Messy Jesse

Got it mounted up. I had leveled a little pocket for the base to sit in, so hopefully it isn't going anywhere. The chains can be tightened if they loosen up. I threw some extra chain around the waist, but I'll experiment with it. It isn't anything, but I heated some rebar as hot as a MAPP torch will get it and smushed the end. I felt like Hercules... Can't wait to get my real forge set up. Thanks again for all the help everyone.

I now see what Chelonian is talking about. Yes, that seems to be a very old repair. I assumed it was made that way, but now I see what was done. Pretty cool. That jaw may stronger than original with the added mass. This thing has lived a hard life!

Thanks Steve, that's what I was imaging it would need. I'm not confident my soon-to be-set-up single burner propane forge is going to get hot enough. I may practice my stick welding skills and see if I can address the crack. Thanks again everyone!

Thanks for all the advice. Here is a pic of the jaws together (screw removed). You can see that they'd pretty much never be parallel with the angle of stationary jaws.

Yes, screw looks good. The jaws do meet, but the angles don't look right. I'll get a picture later.

Just the regular washing soda. I think the ratio was like 1/2 cup per 5 gallons of water.

Hi, I'm a total newbie just getting up and running. I picked up this (early?) 4" leg vise for a good price, but am just now noticing the issues. I still need to fab up a mount and spring. The first seems to be that the stationary jaws are bent backwards, maybe an inch. Inside the stationary hole (sorry, don't know my terminology yet!) I have a crack. It isn't visible from the outside, only the inside. On the movable jaw side, I see that the inner "sleeve" is in several pieces. I'm not sure if this is normal, or if it is supposed to be more solid. It's in there, not moving or anything, but doesn't look strong. I can MIG weld, but I don't think that works for wrought iron. I imagine I could bend those jaws back into position. Any suggestions (look for a new vise!?)? Edit: Obviously most things are repairable, but my original question should be, is it worth the effort?

I figured out what it is. 1830-35 Mousehole. The stamping is: M&H ARMITAGE MOUSE HOLE 1.0.13 I've got the Anvils in America and Mousehole Forge books by postman ordered. Things became a little more clear after some vinegar cleaning. Next I tried electrolysis, and I was very impressed. I'm going to mount it up on a stump that I happen to have, but I need to level it. I'll post a picture when it's all mounted (if I remember). Thanks for the help everyone! Jesse

Thank you Steve. I'm in SE PA too, just North of Philly. Originally from Central NJ. The seller said when he sprayed it with WD he saw the date and Foster, or something like that. I don't think he was trying to deceive anyone, but I'm not seeing it. I hope you are right about it revealing itself in particular lighting. I'm going to try to do some gentle rust removal (no grinding). I don't want to risk damaging the stamping that is there. Hopefully that makes it a bit more clear. I'll need to get myself a copy of that book. Does anyone know if the hundredweight markings would make it most likely English? When did they stop using that system? I'm hoping to get a date range at least. The pritchel hole commonly began in the 1830's I believe...

Hi, I bought my first anvil today. The seller said it was a 1840 William Foster, 150lb. I'm not sure I trust his assessment as I see 1.0.13, which to my very limited understanding would be 125lb. Anyway, I don't see a crown, or a date, or anything else that would ID it as a Foster. It's just too hard for me to read. I tried baby powder, oil, and a combination, but I can't read a thing on there except the weight and a few letters. Does anyone have an idea what I've got here? Regardless, I'm pretty excited to start using it. It's in pretty good shape except the chip in the face at the heel. Edges on the one side have dings, the other looks good. Thanks in advance!