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Help me I.D. my post vise


jusridin

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This is my first post so I want to tell all thanks for looking and thanks to the guy who refered me here. I just traded a guy a newer wilton 6 inch bench vise for a top box, plomb stuff and this glorious post vise. She has 5 inch jaws and wieghs in around 70 pounds. she is missing her mount. something about her told me I had to have her even though I will probably never use her the way she should be used. I have been trying to find some info on it but I am coming up deuces? so please help me with this it is driving me nuts,how old is she? who made her? can I buy a new mount?

post-24902-0-11010400-1333049826_thumb.j

post-24902-0-15923100-1333049847_thumb.j

post-24902-0-15373800-1333049862_thumb.j

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Nicely done! That is appropriate to the era. Did you forge it out or weld it up? I ask because of the fully ground bright surface.

I expect your vise is from the late 1800's or early 1900's. It has the mount wrapping the post, it has a decorated leg (flutes) and it has the hammer marks cleaned up on it. As labor started to cost significantly more than materials less care was put into the forgings, so they look rougher and have less or no decoration. The screw box is the likely location for any brand markings, and they were typically marked lightly so the mark gets worn away easily.

My vise and my new stand for it are in this thread.
http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/26639-leg-vice-stand-design/page__st__20

Phil

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I just noticed that this is your first thread and posts, Welcome aboard! Since IFI is represented worldwide putting a location in your profile will help.

That is very well done I would be perfectly happy with a mount like that. The mount on my vise is actually cast steel, but I believe that my vise is from near the end of production of mounts of that type. All new post vises (modern production) that I have seen pictures of use a bolted mounting instead of wedges.

Phil

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Welcome aboard, glad to have you. Nice vise and for the record, making your own parts and pieces is appropriate to the age, whenever that is/was/will be. It's what smithing is about, folk bring US things to fix so fixing, modifying or making our own is the ticket.

Frosty The Lucky.

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There is not much to go on when trying to ID some vises. Yours has some of the earmarks of the old Peter Wrights, except the bulbous finial on the box is a bit large compared to the PW's I've seen. I think that some of the vises were take-offs of the PW style, but were well made in New England, USA. Yours may be one of those. Your fabbed mount has the shape of the cast Columbian and Indian Chief ones. Nothing wrong with that. Some of the old vises, in particular the Iron City, had the collar (U-shackle) and splayed 'arms' all of one piece. The PW mounting plate was "stingray" shaped.

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*Hundreds* of manufacturers mad post vises, only a handful brand marked them and in general who made the vise does not make it a better or worse one! You have a "pretty" one with the faceted legs. Most likely over 100 years old.

Note that the numbers on the front of the vise are most likely the *weight* of the vise so about 70 is pretty good estimate! (middle picture) (I have owned a vise that was date stamped on the front 1899)

The number of vises I have seen with the original factory mounting bracket is fairly low and asymptotically decreases with age. I actually hunt vises missing mounting parts as that makes them cheaper and it's only a Saturday morning to make a complete set at the forge and you can then make them as decorative as you want!

The important thing for a vise is the condition of the screw and screwbox *everything* *else* is fairly easy to repair but a worn or broken screw or screwbox is a PAIN and often cheaper/easier to buy another vise with a better condition one. (I look for damaged vises to "frankenstein" a good screw/screwbox from but as they are the delicate part it's hard to find a trashed vise with a good screw/screwbox...)

So clean it up; grease the screw well and oil the pivot point and cheeks and *USE* *IT*! I have one that has been evaluated to be well over 200 years old that I still, with care, use!

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well said frosty, I suppose I should be content with that. I would still like to know more about her though


Nothing wrong with knowing what you can about your stuff. Not being content on the other hand is how I ended up with so much stuff and how a lot of it got modified, "fixed" and otherwise altered. Contentment lasts till the next thing catches your attention.

It's a good thing, I like it.

Frosty The Lucky.
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This is my first post so I want to tell all thanks for looking and thanks to the guy who refered me here. I just traded a guy a newer wilton 6 inch bench vise for a top box, plomb stuff and this glorious post vise. She has 5 inch jaws and wieghs in around 70 pounds. she is missing her mount. something about her told me I had to have her even though I will probably never use her the way she should be used. I have been trying to find some info on it but I am coming up deuces? so please help me with this it is driving me nuts,how old is she? who made her? can I buy a new mount?


Glad to see you made it here. I knew this site would offer more input than GJ & why I sent you the PM.
Very nice job on that bracket...
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Unfortunately no on other post vises, I do have several old athols, 2 old wilsons and 3 old columbians, this post vise is by far my favorite, but I am not going to use it, its a great piece but I simply don't have room. I feel I am doing it an injustice by having it lay in my garage floor. I know it sounds stupid but it really bothers me. It needs to be used.

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