Chas Parker tools

[Francis Kennedy]

I realize this is a Site for Parker guns, but not sure where else to ask this question.
A friend, not a computer person/would not even know how to turn one on, has a Chas Parker vise. He is trying to find out about the company history of such tools. If any members are familiar with such, can you help me/him with this?
Again, I realize this is not a tool forum, so if the moderators deem it not appropriate, please delete.

Francis

[Jack Cronkhite]

Found a number of references on google search for "chas parker vise" Here is some interesting information copied from this site (http://www.smokstak.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63101)

"The Meriden Enterprise Center is a large manufacturing plant that is home to over 60 businesses, located in the center of Connecticut.

The plant was the former home of companies such as the Charles Parker company, known for the manufacture of the Springfield rifle and the development of one of the early repeating rifles in the mid- nineteenth century. Charles Parker was born in 1809 and rose from poverty to become one
of Connecticut’s leading industrialists. He also became the city of Meriden's first mayor. He started his manufacturing career inventing and producing coffee mills in a small shop in 1832.

By 1860, he owned several large factories and employed hundreds of people, in and around Meriden. Parker products included hardware and house wares, flatware, clocks, lamps, piano stools and benches, vises, coffee mills, industrial machinery, and, after 1862, guns. Guns, however, never
amounted to more than 10 percent of Parker’s business. Charles Parker died in 1901 and his descendants carried on his businesses until 1957. The Great Depression of the 1930s took its toll on the Parker enterprise and it never fully recovered. Parker products have now become “collector’s items,” especially the Parker shotguns. The Charles Parker Company sold its gun facility and the rights to the Parker gun
to Remington Arms Company in 1934, and Remington continued the Parker shotgun line until World War II.
The attraction by collectors to the Parker shotgun comes because of the gun’s inherent quality and beauty.
The Parker gun is an American classic".

[Francis Kennedy]

Jack,

Thank you for finding that information. I never knew that Parker was involved with tool and machine sales. I am sure that my friend will find this fascinating.

Francis

[Bruce Day]

The Parker Story by Price, Mullins et al contains a chapter on all products of the Chas Parker Company, with illustrations and copies of catalog pages. TPS is necessary for any serious student of Parker shotguns and Parker things. TPS also answers the majority of questions posed on this forum.

[Robin Lewis]

I found some information in "The Parker Story" on vises for you. According to it, no other American manufacturer of vises produced more vises and vise models. Most models were offered in at least four sizes. They produced them for over 110 years and they ranged in size from tiny jewelers vises to huge vises in excess of 200 lbs.

There are about 10 pages devoted to vises in volume II of "The Parker Story" which gives a brief history of the vise business and shows detailed advertising of many of their offerings from the 1886 hardware and housewares' catalog and a Parker vise catalog.

A good reference if your interested in Parker vises.

[Bill Murphy]

Mr. Morin's (vice) of buying shotguns is, for sure, a vice. The (vise) on Mr. Morin's bench is, for sure, a vise. This is not a spelling lesson, but it it neccesary to use the "vise" version when searching internet sites, like ebay, for Parker vises. Parker vises are priced in the stratosphere on ebay but finding one near home may give you an advantage in both price negotiation and shipping charges. There is a reproduction of a 150 page Charles Parker catalog at ebay item #310209926636 for twenty bucks plus six bucks shipping. It is a neat book, full of information.

[Bruce Day]

I have a Parker vice and am still looking for a Parker vise.

Spent about an hour yesterday looking through an ancient tin ceilinged hardware store with shelf after shelf full of old stuff, some new old stuff still in boxes. We don't get much Parker hardware out here, it mostly stayed east, so didn't find anything Parker.

[Dave Suponski]

Maybe its an east coast thing but I had a Parker vise on my tool makers bench for 29 years and all the shops I worked in had Parker vises everywhere.In fact I have one down in my fabrication shop here at work! The very small 2" vises bring a premium on EBay.They are very cool. About my other vices.....na... lets stay on topic here....:rolleyes:

[Bill Murphy]

Francis, if you will read the fine print at ebay, the "Paypal only" rule is just a scare tactic. Every seller I have dealt with has accepted my check. The sellers don't like the ebay tactics any more than the buyers do. I don't ask permission to avoid Paypal until I win the item. Ebay has enforced the "rule" by deleting the mailing address of the seller from the invoice. If you contact the seller, they will be glad to accept the check and provide their mailing address. Some sellers have gone to war with ebay by posting "No Paypal" on their ads.

[Kevin McCormack]

I have had at least a half dozen Parker vises over the last 10 years, mostly the large bench-mounted varieties. Best price I ever got was $125 for the standard large bench mounted version. In my experience the smaller the size, the bigger the bucks on resale. Best of all possible deals is to NOT have to pay shipping! BTW; they are a sure seller at gun shows and PGCA annual meetings if priced fairly!!

[Bill Murphy]

I believe it was member Jerry Smith who donated a vise at the silent auction a while back. Few east coasters fly to the Vintagers, so carting a vise home by car is no big deal. Francis, at twenty bucks, the hardware catalog is a repro, but very interesting reading. An original hardware catalog in good condition would sell for a price that would buy a good Parker shotgun.

