Wilton 3" bullet vise

[Reddinr]

My neighbor is giving me a vise. The picture below is like the one he is giving me. I'm trying to figure out if it is valuable or not. If it is, I want to compensate him for it. 3" Jaws. Not sure the age. Anyone here know about Wiltons?

 

[SlowerTrafficKeepRight]

My neighbor is giving me a vise. The picture below is like the one he is giving me. I'm trying to figure out if it is valuable or not. If it is, I want to compensate him for it. 3" Jaws. Not sure the age. Anyone here know about Wiltons?

View attachment 462569

It's called a gift. Let your friend give it to you with only a thank you from you. Clean up the vise and use it... Thinking of it as a nice gift of his friendship.

 

[FOMOGO]

Yes, they are highly sought after by many and are high end vices https://www.ebay.com/itm/2660276036...oc:2&msclkid=17618b260eaf11d7ad4bee0fd77606de. I have a 5" that I love and is used almost daily. I would tend to agree with the fellow above about offering money for a gift, unless there are some extenuating circumstances. Mike

 

[Nesse1]

Wilton's draw some pretty good money these days. A smaller 3", is going to be worth less than a larger jobby, but if condition is good, it's still worth something in the $200-$300 range.

 

[benmychree]

The 3" is not a "baby bullet", which has a 2" jaw, but is worth money nonetheless, as suggested above. In my option, that which is offered as a gift, is just that.

 

[francist]

I tend to agree about just accepting the gift graciously. However, if you suspect your neighbour may not know that the item he is gifting has some value and you don’t want to risk hard feelings down the road you could always say something like “ hey, these things can fetch a few dollars you know? Are you sure about this or can I give you something for it…?”. If he still insists on gifting it, great, but at least you’ve given the option and you know both parties have the same amount of information going into the deal.

 

[Reddinr]

francist. Good idea. I am worried that he doesn't know its value. I didn't either and I wanted to not take advantage even by accident. We've just texted so far so have not gotten into it. I may offer future welding or machining or wiring favors in gratitude.

I checked on garage journal forum. Someone there suggested it was made pre-1945 based on some of the design elements he noticed. I think it is just cool and will likely bolt it to a bench after cleaning it up a bit.

I updated the thread title, throwing out the "baby". Thanks for the info. John.

 

[Reddinr]

Here's the actual vise. Apparently, the low position of the pin (on the left) and the shape of the fish-hook shaped line under "Wilton Tool Company" nails the casting to before 1945.

 

[benmychree]

I tend to agree about just accepting the gift graciously. However, if you suspect your neighbour may not know that the item he is gifting has some value and you don’t want to risk hard feelings down the road you could always say something like “ hey, these things can fetch a few dollars you know? Are you sure about this or can I give you something for it…?”. If he still insists on gifting it, great, but at least you’ve given the option and you know both parties have the same amount of information going into the deal.

Makes sense ---

 

[jwmay]

I think the key in the slide will have a date stamp. Mine was worn too badly to read, but is worth checking, if you want to know the manufacture date.