Vises
I’m rather fond of vintage fly tying vises …I guess that’s why I have so many of them. When I first started collecting them I figured I would buy just a few and be done with it …after all, how many different types could there be? Well, as it turns out there are a lot of them and what follows is just a sample. The smallest of my vises is just 4″ tall, while the largest is 12″. Some are rather ordinary while others are a quite ornate. The most commonly seen construction is with jaws of steel and a clamp made of brass …but there are variations. The vast majority of early fly tying vises are English.
~ Click On Pictures To Enlarge ~
- Tiny 4.75″ Vise Of Brass And Steel. I’ve Never Seen Another Like It And Suspect It Is Homemade.
- This Vise Is Pictured In The 1909 Hardy Brothers Catalog And Can Be Worn On The Thumb Or Screwed Into A Suitable Surface For Use. It Measures Just 4″ From End To End And Is Quite Rare.
- 6.5″ Vise With A Rotating Gut Hook.
- Allcock’s “Powell” Vise. Model No. 6324. A Most Impressive And Rather Massive Vise With A Rotating Head. This Circa 1915 Vise Measures 8″ Tall And The Head Both Rotates And Pivots, Which Is Highly Unusual For A Vise From This Era.
- A 4.25″ Victorian Era Hand Vise. Note The Two-Piece, Hinged Jaws And The Nickle Plating. The Handle Is Solid.
- A Later 4.25″ Hand Vise. This One Is Also Nickle Plated, But The Jaws Are Not Hinged. Note The Splines On The Handle, Which Is Hollow.
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This Commercial Tyers Table Vise Stands 6.5″ Tall, Is Constructed Entirely Of Steel And Was Made To Be Anchored To A Work Bench With Four Screws. This Is The First Old Fly Tying Vise I Ever Bought And It Has Been In My Collection For Over 30 Years.
This Commercial Tyers Table Vise Stands 6.5″ Tall, Is Constructed Entirely Of Steel And Was Made To Be Anchored To A Work Bench With Four Screws. This Is The First Old Fly Tying Vise I Ever Bought And It Has Been In My Collection For Over 30 Years.
- The Vise With Fixed Gut Hook Is 5.5″ Tall And The Tiny Vise On The Right Measures Just 4.5″ in Length. Note That These Are Simply Hand Vises Set Into C-Clamps.
- Allcock’s “Sliding Pillar Vise” Is Model No. 5776. This Vise Features Replaceable Jaws, Is 9″ Long And Is Found In the 1915 Allcock Catalog.
- 9″ Vise With Replaceable Jaws By Unknown Maker. A Very Regal Looking Tool.
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The Last Two Vises From Above With Their Jaws Removed.
The Last Two Vises From Above With Their Jaws Removed.
- 4.5″ Hand-Held Vise Accompanied By A Machinist’s C-Clamp. Very Clever.
- 12″ Holtzappffell Vise. Also Sold By Farlow As The “Hawksley”, Circa 1913. I Wonder How You Pronounce “Holtzappffell”?
- Vise On Right Is An Allcock Model No. 654 With A Removable Gut Hook. Both Vises Are 6″ Tall.
- A Magnificent Vise By Paul H. Young, Detroit, Michigan. This Vise Measures 9.5″ Tall From The Jaws To The Bottom Of The C-Clamp. According To Bob Summers, Who Worked In The Young Rod Shop, This Vise Is Circa 1935 And The Highest Grade Offered.
- The 7″ Tall “Hallows” Vise By Farlow Of London
- 5.5″ Vise With Scarce Nickel-Plated Finish Throughout. Turn-Of-The-Century …Not The Last One …The One Before That.
- Disassembled
