Vise Info Thread

[Outlawmws]

i only saw a 741 on the sheet

Row 4427

 

[ranger08]

Row 4427

looked under victor, jersey (stanley), and stanley jersey missed just the stanley

 

[RTM]

looked under victor, jersey (stanley), and stanley jersey missed just the stanley

On a PC: Ctl F 742. Only 11, 3rd from bottom

On a Mac: no idea if open or closed Apple F…..

 

[Shiftless]

not on vise sheet
found another clamp on for my collection
victor jersey no 742, stanley rule and level co, pat jan 28 08
jaw width 1 3/4, weight 3lbs 6 oz, the wingnut for clamp looks to have been replaced, probably not original

ranger:
Are those 2 pics of the same vise? One side looks so much more original than the other side!
What do you suppose happened to that poor 742 ??

 

[KMScott]

looked under victor, jersey (stanley), and stanley jersey missed just the stanley

Got it. Added your vise. Max opening? Thanks Ranger.

 

[four.cycle]

So.... Victor Jersey is really Stanley Jersey?

So where does "Victor Vise Co." come in ?

Have found nothing on "Julien" or "Whittington".
"Marswells" - obviously Marshall Wells private label brand, but manufacturer unknown at this point.

Still no clue who made that "Blacksmith" vise with the "Star of David" herald mark which appears in some (but not all) catalog illustrations (as shown below.)

====

as an aside:

I was informed earlier this morning that the Kelley-How-Thomson warehouse and the Marshall Wells warehouse were right next door to each other in Duluth.

updated list uploaded 02/07/25

 

[BlackVersa2]

Still no clue who made that "Blacksmith" vise with the "Star of David" herald mark which appears in some (but not all) catalog illustrations (as shown below.)

Looks like Iron City

 

[four.cycle]

^ Thank you! I knew I had seen the mark somewhere but I could not place it.

Adams
Austin
Bonney
Chicago Flexible Shaft ("Stewart Handy Worker")
Fulton
Luther
Massey
Millers Falls
North Bros.
Parker
Prentiss
Richards Wilcox
Sheldon
Stearns
Toles
Victor Jersey (or is that Stanley Jersey?)
Yost

 

[Outlawmws]

So.... Victor Jersey is really Stanley Jersey?

So where does "Victor Vise Co." come in ?

From Memory -Victor Jersey - is orig. Manufacturer base model name - >> Stanly bought them and continued with the name for a while; - by the "Sweetheart" era, the Victor name at least was dropped.

 

[four.cycle]

^ so.... another deal like "Bailey" planes? any idea of YEAR on when Stanley acquired Victor?

 

[RTM]

^ so.... another deal like "Bailey" planes? any idea of YEAR on when Stanley acquired Victor?

Per this, 1917

Another Victor Jersey Vise

I recently found an early Stanley Victor 772 swivel base with 2-inch jaws, the first I had ever come across. I thought I'd never see another, but sometimes lightning does strike twice. This morning I got another, definitely needing lots of TLC but still a rare find, I think. It appears to be...

www.garagejournal.com

 

[PghJKB]

So.... Victor Jersey is really Stanley Jersey?

So where does "Victor Vise Co." come in ?

Have found nothing on "Julien" or "Whittington".
"Marswells" - obviously Marshall Wells private label brand, but manufacturer unknown at this point.

Still no clue who made that "Blacksmith" vise with the "Star of David" herald mark which appears in some (but not all) catalog illustrations (as shown below.)

====

as an aside:

I was informed earlier this morning that the Kelley-How-Thomson warehouse and the Marshall Wells warehouse were right next door to each other in Duluth.

updated list uploaded 02/07/25

four.cycle
During 1911, Stanley Tool & Rule Company purchased the Leavens Manufacturing Company of Vineland, New Jersey. Leavens primary product was a line of small bench vises known as "Jersey" Vises. After the purchase, Stanley capitalized on Leavens' reputation to offer the Stanley branded line of small bench vises.

Early catalogs show Stanley using the Leavens "Jersey" (Baker Jersey?) vises as their base models, naming them the "Victor Jersey" line of vises. According to the Stanley Tools Catalog of 1914 (#34) "Stanley "Victor" Vises, while not having the quite as fine a finish as the Stanley line, are strong, serviceable tools, and having long been popular with both Mechanics and Amateurs." A reference to their Leavens' origin.

