Clamps Antique and Vintage

[Mintgrun]

Here's a less-inspiring JUDD clamp. The body is made out of two pieces of stamped steel, spot welded together.


The red clamps in the bundle above are marked Stanley Handyman H152 made in USA and the blue ones say Great Neck made in Spain. Those clamps have spot welded tabs extending beyond the threaded portion, adding strength that the JUDD clamp lacks. Google image searching turned up an example with an owner-added improvement. (on display on ePay)



The back side of this JUDD clamp also says PAT APL'D FOR (as does Don's clamp above), so I may be wrong about the Patent referring to the rating, or maybe they applied for more than one.

 

[Leviton]

Brought home this batwing-topped E.C. Stearns 3-inch clamp because it was different. With the screw fully down, there is still a 1-5/8” gap from the bottom of the swivel pad to the landing pad on the stationary jaw.

With the gap, it could be a quilt frame clamp, but it seems like they typically have a straight stationary jaw leg at a right angle from the side of the frame (see catalog illustrations in thumbnails) and usually have a slightly deeper throat.

The only markings on this are: “STEARNS 3 IN”

I think there's a 'master' clamp thread somewhere...

I wonder if this is the one you were thinking of? Clamps 101 show your clamps tell stories if you wish about them

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a rusty Judd I found at my summer home along with some other early clamps.
Pony
E.C. Stearns & Co.
-Don

 

[Beerhippie]

Here is a rusty Judd I found at my summer home along with some other early clamps.
Pony
E.C. Stearns & Co.
-Don

Cool! My father referred to c-clamps as "Pony Clamps"--now I know why!

 

[1oldtimer]

All my tools get put back to work, so I don't have individual shots. But I do like some old tools to work with. Here's the old clamp pile.

 

[Shiftless]

I have about 10 users of various sizes but these 4 bat wings hang above my workbench just looking cool but rarely used.
The 6 inchers in the first pic are Hargrave
The smaller ones in the second pic are only marked with a 3.

I found one pair at an estate sale and the other pair later at a garage sale. They were rusty and not working very smoothly at all. I cleaned them up and painted them with Modern Masters English brown satin metallic.

 

[leg17]

..... these 4 bat wings hang above my workbench just looking cool.....

And they are doing a right proper job of it.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

I have quite a few vintage bar clamps but these are some of my favorites. The Cincinnati tool Hargrave "skeletonized" clamps don't turn up very often but I have found quite a few of these over the years and have about 20 total. The Colt patent cam lock clamps are harder to find and these are the only two I have found so far. All found at swap meets or junk shops.

I also tend to drag home a lot of larger specialty clamps and holdfasts as well. The Aluminum deep reach clamps were designed for boat transom work and made in Spokane Wa. The large holdfasts were made in Portland by ESCO. I think that 1958 is the date they were cast. These heavy duty platen clamps were probably for their own use as well as outside sales. Ed.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

The Colt patent cam lock clamps are harder to find...

I can confirm the same experience on the other side of the country, Ed!

These are the only three I have ever seen in the wild, and one of those is a knock-off by E.C. Stearns. That's a No. 4, which I figure is later production. The original gangsters are a No. 2 and No. 1, with no branding whatsoever. They are identical in shape and features with the same stubborn traces of black japanning or enamel and the same raised/forged-in "PAT FEB 8 81" marking (237,431 / Alva M. Colt). I am guessing they are Batavia Wheel Company, which made these until 1900, when they were replaced by the Batavia Clamp Company, which continued making them for decades.

I notice yours are marked differently than mine. I can see the "PAT FEB 8 81" marking (in a different place than mine), but please transcribe or post a photo of the other marking, which looks like it's stamped.

Also, do those have model numbers on the flip side?

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Here are a few more pictures of the clamps Lugz. The date on the one clamp is Feb 8 81 same as the patent. It has a 26" bar so probably listed as a 24" clamp. The fixed end is swaged to the bar. There is no other marking other than the patent. The other clamp has no patent date and the cast in name is degraded but you can still make out most of the name EC Stearns & Co. Syracuse NY. No other markings but it has a 38" bar Pinned to the fixed end so a 36" clamp. Ed.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Thanks. Yeah, they built the bar or cabinet clamps different than the type I have where the fixed end curves like a C clamp. But both are covered by the patent, which concerns the quick-set cam-action clamping mechanism.

