Need some help with identification on this. It's an old post vise that dates back to what I believe is 1826 possibly. There is a stamp on it with that number. Under that is possibly '1 Z'? Also there are four stamps with IDS on the 'waist'. One leg looks to be badly forge welded. The whole thing is crudely made. Would anyone be able to offer any clues as to it's manufacture or origin? I wonder if Mr. Postman will be publishing a post vise book in the future? It still works great!

3 3/4" jaws
approx. 32 lbs.
overall length 33 1/2"

Thanks!
Jon

A few things matter: are all the parts there, do the jaws close uniformly. I've never been very concerned about who made the tools I use. If I were a collector that might be a different case. I don't know if IDS is a manufacturer or whether or not it was made in 1826. It is crude, you have that right. If it works, you are set.

I've had four tenoned vises in my possesion; the mount-tenon dates most of those vises to 1800 +- 30 years (my educated guess). I have three such English vises and one German, the latter having been sold to the Moravian Smithy, Bethlehem, PA. The German vises, like yours, had the plates on the sides which fairly well covered up the spring. However, the German vises have a small projecting "anvil" on the fixed jaw, which yours does not have. My German vise had a triangular mounting plate, not the split and splayed variety. The English vises have the lug-like "ears" projecting over the washer in front and over the base of the screw box behind. Your vise is missing those. Some of the early French vises had a fleur de lis mounting plate. The jaw width on these old vises is about 3 3/4" to 5 1/4".

I would guess that your anvil is from the European continent, not Great Britain. The side plates are Germanic, but the other features may not be. The date of 1826 appears to be right. Not much is known about the stamped marks on the old vises; many were not marked. Some British vises are marked "Sheffield."

http://www.turleyforge.com Granddaddy of Blacksmith Schools

Right, this will only see light duty. I have a heavier one for whomp'n on. I just have never seen one of this style and was curious as to it's possible history. I like to think of what stories some of my 'junk' could tell and what all they helped produce.

Ah! Thanks Frank. Never considered Germany but it makes sense. Do you have any photos of yours that you could post?

Jon

Thanks for posting Frank, I always learn something when you do.

Nice enough vise Jon, might not even have to straighten the leg.

Frosty the Lucky.

I could be wrong, but it looks to me that if you take the bend out of the leg, then the bottom of the leg will will no longer support the vise in such a way that the jaws are level. The bend may have been deliberate for that purpose.

I am a fossilized computer rookie who is not fully digitized yet. You can see German leg vises by typing in "Schmiede Schraubstock" under GOOGLE - IMAGES. You might see some French ones by typing in "étau."

http://www.turleyforge.com Granddaddy of Blacksmith Schools

Thanks again Frank! Your helpful search tip produced some interesting finds. Defintaley see what you are talking about with the German characteristics. The mount, though its not a tenon, looks to be of the same style. Also the body appears to share the same features. The first two are German. The last two are French examples. I like how the French one has a swivel mount.

The second German vise is very much like the one I sold to the Moravian Smithy. I believe that they put it in the gunsmithing portion of the shop. The difference is that mine had a mount tenon, and the mounting plate was solid, unsplit. The vise I had was quite small and light. I have a vivid imagination. I can imagine a German immigrant off-boarding the ship in the U.S. and carrying it like luggage, perhaps in a canvas case with handle.

You may note also, that some of the French and German vises had a curve at the top edge of the pivot beam, so that a portion near the base of the movable leg was following the curve as the vise jaws were opened and closed.

The small anvil on the fixed jaw is clearly shown on the German anvil. I had a German visitor to my shop who claimed that he used that area as a sort of vee block, for bending.

http://www.turleyforge.com Granddaddy of Blacksmith Schools

I have a vivid imagination. I can imagine a German immigrant off-boarding the ship in the U.S. and carrying it like luggage, perhaps in a canvas case with handle.

Hah, the same scenerio played out in my head as well. I'm sure its reality is probably less romantic.

I was looking at it more closely and found these markings.

XXX|•

Any idea what it means?

Jon

It's a Triple X? That's a whole different kind of VICE than I was thinking. Of course finding good tools could be blacksmith porn but . . .

Frosty the Lucky.

Frank; I picked up a quite small tenonned postvise at Quad-State. Missing the mounting unfortunately. I'm trying to get a light portable set up put together---and it looked so cute next to the 6" vise I also acquired there.

If you will be at the Dec SWABA meeting I'd be most interested to getting your opinion on it.