Parker Vise Copy

[flatfender53]

Hi all, I just rescued an old bench vise that looks just like a Parker Victor 372, but it doesn't have any markings on the body. I'd post pictured but I can't yet, this is only my second post. I'll try to post pictures once I'm able to.

Does anyone know if another company made Parker style copies?

Thanks in advance,
Justin

 

[woody 73]

Just a guess mind you... Not seen any pictures till the op hits 5 or more posts.

Without any names it might be a Chinese copy, darn they can copy anything these days.

 

[flatfender53]

I'm planning to degrease and wire wheel it tonight, so hopefully I'll find something underneath all the grime.

 

[1982fxr]

It was common for vise makers to make vises with other names and also no name so that various labels could be attached.

 

[454ragtop]

Seems like most older unmarked vises were made by Prentiss.

 

[flatfender53]

After degreasing and wire wheeling a couple layers of paint off, it looks like this vise was broken and repaired by brazing. The area where the dynamic jaw meets the bar that slides into the body of the vise is brazed all the way around. There is brazing on the round boss of the swivel jaw as well and a what looks like a weld on a crack on the body of the vise. Still no maker's marks.

I'm getting closer to being able to post pics!

 

[flatfender53]

My guess is that the previous owner was a fabricator or welder. The vise came with weld splatter all over it and the brazing repairs look well done. Pictures forthcoming.

 

[454ragtop]

Sounding more like a Prentiss all the time...……….

 

[flatfender53]

Ok, I finally have 5 posts so here are the pictures from before clean up:

Check out the bolt in the last picture for barely visible stamping: "R 30.37"

 

[flatfender53]

Here are the the pictures from after degreasing and a lot of wire wheeling. I also ground off the weld splatter. Paint and grease hide a lot of sins...

It looks like someone waaaaaaaay over tightened this vise, breaking the dynamic jaw right off and also breaking the boss that the swivel jaw rotates on. There are small cracks on the body of the vise on both sides, behind the swivel jaw. One is welded the other is not. The brazing was done well, I think..

So far, the only markings found on this vise are on the bolt that holds the main screw collar in place. It is stamped "R 30.37"

Thanks for looking!

 

[PacificaVette]

That's definitely a Parker. Prentiss never made jaws like that.

 

[flatfender53]

Another interesting thing I've noticed is that this vise has 2 pins where the boss for the swivel jaw rests. The lower, larger pin sits in a groove in the boss holding it in the body of the vise, but allows it to swivel. The second, smaller pin, goes right through the middle of the boss, locking the boss in place, preventing it from rotating. The Parker vises I've seen with the swivel jaw have just the single, larger pin that allows rotation. Since the main pin that goes in the hole in the top of the jaw was MIA when I got the vise, I wonder if the boss through-pin was added after the original locking pin was lost.