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Jerrims "Fixie" 3 jaw vice has been stripped, freed up, cleaned and painted.

I can see why these swivel jaws may end up never getting moved! This was very stiff, but after alot of careful file work and a finish off with some valve lapping paste, it's now nice and smooth.

These 3 jaw vices are very rare. Not really an option to wait for a better one! Took maybe a week of soaking, acid rust removal, heating, and beating with a copper mallet to get all the parts freed up. I think it had been hurried. I had to dig hardened mud put my from between the vastings with a...

The fortis as bought... Was COMPLETELY solid. Even the handle was stuck Ended up like this I'm also currently working on this 'fixie' 3 jaw

I'm not either. Sometimes an item is so rough, it ends up having to be overly perfect. I have a fortis 3 jaw vice that was a solid lump of rust when I got it. No choice to leave any patina. The process of freeing it up left the castings looking like new.

These will be sand cast right? I guess there could be alot of variation. Some parts/areas are very good. Under the thin paint and grime the metal has aged to a nice dark grey. If I put it in the citric to clean the last of it up, it will end up shining like buckle by the time I'm done, so I'm...

The first thing I looked for when it turned up was a crack in the slide 😂 Why do they always crack there? It seems a substantial casting. Doesn't seem to have any reason for it to be a weak point.

Cleaned the dirt off today, deffinately no markings anywhere other than the numbers on the base. One was VERY stubborn, but even managed to get the jaw screws out. Doesn't really need much work this, tickle over with a wire wheel to get the paint off and probably just leave it like that. The...

I'll go over it more thoroughly when I clean it, I didn't check the front of the slide. The main nut in mine has been ground to fit in the dovetails. The one you picture hasn't. I wonder if the main nut and screw had been replaced, maybe with one from a prentiss bulldog, hence the square nose...

I also wonder if the fact its in the UK has anything to do with it. If maybe prentiss supplied a UK dealer with unbranded ones to sell over here. The information is probably lost. All I was hoping to do with this thread is see if the more knowledgeable folk can compare the castings with other...

Maybe, yes. The earlier ones I've seen pics of seem a bit rougher than the slightly later ones. I don't know the dates exactly, but they seem better after maybe the early 1920s

It had crossed my mind that they may have supplied to another firm with no markings, and maybe at a cheaper price point. I mentioned about the castings as most pics I've seen of prentiss, they seem a little better than this. From comparing pictures, I see no differences between mine and marked...

Got to say, the casting quality and machining work are pretty poor to be honest. Not sure if I'll tidy any of it up, or leave it for what it is.

I cut the head off and knocked the pin through the other way. Nut came out quite easy. Used a 3/8 extension as a punch and after a dozen heavy blows, the pin popped out! Set the copper mallet to work on the jaw and 10 mins later, it's out! So, now it's apart, what do you all think...

Probably shouldn't be taking this apart yet, but I really want to free the rear jaw. Plan was to punch the pin out from inside but the main nut has a locating pin that's being stubborn. May need to cut the head off and punch it through from underneath. Also, how is the head retained on the...

I did find these 2 images online that show early prentiss with square nose screws though. The only other ones were prentiss bulldog, which are a little different to mine.

Everything about mine, to me, suggests prentiss between 1911 and 1920 from what ive read. Apart from the total lack of marking (might have been removed I guess, but no smooth areas either) and the main screws square nose. I did wonder if maybe the molds got sold off, or another company sold...

This arrived today so just took some pictures. Looks like a prentiss to my untrained British eye. What do we all think? Spring plunger for the base swivel. Jaw swivel is STUCK. Can find no markings except for 9169? On the swivel base. No markings behind the swivel jaw. Main screw looks to be...

Interesting about the Halfords spanners. I have one stamped Halfords, and made in England. I was told it was probably made by Gordon.

That's about what I'd guessed. They are zinc? Plated, not bare steel or chrome, so I figured after ww2 but before materials were plentiful again.