March 21, 201313 yr I picked up this cutie off of eBay. Its about 22" long weighs about 5 lbs and has 3" jaws. I don't know if it is the smallest one ever but it is the smallest one I have ever seen. It is also the older style with a tenon mount, brazed box and unthreaded pivot bolt with cotter pin.
March 21, 201313 yr They had one on there a few weeks ago that was about 8 inches tall and had 1" jaws... Too cool...
March 21, 201313 yr Sweet, I've used my small bench type mounted in a larger vice on occasion for horizontal work.
March 21, 201313 yr I don't think they had sales men trucking around sample vises in the mid 18th century but I might be wrong. :wacko: Nice find Tim. The shape of the jaws indicate it was made as a bench or finisher/filers vise. Seems to be just what you need for that white work you've been playing with lately.
March 21, 201313 yr Author This vise was used It shows some wear to the jaws I doubt it was a salesman sample. I don't know if I will be using it but it sure looks cool.
March 21, 201313 yr It sure is a cute little poke. For some of the people that wonder why its so small. In the 1700s this style of leg vise was general the only type of vice on the market. There were some even smaller ones that just clamped to a bench and some hand vices to. So with this being the only choice in type if you made spectacles (glasses), worked silver or gold, clock work, or pretty much any other small work and needed a small bench vise this was the thing for you. I have not seen to many of the smaller ones. I would guess this is becouse many were destroyed as many small vices of any time period are, and there was probably much less of this type made. Larger leg vices are still made today so they have been produced for 300 + years, the small leg vice was probably replaced with small cast iron bench vices in the 1800s, I look at ebay weekly for interesting vices, I wonder how I missed that one. Enjoy your new toy Mackenzie
March 21, 201313 yr Author It sure is a cute little poke. For some of the people that wonder why its so small. In the 1700s this style of leg vise was general the only type of vice on the market. There were some even smaller ones that just clamped to a bench and some hand vices to. So with this being the only choice in type if you made spectacles (glasses), worked silver or gold, clock work, or pretty much any other small work and needed a small bench vise this was the thing for you. I have not seen to many of the smaller ones. I would guess this is becouse many were destroyed as many small vices of any time period are, and there was probably much less of this type made. Larger leg vices are still made today so they have been produced for 300 + years, the small leg vice was probably replaced with small cast iron bench vices in the 1800s, I look at ebay weekly for interesting vices, I wonder how I missed that one. Enjoy your new toy Mackenzie I thought I was buying something bigger when I bid on it I was confused and upset when such a small box showed up. I thought someone had cut the leg off to make it fit in the box.
March 21, 201313 yr I think it was made for the little people. Wizard of OZ comes to mind. Or maybe for a child.
March 21, 201313 yr I have one that size but it has a full length leg ( long and slender ) Weighs in at 16lbs
March 21, 201313 yr my oldest and smallest vise has 3" jaws, also a tenon and cotter pin with a brazed up screwbox with the screwthread brazed in it. Mr Turley opined that it was pre-1800. I use it sometimes at demos but keep a close eye on ot so some kackhanded barbarian doesn't strip the screw box out. BTW Moxon in "Mechanics Exercises" published 1703, written slightly earlier mentions both vise (postvise) and handvise as typical tools for a smithy. I'll have to weigh mine, though I did have to make the mount and spring for it---best thing it was US$20 at Q-S one year; same year I bought a 6" vise for $50 in good shape!
March 22, 201313 yr Model vice made as project and displayed at Hamilton Il tractor show a year or two ago. search will find it. job well done whomever made it.
March 22, 201313 yr Author Just for clarification from right to left we have a "Hand Vise" a "Table Vise" and a "leg Vise" all forged. These are the names that are used in the old catalogs. The hand vise is probably the newest vise in the group.
April 5, 201313 yr How `bout this one: Jerry Achterberg is the artist. A full gallery of his blacksmithing miniatures can be seen on the Balcones Forge website. click on the link and then go to the member gallery and select his page: http://www.balconesforge.org
April 5, 201313 yr Welcome aboard DittoDog, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in your header you might be pleasantly surprised to discover how many IFI members are within visiting distance. Beautiful piece of art, Thanks for the link. When I was a kid, say the 60's you could buy miniature tools in good toy shops, including the blacksmith's shop, from villiage smithy to industrial smithy. I could never get Mother or Dad to spring for any of them but sure regret not saving my pennies for when we got to the better part of town. <sigh> Frosty The Lucky.
April 5, 201313 yr Oops. I thought I had done that profile thing. Basics added, more later etc. Thanks, Frosty.
April 7, 201313 yr I thought I was going to win until I saw twodogzz post! The little pin vice was my Grandmother's and it came with a small fly press of which I will post a photograph some time.. Pair of 5 inch leg vices Another pair of 5 inch leg vices
April 8, 201313 yr I don't think Jerry's were meant to b functional so you win the every-day user's category. Those are pretty cool.
April 8, 201313 yr I remembered I had another little hinged vice in the shed at home. This one is complete and fully working.
April 8, 201313 yr @ Timothy Miller I have just dug this out from the pile of "to be tidied up one day" in the old forge. It has a much longer leg than yours, or any of my others come to that. But the actual body of it is an inch or so shorter than yours. I picked up probably over twenty years ago and it still has a 15 pounds price label on it! I only noticed the mounting plate and spring were attached to the wrong side when I took the photo!
April 8, 201313 yr @ Timothy Miller I have just dug this out from the pile of "to be tidied up one day" in the old forge. It has a much longer leg than yours, or any of my others come to that. But the actual body of it is an inch or so shorter than yours. I picked up probably over twenty years ago and it still has a 15 pounds price label on it! I only noticed the mounting plate and spring were attached to the wrong side when I took the photo!
April 8, 201313 yr @ Timothy Miller I have just dug this out from the pile of "to be tidied up one day" in the old forge. It has a much longer leg than yours, or any of my others come to that. But the actual body of it is an inch or so shorter than yours. I picked up probably over twenty years ago and it still has a 15 pounds price label on it! I only noticed the mounting plate and spring were attached to the wrong side when I took the photo!
April 9, 201313 yr @ Timothy Miller I have just dug this out from the pile of "to be tidied up one day" in the old forge. It has a much longer leg than yours, or any of my others come to that. But the actual body of it is about the same as yours. I picked it up probably over twenty years ago and it still has a 15 pounds price label on it! I only noticed the mounting plate and spring were attached to the wrong side when I took the photo!
April 9, 201313 yr @ Timothy Miller I have just dug this out from the pile of "to be tidied up one day" in the old forge. It has a much longer leg than yours, or any of my others come to that. But the actual body of it is an inch or so shorter than yours. I picked up probably over twenty years ago and it still has a 15 pounds price label on it! I only noticed the mounting plate and spring were attached to the wrong side when I took the photo!
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