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Can anybody tell me about this funny Australian vise?

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balane

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I found some info by searching but very limited. Was hoping somebody could share any knowledge with me. You can see all the words printed on the vise in the photos, what you see is all there is that I could find. It's certainly an unusual creature but it seems like a novel, but smart, idea giving its user unlimited bottom space. The jaws are 3" I cleaned it up a little and put some fresh grease on the screw. This thing works like it just came from the factory, it feels liquid smooth yet tight in the action. Virtually no play in the handle at all.

Does anybody know if I can determine about what time this was made? Does it have any value? If it does have any value will I harm it but putting a fresh coat of paint on it? I'll most likely end up selling it but I have no idea what it's worth.

I also picked up this beast today also, it's from the American Scale Company out of Kansas City MO. I haven't even looked into this one yet and it's another vise company I have absolutely no idea about and can find very little info on. It seems like a real monster, too heavy for my piddly scale and has 5" jaws. Weighs a lot though. I'll post more photos when I get it cleaned up and probably ask some questions but if you know anything about this vise or company please share. I'll be honest and tell you that I don't have much luck when I search for stuff, seems I find 999 things that don't apply to every 1 that does apply so I'm hoping to hear from some knowledgeable folks. Thanks. :beer:

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autopts

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balane said:
I found some info by searching but very limited. Was hoping somebody could share any knowledge with me. You can see all the words printed on the vise in the photos, what you see is all there is that I could find. It's certainly an unusual creature but it seems like a novel, but smart, idea giving its user unlimited bottom space. The jaws are 3" I cleaned it up a little and put some fresh grease on the screw. This thing works like it just came from the factory, it feels liquid smooth yet tight in the action. Virtually no play in the handle at all.

Does anybody know if I can determine about what time this was made? Does it have any value? If it does have any value will I harm it but putting a fresh coat of paint on it? I'll most likely end up selling it but I have no idea what it's worth.

I also picked up this beast today also, it's from the American Scale Company out of Kansas City MO. I haven't even looked into this one yet and it's another vise company I have absolutely no idea about and can find very little info on. It seems like a real monster, too heavy for my piddly scale and has 5" jaws. Weighs a lot though. I'll post more photos when I get it cleaned up and probably ask some questions but if you know anything about this vise or company please share. I'll be honest and tell you that I don't have much luck when I search for stuff, seems I find 999 things that don't apply to every 1 that does apply so I'm hoping to hear from some knowledgeable folks. Thanks. :beer:

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Click to expand...

Beer, that vise is made by Dawn and its top shelf! Yes, its Austrailian made and in the USA, there is one distribitor out West. That model in a 4" or 5" would go new for around $5 to $6 bills
 
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balane

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Holy smokes. I don't have any idea what to ask for it. I'll think about it and stick it up in classifieds when I figure something out. If anybody wants to talk about it please shoot me a PM. Thanks for the info. I wish I knew how old it was.
 
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Olafur

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Not only is the design interesting but I notice the casting is quite smooth.

This is from the link above:

The Dawn Cast Engineers’ Offset Vices have all the features and benefits of our Standard Vice. In addition, the Offset feature provides the facility for holding long vertical work with the full width of the jaws without obstruction from the main body of the vice. They are available in both Standard Cast Iron or Super Grade Ductile Iron which are GUARANTEED AGAINST BREAKAGE. The Super Grade Offset Vices are the jewel in the crown of vices produced by Dawn. They provide positive grip without springing and are ideal for heavy-duty applications. This world class vice which is unique to Dawn is simply the best vice a tradesman can own. Buy this vice and in 20 years you will still have the best vice, plus years of reliable service. This is truly a long lasting grand Australian made vice which you can leave for your children and grandchildren
Click to expand...

Either way this is a keeper. :)
 
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balane

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Here's the American Scale Company vise all cleaned up. No real damage on it at all, everything looks to be in great shape. Looks like it got tagged a little by a welder up front but that's it as far as metal damage. The screw looks great, all the hardware looks great too. In these photos everything is just slid together, nothing is connected so it's a sloppy fit just for photos.

.]
 

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balane

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Oof, that big one is HUGE! I think that 100mm one would be a 4" and mine is about 3" so maybe 75mm??

Thanks for the link.
 
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Sick Puppy

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:thumbup:It's a Dawn Offset vice, so if you need to hold an object that would otherwise be too tall to put into a normal vice, this one would hold it. Don't see that many of them around, even here in NZ, although I am on the lookout for one.
 
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SweetD

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balane said:
Here's the American Scale Company vise all cleaned up. No real damage on it at all, everything looks to be in great shape. Looks like it got tagged a little by a welder up front but that's it as far as metal damage. The screw looks great, all the hardware looks great too. In these photos everything is just slid together, nothing is connected so it's a sloppy fit just for photos.

.]
Click to expand...

What did you use to clean the vise up with?

Looks great!

Dave
 
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balane

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SweetD said:
What did you use to clean the vise up with?

Looks great!

Dave
Click to expand...
Thanks. Mostly elbow grease. First I just used some simple green and water with a bristle brush. Then some compressed air to blow it all out. That was honestly the biggest single improvement. Then I went over it with a wire brush and some solvent in the parts cleaner. After that some paint stripper and some scraping/brushing and finally a synthetic scrub wheel (I don't know what they're, kind of soft to the touch like a green scratch pad.) on my die grinder. A little more stripper/brushing and simple green/brushing. Then finally a warm sudsy bath and a blow dry from my compressor. Sounds like a lot when I type it out but it seemed to go pretty quick. Oh yeah, frequent use of a hard fiber tooth brush type thing.
 
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balane

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Decided to pretty up the Dawn vise. Took it down to the metal and then was able to match the paint fairly closely. I don't know how old this vise is but I don't think it has seen much use. Every nook and cranny of it appears brand new.
 

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balane

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Here they are finished up. Turned out nice, especially the Dawn. I have it up in the classifieds section now. Probably have to sell the big one locally, weighs quite a bit.
 

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