Additionally, Stanley maintained Leavens line of premium vises, naming them the "Stanley Jersey" vise. According to the Stanley Tools Catalog of 1914 (#34) "Stanley "Jersey" Vises are made especially for Jewelers and makers of small tools. ... Only the best materials are employed in their construction, great care being taken to that all the parts fit accurately."

Differences between the Stanley Jersey and Victor vises:
Numbering - 6xx - Stanley "Stanley Jersey" Vises
Jersey vises have steel jaws
Numbering - 7xx - Stanley "Victor Jersey"
Victor vises have cast iron jaws
Overall fit and finish is better in the Stanley vises

Hope this helps am, working to flesh this out further...

JKB

 

[ranger08]

ranger:
Are those 2 pics of the same vise? One side looks so much more original than the other side!
What do you suppose happened to that poor 742 ??

yes the same just undergoing paint stripping, there were orange, white and green paint layers over the original maroon colour
now its fully cleaned with shellac over what i could save of the original maroon paint

ranger:
Are those 2 pics of the same vise? One side looks so much more original than the other side!
What do you suppose happened to that poor 742 ??

 

[TheRealZeus]

Looks like Iron City

A quick resource for Iron City Vise.
Additional; Some of the first Iron city vises had no star, but ‘IRON CITY’ letting.

History of Iron City Tool Works

Iron City Tool Works of Pittsburgh, PA, was a medium-sized manufacturer of hand tools for railroads, mines, blacksmithing, and stone masonry...

trowelcollector.blogspot.com

 

[akasrick]

four.cycle
During 1911, Stanley Tool & Rule Company purchased the Leavens Manufacturing Company of Vineland, New Jersey. Leavens primary product was a line of small bench vises known as "Jersey" Vises. After the purchase, Stanley capitalized on Leavens' reputation to offer the Stanley branded line of small bench vises.

<snip> --- </snip>

Differences between the Stanley Jersey and Victor vises:
Numbering - 6xx - Stanley "Stanley Jersey" Vises
Jersey vises have steel jaws
Numbering - 7xx - Stanley "Victor Jersey"
Victor vises have cast iron jaws
Overall fit and finish is better in the Stanley vises

Hope this helps am, working to flesh this out further...

JKB

Look again:
7xx, also has cast and steel jaws
me not nit picking.

akasrick

 

[TheRealZeus]

Look again:
7xx, also has cast and steel jaws
me not nit picking.

akasrick

Example:

I am not not pickin’ neither.

 

[TheRealZeus]

four.cycle
During 1911, Stanley Tool & Rule Company purchased the Leavens Manufacturing Company of Vineland, New Jersey. Leavens primary product was a line of small bench vises known as "Jersey" Vises. After the purchase, Stanley capitalized on Leavens' reputation to offer the Stanley branded line of small bench vises.

Early catalogs show Stanley using the Leavens "Jersey" (Baker Jersey?) vises as their base models, naming them the "Victor Jersey" line of vises. According to the Stanley Tools Catalog of 1914 (#34) "Stanley "Victor" Vises, while not having the quite as fine a finish as the Stanley line, are strong, serviceable tools, and having long been popular with both Mechanics and Amateurs." A reference to their Leavens' origin.

Additionally, Stanley maintained Leavens line of premium vises, naming them the "Stanley Jersey" vise. According to the Stanley Tools Catalog of 1914 (#34) "Stanley "Jersey" Vises are made especially for Jewelers and makers of small tools. ... Only the best materials are employed in their construction, great care being taken to that all the parts fit accurately."

Differences between the Stanley Jersey and Victor vises:
Numbering - 6xx - Stanley "Stanley Jersey" Vises
Jersey vises have steel jaws
Numbering - 7xx - Stanley "Victor Jersey"
Victor vises have cast iron jaws
Overall fit and finish is better in the Stanley vises

Hope this helps am, working to flesh this out further...

JKB

For the Stanley’s I do have this reference which distinguishes iron from steel with model numbers. Hope I am not beating a dead horse. included firstly.. Fairly certain this is also the cover to the correlating page..

 

[Outlawmws]

One year of catalog is not always definitive for the entire mfg. span but I see your point 74X vs 76X

 

[TheRealZeus]

One year of catalog is not always definitive for the entire mfg. span...

Very true. But it does establish a discernment of iron from steel jaws for the mid ‘30’ 74X & then 75X, 76X, 77x, respectively, if only for that timeframe/period.

 

[ranger08]

Got it. Added your vise. Max opening? Thanks Ranger.

1 3/4 inch opening

 

[four.cycle]

IOW:
ALL "Jersey" vises manufactured after 1911 were actually manufactured by Stanley, correct?

I need to make sure I've got this clear because I have been archiving "Victor Jersey" in the Victor folder, which (per @PghJKB's post above - post #4252 - is incorrect.

So... correct me if I'm in error here, but it looks like the only real "Victor" vise is this odd unit shown in the 1912 "Iron Age" article attached below.... am I understanding this correctly?

Victor / Victor Vise Co., 15 W. Washington St., Springfield, OH / ca. 1912 / "Victor" vise /

So.... IOW:

This page of "Victor Jersey" vises - tagged as being made by "Victor Vise Company" are actually STANLEY?

and

THIS page of "Victor" "Jersey" vises are actually LEAVENS vises? (see the display rack at lower left of image.) and it's been misidentified as well?

and

THIS page of "Victor Jersey" vises (dated 1917) is also misidentified and is actually STANLEY product?

and

it appears that the 1912 "Iron Age" article is the ONLY form of any documentation we have on "Victor Vise Company" of Springfield, Ohio?

 

[four.cycle]

be sure to let me know if you're tired of looking at catalog pages of vises...

Adams
Austin
Champion this looks somewhat like that "Victor" thing in the post just above, doesn't it?
Chicago Flexible Shaft ("Stewart Handy Worker")
Elgin (Richards Wilcox)
Iron City
Jarecki
Massey
Prentiss
Toles

(* not a clue on those pipe vises other than the "Jarecki" unit which is identified. *)

 

[four.cycle]

Massey
Parker
Prentiss

 

[four.cycle]

Armstrong
Austin
Bonney
Chicago Flexible Shaft ("Stevens Handy Worker")
Iron City
Millers Falls
Reed
Starrett
Stearns
"Victor Jersey" (Stanley)
Williams
Yost

 

[CRSINMICH]

1910 JERSEY VISES

​

I hope this helps clarify things (I doubt it will though)

 

[akasrick]

IOW:
ALL "Jersey" vises manufactured after 1911 were actually manufactured by Stanley, correct?

I need to make sure I've got this clear because I have been archiving "Victor Jersey" in the Victor folder, which (per @PghJKB's post above - post #4252 - is incorrect.

So... correct me if I'm in error here, but it looks like the only real "Victor" vise is this odd unit shown in the 1912 "Iron Age" article attached below.... am I understanding this correctly?

Victor / Victor Vise Co., 15 W. Washington St., Springfield, OH / ca. 1912 / "Victor" vise /

So.... IOW:

This page of "Victor Jersey" vises - tagged as being made by "Victor Vise Company" are actually STANLEY?

and

THIS page of "Victor" "Jersey" vises are actually LEAVENS vises? (see the display rack at lower left of image.) and it's been misidentified as well?

and

THIS page of "Victor Jersey" vises (dated 1917) is also misidentified and is actually STANLEY product?

and

it appears that the 1912 "Iron Age" article is the ONLY form of any documentation we have on "Victor Vise Company" of Springfield, Ohio?

1st. link --- Stanley vise - 3 digit model #'s.
2nd. link ---Leavens vise - 2 digit model #'s { just rule of thumb }
3rd. link --- Stanley vise - 3 digit model #'s

Something on the 'mythical' Victor vise Co. is posted. Thank You!
Early Parker catalogs refers to it as Victor pattern then later their Victor.



Mark Stansbury posted this snip...Apparently Leavens wrote refered about them as machinest style vises.


I guess they Parker, Leavens, and Stanley Rule and Level couldn't get a patent on that design.
They all look alike.

akasrick

 

[CRSINMICH]

four.cycle: You've asked about pipe vises a couple of times. My advice is to forget about them. Nearly every vise maker, their competitors, and their competitors' brothers made them. It's a very deep rabbit hole. For instance, here is a cut from a 1926 Oswego Tools catalog. There's the previously mentioned JARECKI vise. However, the circled T means it was made by Oswego which had by then acquired JARECKI (and WALWORTH)

 

[akasrick]

Leavens catalog cut 1910 before the Co sale. No mention of a Victor.



Edit: I wrote Co. was sold. Possibly just the vise section was sold. I have read there was a female heir to this manufacturer 1950 ish. Edit


akasrick

 

[four.cycle]

You've asked about pipe vises a couple of times. My advice is to forget about them.

