Info on vintage Craftsman/Columbian QR vises.

[John McBride]

So, while I thought I had settled on buying an Eclipse 10" QR , I found myself noodling around on E-Bay. Very dangerous.

I have been running across several vintage 10" QR vises.

I'm particularly interested in the Columbian and also their sibling Craftsman vises. Mostly because of their heft, and also that they were made in Cleveland, where I am from.

Does anyone have any info on these vises? Anything at all would be great. Especially if you own one and can tell me a bit about the care and feeding/real world use experiences?

Thanks all!318192318193

[Bruce Page]

I'm curious, was their Craftsman vice made for Sears, or a coincidental name? I have a Columbian mechanics vice that is rock solid & heavy.

[John McBride]

Bruce,
My very limited understanding is that Columbian made the Craftsman 10" as a sibling to their own 10" QR. I can't confirm this, but based on the handful of listings on "the bay", it seems that Sears, at one time, had both Wilton and Columbian as sources for their bench vises.

[John McBride]

Also, are there any resources to look up these vises? Both Columbian and Craftsman? I am trying to determine if a particular vise I am looking at is a Craftsman/Columbian, or Craftsman/Wilton. I am struggling to locate info on this vise....10R - 2A - 51781. It's a 10" quick release, Craftsman.

Would love to know more, as I can see from the pictures that it will need a bit of restoration.

[Don Rogers]

John,

I have a 10' Craftsman vise and the original paperwork that came with it. It was purchased approx. 45 years ago from Sears. It is not for sale but the literature may be of some help to you. Send me a PM if interested.

Don

[John McBride]

UPDATE:
I have gone ahead and purchased one of these vises Craftsman/Columbian 506-51781. Got a great deal, but the vise is going to need plenty of TLC. Specifically, a thorough de-rusting and probably repainting. Has anyone gone through this process on a vise? Any preferred solution or product for derusting that works best? How about paint? Rustolium? Something better?

Thanks for any input.