's or his Grandpa's.  I'm going to try to remember to ask him about it next time I talk with him, but he's pushing 90 and is not very lucid a lot of the time...  

 

Hopefully, this will end up in my son's shop in a few years, when I'm ready to part with it. If he doesn't want it, my oldest daughter probably will but she doesn't have her own shop yet. (She's a mechanic and Aston Martin restoration specialist, BTW  )

 

I have a few other hand-me-downs, maybe I'll share in another post.  I also have lots of salvaged items.  I like to say "the best things in life are free, and often found on the side of the road."

 

 

[D_Mac 8,610]

I just dragged this home. Someone at the other end of my street put it at the curb. I dragged it all the way to my house. Both tires were flat, seemed to have been sitting for a very long time. Once I got it home I put air in the tires. There was no gas in it so I poured a little in the tank. Plugged in the electric start and it fired right up. Running really well the auger engaged but the drive didn't work in forward or reverse. I dropped the bottom pan and pulled out a mouse nest the size of a basket ball. Noticed the chain was off the sprocket.  Put the chain back on. Buttoned it back up, started it up, put it in gear, took off like a rocket. Took me about 25 mins from when I dragged it home to running and driving. Ordered a set of skid shoes for it. When they come in I will put them on and change the oil and sell it in the fall. One man's trash is another man's treasure.

[formariz 11,987]

@davem1111

What you have there is extremely rare . It is a seldom seen Parker Oval Slide Vise. The no.34 should weigh about 28LBS and have a 4" jaw.  That one probably dates from the very early 1900s if not a little before. I say a little before because of the shape of mounting tab. Later ones should have a pointed tab rather than round.I have never actually seen one with a round tab. It would have to be disassembled to provide a more accurate date. It should have Parker cast on the removable screw retainer.

 

Edited April 22, 2022 by formariz

[davem1111 2,030]

9 minutes ago, formariz said:

@davem1111

What you have there is extremely rare . It is a seldom seen Parker Oval Slide Vise. The no.34 should weigh about 28LBS and have a 4" jaw.  That one probably dates from the very early 1900s if not a little before. I say a little before because of the shape of mounting tab. Later ones should have a pointed tab rather than round.I have never actually seen one with a round tab. It would have to be disassembled to provide a more accurate date.

 

 

WOW!  Thank you!  What would I be looking for if I disassembled it, to get a better date?  

 

I almost opened it up when I was taking the picture.  It has a lot of "slop" in the threads - when you change directions, like from loosen to tighten, it takes 2-3 turns before it starts to move in the other direction. A mild annoyance. I thought about buying a new one in addition to this one but would NEVER throw it away.  

[formariz 11,987]

If you don't mind take also a photo of bottom and front. There should be a little tab on bottom to place against front of bench when mounting it. Sometimes  it has broken off . If disassembled and one is experienced and familiar with them, there are telltale signs of how "early" it may be. Manufacturers were always looking to either improve them or to make it easier to produce, therefor the evolutionary signs.