Can This Vise Hold Anything?

In this video I restore a 100 year old Prentiss 4" swivel jaw vise. These vises are really useful and can help get work done on odd shaped parts.
See below for some tools I used on this project, as an amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases:
Pferd Diamond Cup Brush:
bit.ly/3Y4ZIJH
Pferd Wire Wheel
amzn.to/3Xhhita
Lincoln Square Wave 200
amzn.to/3DYKE8C
Thanks to Furick Cups for sending out some to try!
amzn.to/3RYqjGr
furickcup.com
Check out the Lincoln Electric Power Mig 140MP, great for the home shop, Mig, TIG, and Stick in 1 machine!
→ bit.ly/MakeEverything140
→ Lincoln 215MPI Welder: lered.info/215MPi_Zeppieri
→ Mig Welding Pliers - amzn.to/3VQ8KtR
→ Welding Hood - amzn.to/3yVMox9
Thank you to Pferd abrasives for supporting my shop and my channel. For links to some of the grinding discs I use most see below:
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
→ Flap disc:
amzn.to/2Myxozi
→ Inside corner disc (AMAZING):
amzn.to/2WoYM2q
→ Wire Wheel:
amzn.to/31k15rx
Thanks for watching! Be careful, know the limits of your skills and your tools! Don't try this stuff at home!
Like and Subscribe for more videos and check out our Instagram
/ makeeverythingshop
To help support Make Everything and this channel become a Patron:
/ makeeverything
For Make Everything T-shirts, hats and other products check out our website:
makeeverythingshop.com/store/
For PDFs of some of our project check out our profile on Instructables:
www.instructables.com/member/...
Below are some links to tools I use in the shop on a daily basis.
Starbond CA Glue:
bit.ly/2H2eQmn
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
→ Bosch Miter Saw ( My Favorite miter saw)
amzn.to/2BeBulk
→ Sawstop Table Saw:
amzn.to/2DuAYVy
→ Wen Tabletop Metalcutting Bandsaw
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→ Articulated Vise:
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→ Bosch Portable Bandsaw ( 18V)
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→ Porter Cable Restorer:
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→ Lincoln 120V Welder ( good for a home shop)
amzn.to/2Dly6qV
→ The Camera I use:
amzn.to/3WB3R8k
→ The Tripod I use:
amzn.to/3h4iHnm

[@smplyizzy]

I really like your appreciation for old tools and the willingness to repair them.

[@BearMeat4Dinner]

Dude awesome video! Thanks for talking in the start! Nice to see someone here from da same side of the continent as me!

[@shopdoc]

I really enjoyed the fact that you fabricated the pin and the broken foot! Awesome!

[@MakeEverything]

Thank you! I love a good challenge!

[@mikebroom1866]

I just picked up a swivel jaw last week. Turns out it had a failed repair on the swivel jaw. Looks like it's a project now!

[@scroungasworkshop4663]

Great work and I like the narration to explain what’s going on and why. Cheers Stuart 🇦🇺

[@SouthSideChiTown]

Very nice work! Channels like yours are ones I watch to learn thank you for sharing!

[@breezybmetal8646]

I had the same problem with the last swivel jaw I bought It would only travel so far and then bind up. I had to take a file and just clean up and edge of that radius works perfect now. I prefer to use paste wax to seal them up -great vise and great job!!! And also just remember these old quality vises are not cast iron they are cast steel

[@scaphite]

I've got the 125lb version that needs welding on the working jaw... nice vid

[@mattyal9347]

I have an old Prentiss vise from a garage sale a few years back. On this one the pin is froze up in the movable jaw but until now I thought the pin was stationary and pull spring release. Long story short, it needs restoring and its just getting dusty in my garage.

[@adamdawkins4833]

Cool vice I have never seen a swivel vice before now I need one lol

[@mdesousa6691]

It's a joy seeing these old tools saved from being melted down. A good beginner fabrication project is creating a pivoting adapter to rest on an ordinary vise's static jaw: Cut in half along its axis a slug off solid round bar and weld it centered inside an angle iron cut the length of the vise jaw.

[@fredfrontino3706]

I like the work you do on old tools. I live bringing them back to life and using them as well.

[@davepelfrey3958]

Really great job on this vise.

[@alekos437]

beautiful

[@protect.your.digits.creations]

Nice work there George !

[@RollerPigg]

Awesome restoration! I really enjoyed that... You are so fortunate to have such a nice shop. (I haven't seen a needle-gun since I was in the service, hammering rust and old paint off the hull of the ship!)

[@MakeEverything]

Thank you! Ive spent years building this place up and I love it here!

[@doylerabjohn3435]

Nice project....Never seen this style vice.

[@billessick2498]

Pretty cool Ihave never seen one. I will keep my eyes open for one.

[@SchysCraftCo.]

Very nice restoration Chris. Can't wait to see more videos soon my friend. Can't wait to see more videos soon. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend. Forge On. Fab On. Weld On. Keep Making. God Bless.

[@RestorationAustralia]

Very useful design.👍

[@jamesbarisitz4794]

That's a handy addition to the arsenal. Nice work. 👍

[@GTL77]

That turned out awesome Chris! I’ve told a few people over the years how to repair cast iron just like that nice job 👊🏽

[@DoctorPing]

That's a nice Prentiss vise, I restored a smaller version myself. Some of the older ones had no markings other then the date stamped on the under side of the removable jaw. Nice work

[@markcrook5935]

Very nice work!!!