 

[Mintgrun]

My #2 looks just like the one above, but it's still fun to share photos; so, I snapped a few of some other clamps too. Here's my #2, along with an un-branded bar clamp.





The Jan. 2, 1900 patent date is the same as a Taylors Steel Bar clamp on ePay right now. The wing nut and clamp pad fell off of theirs. (I'd post a photo, but have reached the limit, so here's the link).

Pardon Our Interruption...

I'm not sure what the proper name sequence is on this one, but I'm guessing it's a "Grand Master Clamp." It has a quick-adjust thread-disengage-lever. 4ASL on the flip-side.







These two 18" Williams AGRIPPA No. 118 clamps came from the Navy City Metals scrap yard for $.50/lb. They weigh 16.5 lbs each.





The little 1" pony clamps were a recent find. I like their circular shape. I included them to show my biggest/smallest clamps.


There were a bunch of other large clamps at the scrap yard that day. I think I grabbed around a dozen. They stopped letting people shop in the piles a few years ago, for insurance reasons and a few months ago, they closed their doors altogether. No more Navy City Metals in Gorst, Wa.

 

[Beerhippie]

My #2 looks just like the one above, but it's still fun to share photos; so, I snapped a few of some other clamps too. Here's my #2, along with an un-branded bar clamp.





The Jan. 2, 1900 patent date is the same as a Taylors Steel Bar clamp on ePay right now. The wing nut and clamp pad fell off of theirs. (I'd post a photo, but have reached the limit, so here's the link).

Pardon Our Interruption...

I'm not sure what the proper name sequence is on this one, but I'm guessing it's a "Grand Master Clamp." It has a quick-adjust thread-disengage-lever. 4ASL on the flip-side.







These two 18" Williams AGRIPPA No. 118 clamps came from the Navy City Metals scrap yard for $.50/lb. They weigh 16.5 lbs each.





The little 1" pony clamps were a recent find. I like their circular shape. I included them to show my biggest/smallest clamps.


There were a bunch of other large clamps at the scrap yard that day. I think I grabbed around a dozen. They stopped letting people shop in the piles a few years ago, for insurance reasons and a few months ago, they closed their doors altogether. No more Navy City Metals in Gorst, Wa.

We had the Zidell yards on the waterfront in Ptown. They wrecked ships, boat, aircraft... warehouses full of surplus gear. That's where the Norden bombsite in our childhood tree house came from, along with the near-entire cockpit of a T-5 trainer whose panels and canopy I mounted in/on my Ford Falcon Supervan. I rigged the control panels so that throwing switches or turning knobs would change the state of lights or meters.

They went away in the late seventies, early eighties. It's now part of Waterfront Park.

 

[leg17]

......
The large holdfasts were made in Portland by ESCO. I think that 1958 is the date they were cast. These heavy duty platen clamps were probably for their own use as well as outside sales. Ed.

Could these be forged rather than cast?

 

[Beerhippie]

Could these be forged rather than cast?

For what they are and what they do, almost certainly.

 

[nadogail]

Sam Rabble in "Boat Building in Your Own Backyard" stated that " when you are building a boat, it is impossible to own too many clamps".

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

I'm not sure what all ESCO had going on. The wear items they made for the mining industry that I was familiar with were cast in their foundry. There are areas of porosity in these that reminded me of cast parts as well as the lettering. If ESCO had a large drop forge they could have used it to forge these.

I'm not sure what alloy would have been used but I did consider the S 1958 marking could have been other than a date. One of them was marked differently and definitely not a year. There does need to be some flexibility in a hold fast so I was thinking some alloy of cast steel or more likely ductile cast iron, but really not so sure. I'll try a spark test later today. Ed.

 

[four.cycle]

No more Navy City Metals in Gorst, Wa.

^ I've driven past there a gazillion times on my way up to Sequim, but I'm usually white-knuckling my way through those curves right there and the last thing on my mind is stopping anywhere along that stretch!

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Sam Rabble in "Boat Building in Your Own Backyard" stated that " when you are building a boat, it is impossible to own too many clamps".

Here are a few boat building "Planking Clamps" that I found on the East side of the state at a Habitat store in LaGrande several years ago. We were traveling there every few weeks to help our daughter's family out. The store had a full pallet of these and they told me they were Pallet pulling clamps. We were in the wifes car that trip and out of room. The next time I got back there, a few weeks later in my PU, I bought what they had left. There were several of the dead ends left but only one of the screw ends. They work fine with a come along or even a binder to cinch two together...I expect there are several in the LaGrande area holding up potted plants. Ed.

