fishnaked

Not at the moment but the repair is essentially the same as the vice in the video above. Same threads.

Dang! Wish I would have thought of that or seen this post before. I ended up taking it to a shop that did the same thing shown in the video above. The guy did a nice job for me... but it's not original... and it cost me $187. Hope it lasts me the rest of my days, as it did for my grandfather and father. Thx to everyone for the most helpful posts! Cheers! Very nice shop! I'm envious!!

Great idea. Thanks! Thanks to the other posters as well. Appreciated.

Unfortunately, my old vice will no longer tighten down on things thinner than 1". Appears the threads are stripped... in the female piece. This was my fathers vice (1914-1993) passed down from his father (1882-1959). I used it a lot on our family farm in the 70s and 80s, and tons in the last 18 years. Not sure how old it is but it's an essential tool for my needs. It is also a very sentimental and special piece to me. I'm sure hoping it can be fixed! Before I take it to a machine shop to ask.... do any of you have any advice? Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks! I have some extra log chains laying around. Now I know what to do with them.

I've seen a few photos now of large log chains wrapped around the base of anvils. Is there a purpose for this?

My bad. No point. I do use Amazon a lot for books though... and I didn't check around, being I was only curious at the moment. I just thought it was sorta humorous that it was so much money. Any way, back to my question...? Yes, my library offers this service and I use it often. Thanks!

Thanks, Thomas. You'd recommend soaking it in tea and then using the bluing solution... or just one or the other? I updated my profile to show that I'm from South Central Idaho. I looked up that book and Amazon has one. $991.51... plus shipping.

After decades of holding things to be welded on the farm, the top of my family heirloom Iron City vise had a build up of welds. I removed these random bits of welds with my angle grinder down to what I thought was the original vise. It's all shiny metal now, lacking the beautiful (to me) blackish colored patina that's on the rest of the vise. Is there any way to restore that patina, even if a bit? Throw the pieces in a fire, maybe? Or would the heat ruin it?

Ok, that was my first thought... but I was assuming to get the spring action, one had to have a special spring steel.

Thanks! Now, I'm really going to expose my ignorance. What is "strap stock"?

Thanks, guys! Re making my own, cold.... as in not forging? If so, can you tell me more, please?

Same story as the anvil I asked about the other day. However, I've been using this vise for the past 15 years. It is just now that that I'm cleaning it up and wishing to learn more about it. I'm curious if there's any way to tell the rough year of manufacture from looking at the photos below. Yes, this vise has seen some heavy use and probably some abuse. The other thing I'm curious about is the spring. From looking at pics on the Net, I saw right off that it's missing the spring. I'm guessing I'll have as much luck seeing a blue moon than finding one. Any info would be appreciated!

Thanks! I transposed those numbers. Meant to say 1897

Thanks, guys! What is that "9" or "6" stamped to the left of the square hole? Also, from what I have gathered thus far, Hay Budden made quality anvils. Correct? If so, to what extent? Average good? Really good? Amongst the best? Lastly, roughly how much money did these sell for in ~1879?

Can one tell the purpose, or quality of steel, by bouncing a hammer on the face? For the lack of a knowledgeable way of describing it, when I drop a hammer on the face in question, it bounces back several times and... well, it just has a nice ring to my ears... undoubtedly in large part to the sentimental value this big hunk of metal has for me. There is no dull thud.

Thank you all for the help! My plans, I guess, are to continue using it, as is, in the fashion I've known it to be used since I can remember (I'm 49 yrs old). I'll use it as a solid surface to straighten or bend metal, to slight degrees. That's how we used it on the farm. No forging heat. We were not blacksmiths. I'm guessing the top was broken off before my time as that is how I always remember it. Maybe I'll repair it some day but, for as little as I'll likely use it, I'm guessing it will remain as is. Thanks again for all the help. If anyone else has additional input, I'd love to hear it. Cheers!

Thanks very much for the quick reply! I was wondering why the face had one additional step in it compared to photos I have seen of others. Is there any chance it may have been made that way.... or modified to suit ones particular needs better? Any idea how old it might be?

Hi, This anvil means a great deal to me. It's been in my possession since 1989... but it wasn't until yesterday that I cleaned and mounted ... and looked for any markings. It was my fathers (1914-1993), and I understand, his fathers prior to that (1882-1959). Not sure how long we used it on the family farm but it was from at least 1968 to 1989. I wish I had taken photos of the underside before mounting. Here's what I recall: The perimeter of the base was built up about 1/8". This built-up perimeter was between 1/8" and 1/4" wide. There was a square hole in the center of the bottom... about 1" wide. There was deep and distinctive "T" that appeared to be chiseled in next to the hole. There were also two other marks on the bottom, one above the square hole and one below... something like a shallow "C" or crescent shape... maybe 2-3" wide, as I recall. Any help I could get with this would be greatly appreciated! Thank you, FN