Look at what followed me home today

[lpeedin]

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.




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[DrAsus]

That's just cool!!

DrAsus

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[marcusp323]

Getting awful envious, bet it turns out nice when you're done. Great score!
Mark

 

[FOMOGO]

Great score. Have the same vice, got it from a guy maybe 30yrs ago who got them from the railroad and refurbished them. Never thought to check the date. May have to do that when I get home. Will be nice to see it finished, appears to be fairly unscathed. Mike

 

[pineyfolks]

Great vise. I have one with 4" wide jaws. They have very little backlash in the screw compared to other bench vises.

 

[Dabbler]

Resurrecting an old thread, but a good one...