Thompson Vise

[Booman2]

I am buying a Thompson "Three Sixty" rotary vise with heavy base, and original box with Elgin, Il. address. I have never seen one or even heard of one. Any info? The vise appears to be high quality with polished jaws and overall excellent construction.
Thanks for any help.

[redietz]

IIRC, it's a rotary version of the Model A.

[bprof]

I had two versions of the 360 in the 90s, one with interchangeable jaws.
Is it a black or sand blasted chrome model?

The Tompson 360's grip on hooks was terrific, but I found the tensioning of the rotating head to be a bit of a busy affair.
You have three knurled rings that you have to have "control" over. The ring closest to the collet-tube has to be held stationary while you dial in both the head tension knob & the jaw tension knob. I found that I needed three hands (or more than 10 fingers) to be able to do this procedure.
Delrin washers provide a smooth rotation once the adjusting nut is set. If you have to change the adjustment for the hook size, the rotational adjustment may shift, so you have to check all rings before binding on the hook, every time. You can get used to it.

I always set the cam-lever of latest Thompsons (mid 80-90s) to be standing up, 90 degrees to the collet tube after the vice was adjusted for the hook wire. Since there is no flat on the end of the cam's travel, the best grip for me was having my lever stop at about 20-30 degrees below the axis of the collet tube.
I often see pictures of Thompsons with the cam lever down, at 90 degrees to the collet. Not good. You can easily over tighten.

I ran with Thompsons from the mid 80s to 90s, churning out a lot of flies with out having a major issue.
The only reason I went over to the HMH Standard (an essentially similar cam levered draw-collet tool) is that the HMH's lever stops on a "flat", at the end of its travel (at 90 degrees) & once the rotation tension is set, it stays where it should be. Mine has not been adjusted since '97.

Enjoy your Thompson 360. They were well made.

[Booman2]

Many thanks for the help. Mine is blued finished and looks unused.
Any idea what they sold (sell) for?

[Hellmtflies]

I had one years ago. It was more of a problem than it was worth for me. Too many knobs and adjustment parts. Too much time adjusting tensions etc. It broke often for me. I was so frustrated with it I simply tossed it out. I don't mean to be a downer but be careful during adjustments etc. I wish you better luck with yours.

I have the Thompson A vise that I purchased years ago. Still have it as a backup. Love that one.

[JohnDe]

I owned one of these in the early 80’s and way before the internet. While this thread certainly brings back memories, it reminds me of how frustrated I was with this awkward tool. I think I spent more time adjusting it than tying on it and now 35 years later I see that I was not alone. The best decision I made was to trade it in towards an original Renzetti presentation (1st generation 3000). Think I got $50 off. From the first fly, I spent more time tying and less time futzing around with the adjustments.

[sunjpg]

Was gifted one of these as a wedding anniversary gift in the early 80s by my late wife when they were first introduced by Thompson. Tied many 1,000s of flies on it. Used the regular, midge and heavy jaws.

Agree that the adjustments can be very frustrating, but learned it (kinda had to) and learned that if you crank out lots of flies of the same hook size before changing to the next hook size it works better. A subtle adjustment is needed if you change by 2 or more hook sizes, or change from a heavy wire nymph hook to a light wire DF hook.

Despite being named 360, it is not a true rotary vise. Think of it as allowing you to turn the vise a quarter turn or so to inspect the backside of the fly at best.

Later, I got a Regal and then a Renzetti, and rarely used this vise again. Still have it though.

Jay

[Hellmtflies]

If you want a rotary vise get the rotary stainless midge jaws from Regal. The best. IMHO.

[bprof]

Many thanks for the help. Mine is blued finished and looks unused.
Any idea what they sold (sell) for?

The blued finish was the last incarnation of the Thompson finishes AFAIK. If I could buy it here in Canada, it would be about 125-150 CAD with the heavy base option.

As other folks on this thread have noted, the adjustment on the Thompson 360 may be the Archilles heel of this vise. If you want to tie a lot of flies on this model, often changing hook sizes, this model may not be the best.
I too do not wish to rain on your parade, but I'd want you to be happy.

If you like the draw-collet design, such as the Thompson, look into HMH, Standards or the Spartan. If you can find them, API Spartans are lovely vintage vices. Another solid vintage performer: the K. F. Odames "Over & Under" vice (made in Leicester UK) is worth a look.

[snorider]

Hey, I enjoyed tying a lot of flies on this model vise. It actually works fine, but one tip, get your thread on the hook quick particularly if you have switched hook sizes. A tether makes finding the hooks much easier. It is a bit figity but works just fine for a beginners vise.

[Booman2]

Picked up the Thompson "360" this afternoon. It's a gift in payment for wrapping a couple guides on bamboo surf rods and it looks like it will be a good addition to my present vise, a Thompson "B." My only concern is that it is a little new for me, but I guess I have to embrace cutting technology. I normally don't trust fly tackle less than 50 years old!

[bluesjay]

Hi Guys, I won a 360 at Colorado Cane Conclave auction in Lyons. I use it like a Thompson Ultra or 'A.' I kinda got into the Thomas, and some other older esoteric vices. I need to do some tying.....

Jay Edwards