Gunslinger

8 hours ago, John McPherson said:

If ya want to get fancy, you can make a mounting bracket like Darryl Nelson. Or just go with the standard cloverleaf.

And if you are reeeeally 'retentive', you can make a floor plate to cup the leg. That is the part that almost no one has ever seen.

Thanks for the pics. I honestly had never seen one with a floor plate. That's something to keep an eye out for. 

2 hours ago, Buzzkill said:

IMHO you're building an unnecessary box to try to think out of.   If you want your vice to be "original" then I can understand, but if you want functional it's a different story.  All the spring has to do is provide enough force to separate the jaws when you loosen the screw.  There's nothing that says the spring has to be held in place by the mounting bracket.  The spring can fastened to the other leg with it's own bracket and even be "upside down" compared to what you are used to seeing.  As long as it's not in your way and opens the jaws it's fine. I think you may find the coil spring more trouble than finding another way to mount a leaf type spring, but I've been wrong before.

I can easily make it functional with a u-bolt or coil spring, but I want it close to original looking as possible. The piece has history, I want to add my part to it. 

Hmmm, I need some shop colors. 

It's a strong old repair, I'm sure it'll be fine but right now there is no spring. Since I was going to do some work on it for that anyways I figured I'd try to get it "correct". For now I will use a coil spring but no shop colors until it's right, at least in my mind  

I need to cut the weld to use a leaf type spring so hopefully I can find a plate of some sort. Looking through eBay just now for parts and there is a plate for a 6" vise, has dimensions and pics so I have something to go by. The price is ridiculous but the info is priceless. 

ETA: going with the cloverleaf style mount. Seems appropriate for the u-bracket I have. I'll search for parts until I can make one, coil spring in the mean time. Thanks for the advise Frosty. 

That was a good deal, too bad you missed it. I picked up a nice 1880's Fisher and a pre 1910 Peter Wright for slightly < $2 a pound and the PW wasn't as nice as the one you posted on the face. The Fisher is nice but I bought it more for show, the large date and eagle are pretty cool. Read up on TPAAAT, it works. I never found an anvil with it but I've found tongs, vises and other blacksmith equipment in unlikely places by using it.

CL for anvils can be hit and miss but if one pops up at a reasonable price like that jump on at least looking at/testing it ASAP, they go quickly around here, like in hours. Overpriced (to me: $2 and up per lb. in my AO depending on size) tend to sit there. If it's something I want I always throw them a fair to me offer even still, you never know.

Thanks Frosty. I see yours has a "cloverleaf" shaped mount. I've seen these and some that look like two curved fingers coming out like the picture below. Trying to figure which would be more correct for my style vise. I know it doesn't matter for function but I'm pretty "retentive" at times, lol, and I'd like it close as possible. I know most will say just use it, and I will, but sometimes I'm just crazy that way. 

Picked up a heavier post vise, 5-1/4 or 5-1/2 inch jaws, estimating 80 lbs. Someone welded/brazed the mount u-bracket to the leg and a metal plate. I cannot put in a proper spring like this, thought about using a coil spring for now or adding a u-bolt but would like to get it back to a standard mount and spring by removing the welds and finding or worst case forging a mount plate. Can anyone tell me by the pics what type of mount this may have originally had? A pic of what you think it had would help as a guide if I need to forge something. It appears to be pretty old, square bolts, looks English made but have not cleaned it up to see markings, there are numbers stamped on the jaws in the style of my PW anvils font. The rest of the vise is in really nice condition, screw and box are excellent. I know it is hard from just pics, but if you could help narrow down a maker it would help in my research for a proper plate. If anyone has a lead on a spare plate and keepers from a parts vise please let me know, I'd love to keep it close to original as possible. Here are some quick before pics for now:

On September 18, 2016 at 5:20 PM, JHCC said:

Why not forge weld them together? Or use lots and lots of superglue.

If it were only that easy  The right one will find me someday. 

On September 19, 2016 at 10:36 AM, j.morse said:

  Gunslinger, the forge went for $475, tongs for $17 each(bidders choice of a couple dozen), and the anvil sold for $650. I'd give my left eye tooth for a PR that size and shape (it was in great shape), but I'm just too stingy with my loot! I find it hard to believe the darn things are selling for the prices they are getting. Then again, a couple of vehicles I've owned, if I still owned them, would sell for 2-3 times what they did new. I'm officially and old guy I guess. 

I definetly would have picked up that anvil at that price if it was nice. I know what you mean about prices but unless your willing to wait $2 a pound isn't bad around here. I probably could have made most of the money back selling my lighter Fisher and PW.  Good luck on the hunt. 

I wasn't there but the farm auctions I've been to in the Thumb have been pricey on blacksmith equipment, always lots of bids. Any idea what that one sold for? I have a two one hundred pounders but I've been looking for a larger shop anvil in the 200 lb. plus range.