Vise Info Thread

[KMScott]

Simpson Quick Adjusting and Standard vise Catalog page.

 

[PghJKB]

All this chatter about Stanley got me to thinking...

Where the Stanley Vises started.

JKB

 

[akasrick]

All this chatter about Stanley got me to thinking...

Where the Stanley Vises started.

JKB

Leavens 1908, per what Crsinmich posted earlier in this thread, there is a 1910 Leavens catalog running around. I'm not able to find any of the Stanleys catalogs from those dates or earlier. Just makes me look like a "homer" (Jersey person}.

akasrick

 

[four.cycle]

"Ohio King" - "Ohio King" brand appears to be a private label brand used by the Lockwood Luetkemeyer Henry Co., Cleveland, OH (ca. 1848-1970.)

"Ohio King" = Lockwood Leutkemeyer Henry Co. (aka "L.L.H. Co.")

==

Merrill Bros. vise at International Tool Catalog Library

I wasn't sure if the "Merrill" I already had listed was the same "Merrill"

Merrill / Merrill Bros. / C. Merrill & Sons, 556 Grand St., New York, NY / ratchet drill, vise / patent 39496 Aug 11 1863 Edward A. Raymond /

==

My confusion about the "Trenton" vise came about from reading various entries on "blacksmith" sites (anvilfire, etc.) - there is no shortage of misinformation on the internet.

BK

 

[akasrick]

"Ohio King" = Lockwood Leutkemeyer Henry Co. (aka "L.L.H. Co.")

==

Merrill Bros. vise at International Tool Catalog Library

I wasn't sure if the "Merrill" I already had listed was the same "Merrill"

Merrill / Merrill Bros. / C. Merrill & Sons, 556 Grand St., New York, NY / ratchet drill, vise / patent 39496 Aug 11 1863 Edward A. Raymond /

==

My confusion about the "Trenton" vise came about from reading various entries on "blacksmith" sites (anvilfire, etc.) - there is no shortage of misinformation on the internet.

BK

1886 catalog cuts with weights and prices.



akasrick

 

[four.cycle]

Backus, Quimby S, Winchendon, MA
Charles Parker, Meriden
Cheney, Detroit, MI
Millers Falls (Henry Ducsh patent 218002)
Trenton, Trenton, NJ
Keystone (Hollands, Erie PA)
Prentiss, Watertown, NY
Diamond (Adams Co., Dubuque, IA)
American Pipe Tool Co., Chicago, IL
J.H. Williams "Vulcan", Brooklyn, NY
Bonney
Stanley Jersey
Hardy ? not a clue
Yankee - North Bros ?

 

[akasrick]

Backus, Quimby S, Winchendon, MA
Charles Parker, Meriden
Cheney, Detroit, MI
Millers Falls (Henry Ducsh patent 218002)
Trenton, Trenton, NJ
Keystone (Hollands, Erie PA)
Prentiss, Watertown, NY
Diamond (Adams Co., Dubuque, IA)
American Pipe Tool Co., Chicago, IL
J.H. Williams "Vulcan", Brooklyn, NY
Bonney
Stanley Jersey
Hardy ? not a clue
Yankee - North Bros ?

Hardy??
Follow the links, advertisements, speculation. Mark Stansbury's post may be a lead.
Hardy

akasrick

 

[CRSINMICH]

YANKEE vises, and many other tools, were made by North Bros. Mfg. Co. of Philadelphia.

 

[twagler]

WHB Clamp-on Hobby/Jewelers Vise (or perhaps a WHB clone)
- Jaw Width 2-1/4"
- Opens up to 1-5/8"
- Weighs 2lbs, 14oz
- Country of Origin = Germany
- Full manufacturer name = W. Hahn-Bremer KG
- Stationary jaw at front, dynamic jaw to rear, similar to a Boley or Leinin watchmakers vise

There is already a WHB Model#3 vise listed in the spreadsheet with 2-5/8" jaw width, but thought I would show off and document my recent acquistion of a slightly smaller WHB model. Also just wanted to document that vises with the "WHB" logo are manufactured by a German company called W. Hahn-Bremer (this was hinted at in another post, but never 100% confirmed to the best of my knowledge). Here are some picture of my vise, after a quick clean-up.






At first, I thought that the vise was a rather cheap hobby vise. It has rather sloppy clearances and very few machined surfaces. But upon closer inspection, it is actually a rather clever and strong design as can be seen from the assembly picture above. Unlike the Boley and Leinen vises where the dynamic jaw slides on dovetail ways, this WHB has nesting tube-in-tube arrangement to secure the front, followed by the centrally-mounted nut, and then a half-tube cover to the rear. This provides a balanced straight line pull when clamping hard and widely-spread supports to resist the twisting force on the jaws. The threaded spindle is also completely covered, which is often not the case for these clamp-on vises.




Based on the hammer marks in the picture above, someone beat on this tiny vise pretty hard, but didn't manage to break it.

The picture below shows an ebay listing which was the first image I found matching mine. It's a pretty close but not exact match.



My vise is unmarked, but is definitely a very similar style to the WHB branded vise shown below. There is some possibility that my vise is a clone of the WHB style, but I don't think anyone would bother. I think it is just an older version of the branded one shown below.



And here is the proof that WHB-branded vises are manufactured by W. Hahn-Bremer. This is a postcard from 1927, showing the full company name and exact matching logo. I found a german reference that the company went out of business in 2008.

Thanks for looking
Tom

 

[four.cycle]

Adams
Austin
Bonney
Champion (Bonney?)
Columbian
Goodell
Hollands
Luther
North Bros.
Parker
Prentiss
Reed
Wilcox
Williams
Yost

 

[akasrick]

Adams
Austin
Bonney
Champion (Bonney?)
Columbian
Goodell
Hollands
Luther
North Bros.
Parker
Prentiss
Reed
Wilcox
Williams
Yost

Champion (Bonney?) ??

Not in that style that I see in the catalogs.
Someone got his listed with a writeup , and pictures on the spreadsheet.
Fairly close to the adv. on the second 1922 Belknap Hardware cat. upper right corner.

"Woodworkers vise"

akasrick

 

[four.cycle]

^ thanks. so... same "Champion Hardware" that made the one in the top right corner on this one, then, as well:

Champion Hardware (Geneva OH)
Columbian
Parker

so... on this page below, which "Champion" made the one at lower left? Champion Blower and Forge?

is it Champion, Champion, or Champion?

 

[CRSINMICH]

CHAMPIONS GALORE
​

The garage style vise is indeed from Champion Blower and Forge.
The best known of the other CHAMPION vises was from Bonney.
However, just yesterday I found a catalog item about Ritchie's Champion . It's likely earlier than Bonney.
I've never heard of Ritchie's prior to this. It will have to be researched further.

 

[akasrick]

CHAMPIONS GALORE
​

The garage style vise is indeed from Champion Blower and Forge.
The best known of the other CHAMPION vises was from Bonney.
However, just yesterday I found a catalog item about Ritchie's Champion . It's likely earlier than Bonney.
I've never heard of Ritchie's prior to this. It will have to be researched further.

Nice find!
Maybe he's the "Ritchie" in "Newkirk Ritchie Newkirk" listed as proprietors from the 1886 catalog, no Champion vises listed as for sale at that date.
I seem to remember reading one of the new owners (Allentown) chastising a later proprietor(?) A.O. Bills that all Champion vises were red(?) in color, probably when the Bonney shield were being cast on the side of the vises.
Thank you that fits into something that was nagging me!
Edit I think the swivel jaws of those vises were credited to Bonney Edit
Edit Not to be confused with the swivels four.cycle cites Edit

akasrick

 

[four.cycle]

Let's not leave out the Champion Swivel Vise manufactured by Western Tool & Mfg.

I got nothin' on "Richie" - let me know if you're able to find anything.

BK

 

[four.cycle]

This little green vise showed up on CL several months ago, but the seller could not find it after he placed the ad. Now it appears again - same seller. Anyone recognize the maker of the GREEN vise in this ad?

 

[RTM]

I got nothin' on "Richie" - let me know if you're able to find anything.

From 1887

The Engineer

books.google.com

Bonney Vise and Tool Works, Philadelphia, PA; succeeded by Newkirk, Ritchie & Bells (sic) (limited)
Newkirk & Ritchie; vises tools, etc.; succeeded by Newkirk, Ritchie & Bills (limited)

Bills vs Bells, guessing one is wrong, per crsminch below, guessing Bills is correct

 

[akasrick]

This little green vise showed up on CL several months ago, but the seller could not find it after he placed the ad. Now it appears again - same seller. Anyone recognize the maker of the GREEN vise in this ad?

pm sent

 

[akasrick]

From (will add text later for the search engines)

The Engineer

books.google.com

And I thank you also!
Murky polluted water becoming clearer.

akasrick

 

[CRSINMICH]

Murky Champion Waters Becoming Clearer​

While RTM was posting, I was editing. Here are edited versions of what he posted with the addition of an 1892 item about Newkirk, Ritchie and Bills going out of business. The 1890 item specifically mentioned that Newkirk, Ritchie & Bills manufactured and sold Bonney vises

 

[CRSINMICH]

Not so fast four.cycle: Your Western Tool posts were dated 1919 and 1922. Here is a 1912 item about Victor Vise. It looks the same, so who's the real champion? (I'm just having a chuckle about twisted and convoluted vise history)

 

[TheRealZeus]

This little green vise showed up on CL several months ago, but the seller could not find it after he placed the ad. Now it appears again - same seller. Anyone recognize the maker of the GREEN vise in this ad?

I would venture to take a stab at a guess;


Stanley no. 766

 

[akasrick]

Murky Champion Waters Becoming Clearer​

While RTM was posting, I was editing. Here are edited versions of what he posted with the addition of an 1892 item about Newkirk, Ritchie and Bills going out of business. The 1890 item specifically mentioned that Newkirk, Ritchie & Bills manufactured and sold Bonney vises

Guess this explains the dearth of catalogs. The printers couldn't keep up, Franklin must have been turning in his grave.

 

[akasrick]

Guess this explains the dearth of catalogs. The printers couldn't keep up, Franklin must have been turning in his grave.

Murky Champion Waters Becoming Clearer​

While RTM was posting, I was editing. Here are edited versions of what he posted with the addition of an 1892 item about Newkirk, Ritchie and Bills going out of business. The 1890 item specifically mentioned that Newkirk, Ritchie & Bills manufactured and sold Bonney vises

Patent number 453,459 patented June 2, 1891



Looks as if Bills had plans

akasrick

 

[RTM]

Just as a side note, I can not find Ritchie as a patent assignee, or applicant, for a "vise" in USPTO. Need to think up other fun terms. Also checked DATAMP, still nothing.

The page of Ritchie's Vises has me concerned, as does akasrick's post above, because changing Ritchie to Bills did not find that. Here is what the top of the page looks like on the OCR scan

 

[akasrick]

Just as a side note, I can not find Ritchie as a patent assignee, or applicant, for a "vise" in USPTO. Need to think up other fun terms. Also checked DATAMP, still nothing.

The page of Ritchie's Vises has me concerned, as does akasrick's post above, because changing Ritchie to Bills did not find that. Here is what the top of the page looks like on the OCR scan

I see it as he as he assigned half of his patent to have it made.
It's how I believe all (?) the other inventors sell their parents off by assigning to the manufacturer.
I don't understand OCR scan the published patent is final. No?

akasrick

 

[CRSINMICH]

"OH no!": It looks like Mr. Bills saved the Bonney Vise & Tool Company. BV&T only had 1 small Amateur vise when it started.

 

[akasrick]

"OH no!": It looks like Mr. Bills saved the Bonney Vise & Tool Company. BV&T only had 1 small Amateur vise when it started.

I thought I had read that there was a fire at the Arch st. location then they went to a "Frankford " location, source of water there, my imagination. Have also read that the downtown area -Arch st. - were just open sewers empting into the Delaware River. Which led to was my remark on murky waters. Probably earlier in the city's history.
There had been a bunch written, and not readily available now about this Co.
Who did the guys who moved it to Allentown buy the Co. from? Bills?
I'm not putting this on a time line or any other such record.

akasrick

 

[KMScott]

Champion and Bonney Catalog page for the record.

 

[RTM]

I see it as he as he assigned half of his patent to have it made.
It's how I believe all (?) the other inventors sell their parents off by assigning to the manufacturer.
I don't understand OCR scan the published patent is final. No?

That could well be why he assigned it, never looked into dates to determine things like that.

OCR is optical character recognition, taking a scan, and converting it to machine readable (digital) text, which can be searched by Google et al. What you had was correct, the OCR scan ignored, truncated etc the part that made Mr Bills findable. Without it, my search couldn't find it, not could the USPTO search. Which makes me wonder about not finding Mr Ritchie.

 

[four.cycle]

1914
Adams
Bonney
Cheney
Erie Tool Works
Hanson
Hollands
Julien ? not a clue
Millers Falls
Nye
Parker
Prentiss
Stanley Jersey
Starrett
Stearns
Stowell
Victor Jersey
Williams
Yost

 

[four.cycle]

1912 Popular Mechanics Stowell Mfg. & Fdy. Co. Hanson Vise ad pp 162

 

[four.cycle]

okay you guys lost me there.
who does 453459 belong to? Bonney?

 

[RTM]

okay you guys lost me there.
who does 453459 belong to? Bonney?

I think Mr Bills was half assigned, he was one of the three who bought out Bonney, and eventually was the one who sold it on after the other two bailed out.

 

[four.cycle]

datamp.org shows 453459 as "manufacturer unknown"



Patent was issued Jun 2 1891
Per the 1898 "Iron Age" piece above (post #4147), Bills took over control of Bonney in 1890.
I would think it reasonable to assume the unit was manufactured by Bonney (unless Bills was engaged in manufacturing vises at a different location.)

 

[Outlawmws]

datamp.org shows 453459 as "manufacturer unknown"

It's the Da Vinci code!

 

[akasrick]

okay you guys lost me there.
who does 453459 belong to? Bonney?

That one belongs to Baker and Bills, manufactured by Bonney.
He, Baker, had patents on all the Jersey style vises. Leavens, Victor, then Stanley.
He also had patents on parts of some of the early different Allentown Bonneys.
Must have been much loved, fairly well heeled engineer.
As opposed to the not so well heeled BIlls.
The full patent with all drawings is listed under patents on the spreadsheet.
Edit actual partial drawing Edit
Bonney advertised the swivel on some of their vises as theirs. I find this drawing. It maybe between that date and the date of Mr. Bonneys own patent. I don't know.


akasrick

 

[akasrick]

Thanks four.cycle. I edited the link to just show the picture. Clicking the X drops my screen And I have to reclick the GJ icon to come back in.

akasrick

 

[akasrick]

delete

 

[four.cycle]

^ you've lost me there, sorry.
so.... 453459 WAS manufactured by Bonney, correct?

what was the verdict on the "Ritchie's Champion" ?