1st, this vise is marked Chicago. Since Wilton moved out of Chicago in 1957, this is definitely pre '57
2nd, these vises have a date stamp on them that is only visible via partial disassembly so couldn't determine that till I got home. The date stamp is 2-46 which means it was built in Feb '46 or, as most folks believe, that is the 5 year warranty expiration date which would mean it was built in '41 - the first year Wilton was in business.
Wilton sold these vises exclusively to the US Government during the war. After the war, the government sold all their surplus to the general public which almost put Wilton out of business.
For those that follow my YouTube channel, there'll be a restoration video coming soon.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
2nd, these vises have a date stamp on them that is only visible via partial disassembly so couldn't determine that till I got home. The date stamp is 2-46 which means it was built in Feb '46 or, as most folks believe, that is the 5 year warranty expiration date which would mean it was built in '41 - the first year Wilton was in business.
Wilton sold these vises exclusively to the US Government during the war. After the war, the government sold all their surplus to the general public which almost put Wilton out of business.
For those that follow my YouTube channel, there'll be a restoration video coming soon.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk