Antique Post Vise

[Rezrat]

I'm trying to identify this old  post vise.  It's a 36" post with 4.5 inch jaws.  The only identifying  mark (shown) looks like it was "35" .

I'd appreciate any information anyone can provide.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Welcome aboard... have you read this yet?   READ THIS FIRST   I always suggest it to get the best out of the forum. Where in the world are you located, it will help knowing that for the Id. The 35 is probably the weight at time of Manufacture. Cleaning all the old paint off may reveal some more markings. It's an interesting vise for sure. I've never seen one with the through bolts to hold other tools like pipe jaws etc.

[ThomasPowers]

Columbian; made in Cleveland OH, one of the more recent varieties.  Look for markings on the back of the stationary jaw.

Short open screwbox; U bolt mounting bracket, unbeveled legs, drop forged pieces.

Good using vise.  Please make a better spring for it! (Doesn't need to be spring steel, mild will work fine.)

[caotropheus]

I am no expert and I cannot precise the vice age, but it does not look that old. Assuming most components are original, if you look to the mounting plate and to the spaces underneath the jaws + bolts and nuts (most probably to mount "pipe jaws"), the symmetry of the vice, it looks it was made by XX century machinery, most probably, well into the XX century... The blue colour looks like original paint.

By the way, the mounting plate is upside down...

[ThomasPowers]

The 35 is the weight. The indentations under the jaws are for removable pipe holding inserts. Like C; I'd say fairly recent, probably after the great depression.  Now while they were sold with the mounting plate the other way up, if that way fits the workbench better then it's fine that way.

[Lionel h]

This is a middle aged Columbia post vise . The way the jaw arms are flat sided . The spring is not original and also the mount may be a replacement. The old columbians have chamfered edges of the jaw arms ,while the new ones have welded upper jaws to flat bar lower arms.

[John McPherson]

Mid 20th century make, 1930 to 1960 maybe. Starting with the Great Depression, all extra steps and adornment were eliminated to make things more affordable, and keep the surviving companies in business.

Paper labels are easily lost once the product is sold to the end user, but cheaper than die imprints and stamping. Cheap paint without detailing and highlighting of lettering.

Closed die forging, cheap and nasty grind cleaning of die flash. No chamfering of edges. Open ended screw boxes.

The screw does appear to be in excellent shape, as do the jaws. Should be a good user.

And this example is missing pipe jaws and that is probably not the original spring. The shackle holding it on the front arm is definitely suspicious.

I bought one just like it several years ago.

[ThomasPowers]

A lot of my postvises are Columbian as I was more interested in using them that looking at them and they were often in great shape, being younger, and cheaper not being a "fancy antique vise".