[@jeffreykipperman6894]

Thank you for the video, terrific job restoring the vise. I actually have a very old Reed carriage makers swivel jaw vise that also has a seized swivel jaw. I'll definitely be using your video as a reference when I try and restore mine!

[@multicammando]

Great job

[@MakeEverything]

Thank you!

[@gtfp4004]

These things are amazing and wish they were still made today. I have one but would like to have one that size.

[@dwwoodbuilds]

Awesome vise and great job on the restoration! Found the welding to be very interesting! Overall, great video!👍

[@GoldmansGarage]

Fantastic I think I have the literal exact same vise (4.5” unmarked prentiss swivel jaw and base) that’s all seized up so I will be using this video as a great reference. Love the advise about the file in the swivel jaw

[@DylansDIYWorkshop]

were there any markings at all?

[@GoldmansGarage]

@@DylansDIYWorkshop only some parts numbers. This is not uncommon for unmarked Prentiss vises

[@mikehone5149]

I have the same one. Mine is marked prentiss 21

[@GoldmansGarage]

@@mikehone5149 great vise that’s the 5” or 5.25” model

[@Fearsome4some74]

So awesome 😎😎😎

[@robertbragg9364]

Looks great, and I could definitely use one in my garage.

[@NOTSOSLIMJIM]

I've had good results using 308L stainless rod on Chinese cast iron. As always, they key is prep and cooling. I'll hear the part to 350-400f, weld in small sections, and post heat in my oven. Only issue I have, is you will get undercut when tying the weld in, and you need to grind all the way into the crack, because penetration is an issue.

[@nefariousyawn]

I appreciate that you left a lot of the patina - no sense in turning a useful tool into a garage queen with a mirror polish. Are there cases where you prefer a parallel fixed jaw bench vise?

[@MakeEverything]

I agree! These vises are great with the swivel jaw but I would saw a large parallel fixed jaw is a little more heavy duty and would handle more abuse. I’ve seen these swivel jaw vises broken from too much clamping force before

[@ganprottas6259]

What a gem! Great project, Chris! Take care.

[@billbly1691]

Glad i found your channel great learning video

[@tomim7187]

You got all the cool tools! 👍👍

[@RESTORATIONOFSCRAPMETAL]

great job 👍

[@michaelplays2449]

Great video !! turn out Great

[@frick566]

No shame in trial and error..as long as you learn!...great resto!

[@peebee143]

Cool resto job!

[@TheVwgolfmk1]

What a great video, I really enjoyed the commentary and detailed information. Good job 👍

[@ronitsingh85]

today at an estate sale I asked permission to go look around the backyard cause I wanted to know if the birdbath they had was cast iron or concrete, turned out to be concrete but I saw a run down shack that had something very similar to your vise here, Its had either a 4" or 5" jaw and nothing on it was abused, jaws had crisp knurling. It did have surface rust on it, all over but that can be removed. They said it was not for sale as the owner was taking it. Then later as I was there, the person in charge said it is on sale as the owner thought no one could remove it from the table, she took my number. the guy helping the main person gave a price of $300 for it and since it was half off it would be $150. I said I would not pay so much. She will get back to me if no one takes it. So will see. I enjoy a vise with round parts to it like the lead screw end. On the one I saw, the release knobs were all around. Its a beautiful vise to have as something you use and display. If it was a wilton, I would have paid the $300 or $150 🙂

[@DragonHeart5150]

Great video and you featured a great vise I want to get now. Thanks

[@jonahdz6835]

Saludos amigo desde Mexicali bc México buen video👍🏽👌🏽✌🏽

[@spevakdesigns]

You can also buy nickel 99 tig filler rod to skip the de-fluxing step. Have done a fair bit of cast repairs for clients and on my own used equipment.

[@bigvicsworkshop]

Nice! I just unstuck the Swivel jaws yesterday on a wilton 450sj I found recently...wish mine had the cool pin like the one you made and the Swivel plate doodads (not sure what they are called) very nice features!! awesome job! Good stuff!!

[@JohnWheels]

For cast to steel I've had good luck with 55% nickel stick electrodes. The flux seems to pull out the cast iron impurities better than just TIG welding.

[@slav3010]

Шедевр 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@chetleonard169]

nice

[@brentelsing4447]

I have a swivel jaw and ive been working on actually getting it to swivel now for a year 😢

[@pawoodsman1737]

I found a reed 304 1/2. It has a floating jaw. However it has a pin holding it in. Any recommendations on how I remove the pin. Preferably not destroying the pin. Thanks in advance

[@Batti2323]

Great work! How would you compare the WD40 rust remover to Evaporust?

[@MakeEverything]

Thanks! It seems to work (and smell) the same.

[@nefariousyawn]

Well done! Is your downdraft table a custom job, or a commercial product?

[@MakeEverything]

Thanks! It’s a grizzly downdraft table intended for wood. I put some metal mesh pre filters in it to catch sparks and so far it’s worked out great!

[@kellynash1981]

Do you have any large devices like that you’d be interested in selling?

[@ianstar7]

You spent quite a while beating it around the fulcrum point before finding success comes by way of the lever... physics eh.. lol

[@AliAli-zv5ot]

👍👍👍💪

[@FreddyFunderbunz]

🚨👼🚨

[@GoldmansGarage]

100% prentiss

[@michaelplays2449]

Great video !! turn out Great