Hand forged vice. How old is it?

[Shreckmeister]

Came across this nice hand forged vice and it followed me home


site for uploading photos

[alyce-james]

Pre-Civil War to my thinken. Easy to fine in the Midwest, years back. Nice find. Have a great holiday.  AJ.

[Shreckmeister]

Thanks AJ. Would the avg blacksmith have the skills to make these?

[rich pierce]

These were made by specialty shops or factories.

[Shreckmeister]

Thanks Rich.  I posted it on Facebook blacksmithing enthusiasts and a guy posted a picture of it's twin brother.

[rich pierce]

I've got 2 of these. They are sort of handyman vises versus professional models. At least that's the case for mine. I wanted to use them but they don't secure as well as s bolted down vise.

[Hungry Horse]

Do any of those show signs of having had a leg on them like a blacksmiths vice? It just seems like they wouldn't be very stable without one.

  Hungry Horse

[Shreckmeister]

No evidence of it ever having a leg.  You definitely couldn't pound on it much.

[snakeeater]

Difficult to say whether it is cast or forged. If it was cast steel would put it made since 1840 and would have been rather pricey if in cast steel. If it was cast iron, it would not take much abuse before it cracked, and if forged of iron, would have made it inexpensive but if it is forged in iron, it should ring when struck sharply. If it "thuds" it is cast iron or cast steel. Cast steel did not become cheap to made until after the Bessemer process was invented (1866). Are there any maker's marks? The Brits made all kinds of such wares for export, and most blacksmith anvils before 1860 were English made, usually forged by a 4-man hammer team.

[BOB HILL]

Judging by the size of the string and price tag it appears to be a small vice. It would not have had a leg, but would have clamped to a bench or table for light work. I have a couple of them. All I have seen were forged.     Bob

[Shreckmeister]

Difficult to say whether it is cast or forged. If it was cast steel would put it made since 1840 and would have been rather pricey if in cast steel. If it was cast iron, it would not take much abuse before it cracked, and if forged of iron, would have made it inexpensive but if it is forged in iron, it should ring when struck sharply. If it "thuds" it is cast iron or cast steel. Cast steel did not become cheap to made until after the Bessemer process was invented (1866). Are there any maker's marks? The Brits made all kinds of such wares for export, and most blacksmith anvils before 1860 were English made, usually forged by a 4-man hammer team.

It's definitely forged and no makers marks.  It rings and you can see how it was hammered into shape.

[David R. Pennington]

I have one similar to yours. They seem to be fairly common. Yours, as mine seems to be forged, not cast. John Wyke's Catalogue of Tools for Watch and Clockmakers (1750-1770s) has some very similar in style pictured in the engravings. They were obviously designed for light bench work and intended to be portable with the clamp for mounting.

[Jay Close]

These  clamp-on vises appear in the British trade catalogs from Wykes (mid. 18th c.) through the 19th c. Very often when an object is manufactured over a wide time span they reflect the broader stylist a well as  manufacturing changes going on at the time of manufacture.

 From the practical, manufacturing side of things, this is pretty obvious, but tools went through stylistic changes too that were often just cosmetic/aesthetic. If I had to stick my neck out, I'd say that the earlier of these vises tend to be fancier with more decorative detail. Later they got severely functional. Partly I think this is a reflection of increased labor cost, but it is also just an aesthetic change.

The one illustrated is toward the plainly functional end of the spectrum and I think later ------ last half of 19th c., perhaps early 20th c.

Just a guess.

Cheers!

[James Wilson Everett]

Guys,

This vise could be a lot older.  Here is a vise listed in the Wyke tool catalog from the mid-18th century.  It could date to c.1750.



Here is a photo of a part of my journeyman's box of tools showing a similar vise.  If the far side of your vise shows some deep dimples in the side of the jaws, then it was also used as a pivot for using a bow drill.



Anyway - a very nice find, great!

Jim

[Shreckmeister]

I appreciate all the feedback on this topic. Thanks for posting the pics of your collection Jim. I had not seen a hand forged C clamp before.

[Hungry Horse]

I talked to an antique tool collector yesterday, and when the subject of blacksmiths vises came up, I remembered this subject on the forum. I asked him about the little clamp on vises like this one. He said some were military, often used by armors, and gunsmiths, and could date back to the Revolutionary War. And, others were used by traveling tinkers, and were often clamped on the bed of a wagon or cart. He also said there were mentions made of them being used on the trail west, to repair wagon parts, guns, and what ever else needed repair. Once again I suspect they were clamped on the floor boards of a wagon.

  Hungry Horse

[Jay Close]

Look at all the fancy little detail on the vise from Wykes catalog! Wow! That's just the kind of stuff that stops being done in the 19th c. Things started to take on a stripped-down, just the fundamentals kind of look. Thanks for the Wykes print!

Cheers!

[T*O*F]

Any idea what they are worth---ball park range?  I've got one that's just been laying around for years that I have no use for.

[Shreckmeister]

No idea. Paid $50 for it. Probably worth less but I wanted it and it was there. I always get something at KRA and this year it was a vise

[Jerry]

Interesting and a good find.