Found a Parker I didn't know I had!

[Bindlestiff]

Some years ago, I closed up the farm in Vermont and we sold it but before it sold I packed up some of the old farm tools and implements. I brought them back to my home in New Hampshire, where they have sat in my shed for years.

Today, a close friend needed a tractor part welded and I pulled out the welding tools and went to work on it. But I was having problems holding the two part in proper alignment. That's when I thought of an old vise I had in the shed that would do the trick nicely. I pulled it out and put it on the back of a trailer temporarily to hold the parts while I worked on them.

I welded up the part and was putting away all the tools and that is when I noticed that this "big" old vise was a Parker Bros Vise.

I now find that I own a Parker #955 vise. Its in great shape but covered with years of old oil, grease and grime, which I will clean off before I mount it and put it back into service.

It kind of made my day, even if I can't shoot it! Hard to believe that a Parker collector (me) would have this for over 30 years and not notice.

[Autumn Daze]

Robin,Great find! Years ago when I first started collecting these infernal guns.I discovered that the shop I worked in literally had hundreds of the Parker vise's. Since then I have seen many many more.

[Bill Murphy]

So Dave, what happened to the "hundreds of vises" you found in the shop where you worked?

[Autumn Daze]

They were sold at auction with the rest of the equipment as that is another family owned company that didn't survive. But not to worry Bill a couple found their way home....

I have worked in several tool/die shops here in CT. and it seems they all had at least a couple Parker vises in use.

[Blind Dog]

Bill, It's a real shame what happens to some things that shouldn't happen. In '42 before Dad joined the Navy, he took the bumpers off our '39 Olds and gave them to the Victory Scrap Drive (I helped him try to bend them up on the curb; it didn't work). My Mother said that if you're going to give the bumpers from my car to the Drive, you can give that damned shotgun (12ga DHE) to them too. Patriatism won the day. Guess which half of the story is true.

[Autumn Daze]

Fred, Probably one big reason so many of the vises survived here in CT.Was that they were used for the war effort. The company I worked for Bodine Assy Systems built a machine during the war for assembling primers. A lot of folks here in CT had something to do with firearms manufacture during the war.

Robin ...Sorry for veering.

[Bindlestiff]

Dave, keep it up. It is interesting information!

[Robert Delk]

John Deere in Waterloo had several Parker vises in the various departments in the old downtown plant. They have torn down most of the old plant and sold most of the fixtures but I never saw any of the vises for sale so imagine they are using them in the newer buildings.

[Bindlestiff]

I went out and cleaned up the vise with some break cleaner. It cleaned up nice and it is in great shape. If you have never seen one I attached a few pictures.

[Labowner]

Nice one Robin, it's in good shape.