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

Here are a few boat building "Planking Clamps" that I found on the East side of the state at a Habitat store in LaGrande several years ago. We were traveling there every few weeks to help our daughter's family out. The store had a full pallet of these and they told me they were Pallet pulling clamps. We were in the wifes car that trip and out of room. The next time I got back there, a few weeks later in my PU, I bought what they had left. There were several of the dead ends left but only one of the screw ends. They work fine with a come along or even a binder to cinch two together...I expect there are several in the LaGrande area holding up potted plants. Ed.

Very cool.

 

[Beerhippie]

Here are a few boat building "Planking Clamps" that I found on the East side of the state at a Habitat store in LaGrande several years ago. We were traveling there every few weeks to help our daughter's family out. The store had a full pallet of these and they told me they were Pallet pulling clamps. We were in the wifes car that trip and out of room. The next time I got back there, a few weeks later in my PU, I bought what they had left. There were several of the dead ends left but only one of the screw ends. They work fine with a come along or even a binder to cinch two together...I expect there are several in the LaGrande area holding up potted plants. Ed.

There's a Habitat store in La Grande? Maybe it's road trip time! It's only an hour-and-a-half each way....

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Very cool.

The really cool thing about the plank clamps for me is the manufacturer name, Durkee Co. of NY City. Also the US Navy stamp in the handle is cool. Durkee was around back in the mid 1800's. On edit-I think I found the right company add for marine supplies in the pic below.

There's a Habitat store in La Grande? Maybe it's road trip time! It's only an hour-and-a-half each way....

It's out by the 84 exit behind the Wendy's at the Island city end of town. For what it's worth the last few times I looked in there I didn't find squat....years ago it had a lot of tools and hardware. Kids moved and I haven't been over in a year or so.

 

[Beerhippie]

The really cool thing about the plank clamps for me is the manufacturer name, Durkee Co. of NY City. Also the US Navy stamp in the handle is cool. Durkee was around back in the mid 1800's. Seem to have made things for the packaged food industry. I didn't find mention of clamps in a very limited search.

It's out by the 84 exit behind the Wendy's at the Island city end of town. For what it's worth the last few times I looked in there I didn't find squat....years ago it had a lot of tools and hardware. Kids moved and I haven't been over in a year or so.

Is it the big warehouse just off state 82? I have been there--it seemed like mostly domestic junk.

Oregon Trail Traders at the south end of town has been the most productive for me.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

It was a small dive of a joint more on the NE end not far from the middle 84 exit. A few motels, gas stations, and fast food are right there too. Oregon trail traders was an interesting shop, and I have picked up a few things there too, but mostly sporting goods. Craigs antique shop downtown was another stop we made. Not sure if it's still there either. Ed.

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

Thanks. Yeah, they built the bar or cabinet clamps different than the type I have where the fixed end curves like a C clamp. But both are covered by the patent, which concerns the quick-set cam-action clamping mechanism.

My #2 looks just like the one above, but it's still fun to share photos; so, I snapped a few of some other clamps too. Here's my #2, along with an un-branded bar clamp.

Looking at some catalog pages for Durkee marine I noticed these Colt patent cam clamps were in there too. Ed.

 

[Beerhippie]

It was a small dive of a joint more on the NE end not far from the middle 84 exit. A few motels, gas stations, and fast food are right there too. Oregon trail traders was an interesting shop, and I have picked up a few things there too, but mostly sporting goods. Craigs antique shop downtown was another stop we made. Not sure if it's still there either. Ed.

Last I visited Craig's, I couldn't afford anything.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

My #2 looks just like the one above, but it's still fun to share photos;

And I'm glad you did. It's always fun to see another one. Thanks.

I'm not sure what the proper name sequence is on this one, but I'm guessing it's a "Grand Master Clamp." It has a quick-adjust thread-disengage-lever.

