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Thread: Walkess vice

  1. #1
    Join Date
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    Default Walkess vice

    A friend of mine bought a vice at a market on Saturday. It is branded Walkess, and has a 1927 date in the casting. The jaws are approx 5 inch, and open to give an 8 inch gap. It is an offset design, and appears to be cast steel. A search of the internet shows up one of these being listed in an auction about twelve months ago, but without any details or photo. I cannot find any information as to the maker, country of origin, etc.. Does anyone have any knowledge of such a brand?

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  3. #2
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    I have now got a couple of photos of this vice, which has been fully re-conditioned since purchase. The billiard ball handles are a tarted-up modification, definitely non-standard. The name plate shows that a Commonwealth patent had been applied for in 1927. Does this indicate that it is locally made? Any information gratefully received.
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  4. #3
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    In my 1937 copy of McPherson's catalogue It shows a Dawn offset vice with following details (apparently) cast on the side. Pat 6125 14/2/27 reg 6500 Has quite a blurb on how popular they had become!
    They were made from semi-steel in six sizes from 3' to 6" ( 5" cost 78/6 ) also available in cast steel (price on application! )
    The offset vice was / is more common in Australia than in any other country, you wont find them in American catalogues!? (not the old ones anyway )
    With the same patent year date there must be some connection Walkess and Dawn ?
    A fascinating bit of Ozzie history I wish we knew more about. Look at the current Dawn web site they have been making vices and other tools in Australia since 1917. I can't read the month on Walkess name plate, it says 24th where as the Dawn says 14th ?
    Graeme

    Ps, Just enlarged the photo (duh) it is the same month (2) seems as if it has to be the same patent regardless of 10 days discrepancy?
    Anyone good at looking up patents?

  5. #4
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    Thanks, Anglesmith. Your information about offset-type vices being largely an Australian design was certainly new to me. I had assumed they were simply a variation that existed everywhere. On the Walkess vice, it denotes that a patent application had been made, but not that it had been granted at that stage; whereas the Dawn in your catalogue has been granted a patent. It may well be that they are entirely different companies, and that the Walkess was refused a patent due to its similarity to the Dawn. (Pure guesswork on my part, but a possibility). Incidentally, the nameplate is cast into the steel. I don't know why anyone would go to the trouble of makng a casting mould to indicate a patent application, rather than waiting to see if the patent was granted! The interesting thing about the Walkess is that the nut is located very much at the front of the vice, rather than inside the main body. This allows the front jaw to be wound a long way forward without the thread disengaging from the nut, resulting in a much wider than usual jaw opening.

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