baddayinparadise

Thank you guys for the advice! I'm definitely not going to try to alter the vise for any of the cosmetic cracks or gaps in the welding. I like them, it feels like they speak to the age of the vise. I am worried about the diagonal crack in the mounting bracket. It's hard to see in the picture(1st post), but the cracks runs perpendicular to the original forge welded lines. I'm also worried about the screw box, but I'll need to get some more pictures to confirm that it's a separate thrust washer and not a broken weld. I don't want to try any welding myself, is it feasible to make a temporary replacement until I can find someone who is qualified to make those welds?

Thank you so much for your replies! I don't have any experience forge welding yet, as I'm a newbie in blacksmithing as well as this forum. This is my first vise, and I wasn't planning on starting with one so old or large, but I saw this beauty at the flea market and I couldn't pass it up. I uncovered a stamped logo that reads "WM CASE DARLASTON". As far as I can tell, Darlaston was a town in England that used to produce a lot of iron work, but is currently listed as a ghost town. I got some pictures of the screw box, which appears to have the greatest need for repair. I'll also attach some extra pictures of the vise that I've taken through the rust removal process. Screwbox from the side Vise after the first run through electrolysis, everything but the post was submerged in the solution. It's partially disassembled here. The best picture I could get of the logo on the movable arm. Close-up picture of the severity of the rust before any removal. Picture of the fixed arm after removing the rust from the jaw. Axial view of the screw box showing the extent of damage to the washer part that normally connects to the key part.

I'm in the process of restoring an old leg vice, and I've discovered some deep cracks and rifts in the metal underneath a thick layer of rust. The entire vice seems to have been hand forged at least 50 years ago, and some of the cracks are in between layers of steel that weren't completely welded together during the manufacturing process. Others seem to have formed from heavy use throughout the life of the vice. I was wondering if any of the cracks would require welding before I reassemble the vise post-restoration. Attached are some pictures of cracks I've found. I'll post more as I uncover them and remove their rust.