Your clamp has some good, cool lineage if you're not already aware, Tom. Made by Grand Specialties Company in Chicago. Popularly known for their "Quickcet" vises, which had a sort of lever-and-cam in the body to lock the jaws in place once the object was fairly secure without reaching for the spindle. I don't have one, but I do have a Grand vise with a WWII FSN on it, and @CRSINMICH has posted a very nice example of a "Quickcet" in the Mega Vises thread, linked here. Grand milked that same concept to the max, applying it to clamps and all kinds of similar tools in the 50's and 60's.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I do have a sort of kissin' cousin to your clamp, @Mintgrun. I have posted it before in the Lugzsonian, but I'll drop it here as well. As I said, quick set, quick lock, and quick release triggers were central to their design philosophy, products and marketing. This is the GRAND No. 102 QL, which stands for "Quick Lockcet," but it also has the quick trigger-type release, too. 1943 catalog.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I noticed these Colt patent cam clamps were in there too.

Thanks, Ed! What's the date? Believe it or not, it's the most explicit catalog I have seen with model numbers that obviously correlate to mine. I have the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4. I could've figured I needed a No. 3, but I didn't know there was a No. 0, and I didn't know there were only five (5) clamps in a set of this type in this era. I'm suddenly reinvigorated with hope at completing the set!

 

[Oregon rock crusher]

I'm not sure what the actual date of the Durkee circular with the clamps is Lugz. Those few pages I posted were on Worth Point. They estimated circa 1915. At least they let me knab a few of their pics without resorting to a screen shot.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I'm not sure what the actual date of the Durkee circular with the clamps is Lugz. Those few pages I posted were on Worth Point. They estimated circa 1915.

Thanks. That date makes sense. A few Batavia Clamp Company pages from a 1914 Hammacher Schlemmer & Co catalog on IA/ITCL, linked here, lists the identical five (5) models, with the identical specs, but gives them model numbers I suspect are in H&S retail scheme.

 

[RTM]

Durkee Co. of NY City. Also the US Navy stamp in the handle is cool. Durkee was around back in the mid 1800's. On edit-I think I found the right company add for marine supplies in the pic below.

Any clue on the age for the Durkee catalog? Those plant hanger clamps w chains are quite coool

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Any clue on the age for the Durkee catalog?

I'm not sure what the actual date of the Durkee circular with the clamps is Lugz. Those few pages I posted were on Worth Point. They estimated circa 1915.

Somebody been skimmin'!

 

[RTM]

Somebody been skimmin'!

Actually CRS.

I was looking at your numbering scheme pic from H&S this morning, followed your quote back to his, and forgot about reading the Worthpoint stuff last night.

I've slept since then. Not well, and no beer, but some sleep.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

No explanation required, Kirk. Just teasin' ya.

On the topic of the two different styles of Alva M. Colt clamps, the first patent (1881) shows the housing for the quick-action clamp forged as part of the curving I-bar, the second patent (1905) shows the type where the I-bar is straight and the housing is pinned and swaged. The earliest ads suggest forged came first.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Not exactly the crispest, most legible example of the script Stearns logo.

 

[d42jeep]

Here is a Semi Steel clamp I found at a sale on Friday.
-Don

 

[Just Puttering]

My dad gave me these #4’s brand new for my birthday in the late 70’s



My grandmother gave me all my grandfather’s hand tools, including these #2’s when he passed in the late 80’s.

Never use the 2”. They hang as decorations on my tool wall. I find modern single handed clamps are much more useful. I do use the 4” all the time.

 

[682bear]

I acquired these this weekend...



The two large ones are 6" Cincinnati Tool / Hargraves No. 43 welding clamps with the bronze screws... the one on the left is a 2" Hargraves No. 44... the one on the right is a 3" Hargraves No. 44.

-Bear

 

[682bear]

I've acquired a few more clamps lately...

I bought a pair of Cincinnati Tool/ Hargrave No 43 8 inch clamps...



These have the bronze screw.

Next, I picked up a 6 inch JH Williams with a missing swivel pad and an 8 inch Wilton with a good bit of welding spatter/ arc tracks...



I also found a pair of decent 10" Wiltons... one of these is in very good condition, the other has a bent handle... pictured with a 3/4" Kant-Twist...



And finally... a monster 12 inch B&C (Brinks & Cotton?) arrived today... this thing weighs 15 pounds!



I'm done buying big clamps, I think... unless I find a "can't turn it down" deal. I have enough for what I need to do.

Now I need to find some long bar clamps in 24 and 36 inch flavors. I'm open to recommendations on decent name brands if anyone has a favorite...

-Bear