Understandably, these are not an item of great concern or focus around here. For that matter, they've become something of an obsolete relic of a distant past - who uses steel pipe for plumbing today?

But understand MY position here: my objective is producing an accurate and comprehensive list of manufacturers.

So while "pipe vise" is just another widget in my book, I am obligated to "get it right" and include all of them. In many cases, these old catalog pages I dig up don't show the manufacturer. In almost every one of those cases, sooner or later some little detail makes itself apparent or some tidbit of information finds its way to my browser screen and the puzzle is solved. I have hundreds of these pages - items that I have not yet been able to identify* - but perseverance eventually wins the day.

Try not to be too annoyed by my pedantic ways.

BK

(* and that's just the catalog pages... I have another folder full of images of widgets I haven't been able to identify (see below) ... sooner or later the evidence makes itself apparent.)

 

[CRSINMICH]

3" ECLIPSE Vise
It's already on the Exposed Tread Vise thread​

Specs: 3" jaws. Opens to 3". Steel jaw faces. Weight 14 lbs.
Special note: The Spreadsheet has an entry for an Eclipse and has Milwaukee as manufacturer. I'm not sure of that.

 

[CRSINMICH]

four.cycle: I'm not bothered by pedantry. How do you think I find all these vise tidbits? Pipe vises deserve their own thread. (NO, I'm not volunteering!!) There are SO many of them. Unless the vise in question had a name on it, or it had a distinctive style (like Jarecki) it would be practically impossible to identify. If I see one that I recognize in one of your posts I'll tell you what it is.
How about this 1922 Warnock Strap vise?

BTW: Keep posting those catalog pages. They're great!

 

[KMScott]

Keep them coming four-cycle. Kevin

 

[CRSINMICH]

FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH

​

 

[Beerhippie]

Understandably, these are not an item of great concern or focus around here. For that matter, they've become something of an obsolete relic of a distant past - who uses steel pipe for plumbing today?

....

Not for plumbing, but... gas lines. Anything that doesn't involve water. I thread pipe probably two or three times a year, but the Rigid Tri-Stand w/pipe vise comes in handy for so many more things--any time I need to hold something round securely.

 

[KMScott]

3" ECLIPSE Vise​

Special note: The Spreadsheet has an entry for an Eclipse and has Milwaukee as manufacturer. I'm not sure of that.

Hmmm. Need help from you research guys to answer this one. It’s been a couple years since I worked on the Milwaukee vises. My memory is not crisp any more.

 

[four.cycle]

^ Oh, no doubt there is still steel pipe used somewhere, but not nearly at the level of volume we saw just prior to the turn of the 20th century, when American homes were first being upgraded with running water, or even 40-50 years ago. The house my mother lives in right now is all plastic plumbing - so was their condo over in Gig Harbor.
I kind of cringe when I peruse local Craigslist ads and see guys trying to get hundreds of dollars for ancient steel pipe die sets - I hope they got enough use out of them to have been able to pay for them and still make a profit, because they're not selling.

Pipe vises deserve their own thread.

I have an aversion to creating new threads, and ...

My advice is to forget about them

I most likely will, right after I move on to the next shiny object. I have a very short memory on some of this stuff.
I had completely forgotten about that oddball "Victor" vise document until just last night when I ran a search here for "Victor". (The obvious has a way of eluding me.)

But the bottom line is they simply don't really warrant a separate thread - they're just not a hot topic discussion item. Bench vises, on the other hand, hold a certain allure for many. (Maybe because Grandpa used to let me use his vise when I was four?)

And if there are no objections to more catalog pages, I'll post them here. I'm up to 1918 on this one now. Last one took me almost a month to get from 1870 to 2020.

 

[CRSINMICH]

1956 MILWAUKEE vises
This ad from 'Hardware Age' gives some limited support for ECLIPSE being made by Milwaukee.
No.700 has the same jaw width of the ECLIPSE in Post #4270 above

All the ad really shows is Milwaukee had a line of garage vises.
(Bad news for KMScott - most of them are not on the Spreadsheet)​

 

[KMScott]

Thanks CRS. Always happy to add more to the spreadsheet.

 

[four.cycle]

Adams
Cheney
Fulton
Iron City
Millers Falls
North Bros.
Phoenix
Reed
Stanley Victor Jersey
Stearns
Toledo
Trenton
Williams

 

[four.cycle]

Adams
Cheney
Jarecki
Julien
North Bros.
Parker
Reed
Rock Island
Stanley Victor Jersey
Williams