TechnicusJoe Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Hello everyone, Recently I bought a small, English I think, post vise and I'd like to know a bit more about it. Don't mind the horrible green paint, I will strip that off. The jaw is only 3,5 inches wide and it's 3 feet 2 inches high. It's made of wrought iron for sure (weld lines and different layers). The jaws are made of steel (possibly inlayed) and have been hardened: It will dent a hardened hammer. It also has something that looks like a maker's mark, but it's hard to see. Hopefully cleaning of the ugly green paint will clear that. Thanks for any help you guys can give me. Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLMartin Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 I believe you have a German vise. The mounting plate style and the high cheek plate on the side are typical of a German vise. English vises normally have much smaller side plates, have a different style mounting plate, have longer legs below the screw, and lastly they would have little ears just above the screw and box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clinton Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 I do not know who made it but from what I do know it is very old. When you have a mount that has the tenon joint like that is what I am looking at that tells me it is very old. Nice find indeed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLMartin Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Clintons right, the tenon style mount most likely puts it near 1800 or earlier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Large cheeks is more German in style. How's the screwbox constructed? I have another oldie that's 3.5" but a lot lighter build. The screwbox was brazed up out of pieces and the thread was wound on the screw to form it and then brazed into the screwbox. Frank Turley looked it over and estimated that it was a pre-1800 vise---I still use it on occasion---*CAREFULLY*. Picked it up at Quad-State for US$20. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clinton Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 You may just want to leave the paint, It does look a little tacky but it has been on there a long time. If you do remove it just take care not to breath in the dust if you use a wire wheel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
to many vises Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Hi Joe I just saw your vise pics that is typical German style and is old I have a couple of small ones Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Yes, no, and maybe. I had a small German vise with a tenoned mount of about that same period. I saw it on eBay and asked the seller if it had a spring, because the side plates may have obscured it. He wrote back and said "No." I sent for it, and it DID have a spring. My vise had a small shelf-like anvil integral with the fixed jaw, and most German vises had such a projection. I had a German smith visit the shop and showed him the vise. He said that in Germany, he used the projection for bending, much as we use the step on an English pattern vise. Google "schmiede schraubstock" (Images) for further study. I sold my vise to the Bethlehem [Pennsylvania] Partnership for their recently constructed, Moravian "1750 smithy." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkormat42 Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 Looks a lot like my vise. http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/18434-1826-ids-post-vise/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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