And some freshly made aluminum jaw covers. It’s a 1950, 4 bolt base and a grease fitting but the lead screw collar is permanent, doesn’t have the split nut. Appears barely used, jaw faces are immaculate. Missing a meatball but an o-ring in the groove keeps the handle from falling out. I just cleaned it up with a brass brush and fluid filmed it, seems like a real gem.
Made in Japan, my guess is mid-1970s. Acquired on the last day of an estate sale for $12.50. Nobody else wanted to spend an awkward half-hour underneath a crusty metal bench on a hot day unbolting it.
Original handle would have been wood but was replaced by previous owner with pipe. I fabricated a new wooden handle in the style of the original out of oak. Took the opportunity to redo my workbench top MFT-style with some mods to accommodate the new vise.
This one has an interesting mechanical quick-release mechanism. If you turn the handle counterclockwise a half-turn, it opens and you can just pull/push the to get it roughly where you want it. Turn it clockwise and it locks and tightens as you'd expect.