[Kevin McCormack]

I had a handful of Chas. Parker Co. salesman's callback cards which were left with customers who had purchased and used the Parker vise; sort of like an evaluation card for future PR and sales boosters. All of them are gone now but I did donate the best one to the PGCA collection.

[Robert Delk]

I see quite a few Parker vises here in northeast Iowa. I retired from John Deere and they still use some Parker vises along with Rock Island and some other manufacturers. I have a Parker machinist vise at home and have sold others. The smallest ones bring a premium when found as well as the very largest.I know where there is an enormous Parker vise that supposedly came out of a railroad yard,but the lady isn't quite ready to sell it.She has had a garage sale every year for the last 20 or so and the vise is in plain sight and she gets hit up on it every sale but noone has got it away from her.

[Francis Kennedy]

Gentlemen,
Thank you for your informative and kind replies. I thought perhaps a question about vises on a gun site devoted to the best shotgun made would fall on deaf ears.
I will let my friend know of your responses and I am sure it will be appreciated. I do believe he is going to try and sell it, but would most likely have to be local, as shipping prices on such an item would be dreadful. If anyone has an interest I will gladly supply his phone number.

Again, thank you for your kind replies. Perhaps when I post again it will be about Parker guns.

[Francis Morin]

[quote=Francis Kennedy;16098]Gentlemen,
Thank you for your informative and kind replies. I thought perhaps a question about vises on a gun site devoted to the best shotgun made would fall on deaf ears.
I will let my friend know of your responses and I am sure it will be appreciated. I do believe he is going to try and sell it, but would most likely have to be local, as shipping prices on such an item would be dreadful. If anyone has an interest I will gladly supply his phone number.

Again, thank you for your kind replies. Perhaps when I post again it will be about Parker guns.[

[Bill Murphy]

One of our members, now deceased, a West Virginian, reprinted the rare and valuable hardware catalog years ago. I don't know if the one being offered on ebay is the same catalog that was reprinted by our member. It is one wonderful catalog. Mr. Morin, the same person had a hard cover Parker-Whipple catalog of door hardware that is the most extensive catalog of Parker hardware I have ever seen. The catalog was procured from a person who actually sold these Parker-Whipple door hardware items and a salesman's sample door knob assembly was also in the collection. Another example of this catalog was offered on ebay a few years ago. Unfortunately, it was trashed by its use as a scrapbook with cut out "stuff" including 100 pages of newspaper clippings being glued over the Parker-Whipple text. On the other hand, it is fortunate that a serious collector of Parker paper bought the catalog, for a somewhat reasonable price of $600.00. That will give you some idea of what an unmolested example of this catalog of doorknobs may sell for. I missed a Parker bathroom accessories catalog not too long ago that sold for about $350.00. Of course, it was a scarce one!. Mr. Morin, are you sure you don't want to join us on the internet auction sites?

[Dave Suponski]

I dunno...Thanks to Ebay I have a couple clocks,several coffee mills,match box's,specticles and case,a high backed mahogany piano stool,a meat grinderl and a great lamp that I use every day along with some other useless stuff....and oh ya a couple Parker guns...:rolleyes:

[Bill Murphy]

Dave, tell me about it.

[Francis Morin]

[quote=Dave Suponski;16111]I dunno...Thanks to Ebay I have a couple clocks,several coffee mills,match box's,specticles and case,a high backed mahogany piano stool,a meat grinderl and a great lamp that I use every day along with some other useless stuff....and oh ya a couple Parker guns...:rolleyes:

[Dean Romig]

Dave was at my house back in December/January preparatory to the New Years Day Shoot and he said "Hey Curmudgeon, where'd ya get the Parker oil lamp?"
I didn't even know it was one until he demanded I drag out my TPS so he could show me. It was my Grandmother's lamp... Whoever would have thought it :shock:

[Dave Suponski]

See you were predesposed to this darn disease and ya didn,t even know it..:rolleyes:

[Bill Murphy]

I thought I would bring this thread to the top for the pleasure of those now engaged in a conversation on another thread about Parker vises and hardware.

[Gary Carmichael Sr]

Bruce, I have donated a vise for the Parker silent auction this year, I think some one is cleaning it up a bit, it was a large variety maybe 60 lbs, do not know any more right now, Gary

[Bill Murphy]

If we have a vise restorer on staff, let us know. All my Parker vises are working tools. It would be nice to spiff them up a bit for the eventual day they become display items.

[Channing Will]

My Parker vise is also a working tool and like many others could probably use a good restoration. I grew up working on guns and for the longest time didn't even realize it was a Parker vise. Is there a model # anywhere on these? It came from my grandfathers Detroit hardware store in the 1930s. http://i806.photobucket.com/albums/yy350/CMWill_DG1/SHOP-VISE.jpg

[Larry Frey]

My Parker vise is also a working tool and like many others could probably use a good restoration. I grew up working on guns and for the longest time didn't even realize it was a Parker vise. Is there a model # anywhere on these? It came from my grandfathers Detroit hardware store in the 1930s. http://i806.photobucket.com/albums/yy350/CMWill_DG1/SHOP-VISE.jpg

Will,
Go to this thread http://parkerguns.org/forums/showthread.php?t=13973 for more info.

Gary,
The vise you donated at last year's Vintage Cup went home with Edgar for a little cleaning up. He was kind enough to donate the one we sold in last years Silent Auction.

[Dave Suponski]

My bench at work....