Rock Island Vise & Stand

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Just got this Rock Island vise with an old cast iron Gargoyle Mobil Oil stand. The vise has no model number on it, it just says Rock Island on the side and the slider is stamped with a "-X". The jaw is 3.5" and opens to 6". Not a huge vise but it will serve my needs. It has been sitting outside and needs dismantling and cleaning, it is caked with dried grease or wax around the screw. I paid $50. Will be cleaning it up this weekend.Miller Challenger 172Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC 225/150Miller Maxstar 150 STLVictor 100CVictor JourneymanOxweld OAHarris O/ASmith O/A little torchNo, that's not my car.
Reply:Nice Look's like it will clean up good.
Reply:Looks like my 594, but yours has a swivel base.  I'd have to go out and measure it to be sure.  You might try wire brushing the sides to see if the numbers show up.  Somebody had ground off the numbers on mine.http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=44447&page=2My name's not Jim....
Reply:Thanks, after cleaning off some of the gunk I found a "942" stamped into the top of the slider, don't really know if that means anything. It also opens to 6.75" after cleaning it.Boostinjdm you have a nice little collection there. What should I lube it with after it is finished?Miller Challenger 172Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC 225/150Miller Maxstar 150 STLVictor 100CVictor JourneymanOxweld OAHarris O/ASmith O/A little torchNo, that's not my car.
Reply:I lubed the screw with a light coat of anti-seize and used dry silicone spray lube on the slide.  It should have cast numbers on one side.  I didn't find mine untill I cleaned it up.  They appeared to be ground off.My name's not Jim....
Reply:Nice set up bigb. That stand is pretty cool too , is that the original purpose to be used as a vise stand ? Seems that base plate alone would have been worth the price.
Reply:I think the stand was given to service stations for vices, grinders etc. It is threaded for 1.5" pipe. It is a cool stand regardless and when I brought it home my wife wanted it.Miller Challenger 172Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC 225/150Miller Maxstar 150 STLVictor 100CVictor JourneymanOxweld OAHarris O/ASmith O/A little torchNo, that's not my car.
Reply:It's interesting to see a Standard Oil Co of NY stand show up in AZ? I had the impression these were distributed mainly to dealers on the east coast. Do you know if your stand was actually in use by a dealer in the southwest or drug out there after retirement? In any event I'm jealous; that's a nice find.
Reply:don't know the history, the old man passed away and his daughter was selling everything. Quite a yard full of interesting stuff, half acre filled up with stuff.Miller Challenger 172Miller Thunderbolt AC/DC 225/150Miller Maxstar 150 STLVictor 100CVictor JourneymanOxweld OAHarris O/ASmith O/A little torchNo, that's not my car.
Reply:There has to be some serious collector value to that stand, and that vise.  My dad has an old columbian that looks just like that vise.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT