Thread: Wadkin Patern Makers Vise

A few questions,
1. Date, are there any indications that could date the vise.
made in UK ? Seems obvious by the casting on front.
2. Cant see any yellow paint anywhere in any layers. Just grey and green, in layers I can see.
3. Being a WWWW member by default should I already have some paint? In the shed, please advise where and what I need to paint her up nicely. Not keen on the yellow.
Regards

Originally Posted by Brandavino

A few questions,
1. Date, are there any indications that could date the vise.
made in UK ?...

The only (believed to be) accurate way of dating Wadkins is by the test number on the data tag. The vise being un-powered, probably doesn't have a test number (or a data tag).
The next best way is to find their first and last appearance in catalogues - but as others have said, the vise doesn't normally appear in catalogues.
The casting on the front says "Wadkin Ltd". Wadkin changed from "Wadkin & Co." to "Wadkin Ltd" in 1938 IIRC. So it's post-1937.

Wadkin did sub-contract some of their work, but it's most likely to have been made in UK.

Originally Posted by Brandavino

2. Cant see any yellow paint anywhere in any layers. Just grey and green, in layers I can see.
3. Being a WWWW member by default should I already have some paint? In the shed, please advise where and what I need to paint her up nicely. Not keen on the yellow.

We joke a lot about colours, but it's your vise - you can paint it any colour you want. If you want to paint it in an appropriate colour - we think the earliest Wadkins may have been black, but well before your vise was made they were painting machines a dark grey. Somewhere between the change from "Co." to "Ltd", and the end of WW2 they changed to a lighter grey (RAL 7011). Later still (1964?) they changed to a hammertone green, but I would assume your vise is older than this.

If the letters on the castings were picked out in another colour it would most likely have been in white or red.

Ask if you want more detail.

Cheers, Vann.

On the Canadian site.
”Oliver’s knock off of Watkins patternmakers vice”.
Theres a lot of inconclusive chat and a couple of catalog cuts.
H.

Originally Posted by clear out

On the Canadian site.
”Oliver’s knock off of Watkins patternmakers vice”.
Theres a lot of inconclusive chat and a couple of catalog cuts.
H.

On the OWWM site there is an Oliver catalog from 1920 for a pattern makers vice, that's definitely older than that Wadkin catalog.

But these days the facts are just a minor distraction, we live in the age of "alternative facts"


Maybe Oliver only made the first 104 so that means they wouldn't count!! It's all clear now, praise the Light!!

Have fun,
Alli

Originally Posted by Allison Trump

...But these days the facts are just a minor distraction, we live in the age of "alternative facts" ...

But seriously, Oliver and Wadkin had a business relationship. I wonder if Oliver made the vises for Wadkin? I guess we'll never know - unless someone has both and can compare them casting by casting.

Cheers, Vann.

Vann, and all,
the lighter grey is visible under the green which looks newer, the grey seems to be the first paint used.
i would like to tart it up in original colours and put a date on it if possible. I will keep it original if possible.
i have plans for a Benchcrafted Shaker bench and the hardware leg vise etc. Have researched ways to mount Wadkin on this bench and it is possible. Might be a wild combination, this one came from Melbourne on eBay. Saw it and hit buy now , bingo.. Starting on carcass now.thanks for help will keep all posted on progress.

Very early 1904 and 1906 Oliver catalogs show them as being distributors for Emmert vices, Oliver also manufactured their own range of basic screw vices.
Catalogs 19 and 20, 1916 and 1917 also show Emmert vices but in catalog no22, 1922, Oliver's own pattern makers vice appears.
Melbourne Matty.

[QUOTE=Allison74;2100188]On the OWWM site there is an Oliver catalog from 1920 for a pattern makers vice, that's definitely older than that Wadkin catalog.

I wouldn't really agree with that, I've got some catalogues that are from the wadkin offices that are in that style and are from the north eveington site

[QUOTE=wallace1973;2100234]

Originally Posted by Allison74

On the OWWM site there is an Oliver catalog from 1920 for a pattern makers vice, that's definitely older than that Wadkin catalog.

I wouldn't really agree with that, I've got some catalogues that are from the wadkin offices that are in that style and are from the north eveington site

Hi, so you have a date for that catalogue that was posted above? It would have to be earlier than the 1920 brochure posted on OWWM resource.

Have fun,
Alli

[QUOTE=Allison74;2100276]

Originally Posted by wallace1973

Hi, so you have a date for that catalogue that was posted above? It would have to be earlier than the 1920 brochure posted on OWWM resource.

Have fun,
Alli

No Date just pointing out that it 'could' be older than the 1920 you said it could not possibly be.

[QUOTE=wallace1973;2100420]

Originally Posted by Allison74

No Date just pointing out that it 'could' be older than the 1920 you said it could not possibly be.

Hi, as I said you are welcome to prove my comment wrong. To me that is definitely not a pre 1920 looking publication.
If you are going to quote me it is usually considered polite to make it an accurate quote rather than some interpretation designed to justify your claim!

Have fun,
Alli

Hi all, just getting back to my Wadkin vise. I would like to put a date on it so I am going to say post war 1950. These vises not only look cool they create so much interest and speculation, I have to mount it on my shaker inspired bench somehow, even if just to get heads shaking.
Then I have a old big English quick release record which I am very fond of.
So there is the Wadkin, benchcrafted leg vise, benchcrafted tail vise and record to mount one on each corner. Should be fun.

Grateful advise, 1955 ?



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Originally Posted by Brandavino

Hi all, just getting back to my Wadkin vise. I would like to put a date on it...

Grateful advise, 1955 ?

In reality, there's no way to accurately date your vise. Paint colours suggest between 1938 and 1964 - but even that is fickle.

Maybe, as you clean it down, you may find stamped numbers, or something like "warfinish" (I don't know if Woden noted that) that might help with dating - but that's a long shot.

You may have better luck with your Record vise. A guy on the UKworkshop did a lot of research into Record vises, which may enable you to lock yours down to a decade... https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/...e-t106895.html (his research applies equally to No.52 & No.53 vises too).

Originally Posted by Brandavino

...Grateful advise...

Yes that's right - add vise (to your bench ).

Cheers, Vann.

Its taken me ages to work through all the detail in these Vise history pages. Fascinating!. Beautifully sculptured metal objects. I am a Vise Voyeur for sure, regards from Canberra.


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