Fixie 3 jaw vice

[GraemeVW]

Been a while since I've been on here, life gets in the way sometimes.
Some of you may remember I restored a 3 jaw fortis vice maybe 18 months ago.

Today i picked up another 3 jaw, this time a fixie.
This seems to be even rarer than the fortis, and by the looks of it, better! Certainly a little bigger.

It is a little under 6" wide jaws.
The 2 front rotating jaws also seem to have a lock.
The rotating jaws and lock are seized, but the rest is free.
Better than my fortis, that whole thing was a seized solid ball of rust!

This should free up quite easy.

The jaws are in decent condition too apart from the nick in the rear jaw. I'm wondering if I'd get away with welding that.
As you can see, 2 vertical V slots in the rear jaw. Jaws are serrated with side tilo side lines.
I suspect the front jaws are in the wrong sides and the rounded corners are for rotational clearance.

The only reference I've ever seen for fixie vices is this, in a buck hickman catalogue archive.
Had anyone got ANY info on fixie vices? How many styles of 3 jaw did they make? Did they make normal vices?
I'd guess mine is 1940s?

 

[Barking Mat]

Very nice, where did you find that ?

 

[GraemeVW]

Very nice, where did you find that ?

Usual...
Facebook marketplace.

Paid up for it if I'm honest. But I think it was worth it, and I liked the guy selling it, so I paid what i genuinely thought it was worth.

 

[GraemeVW]

This is my fortis. The one thing I don't like about it is the front jaws don't lock.
This fixie, the front jaws lock straight, and the extra size should make it even more useful.

The fortis 3 jaw isn't exactly common, but the internet does at least throw up pics of maybe 10 different examples.
Generally military use, so I guess fortis got the orders and fixie seem to have just faded aeay even though they had a better product.

The fixie in the buck hickman catalogue looks nice too. Anyone got one?

Anyone got ANY kind of fixie vice?

 

[Agroshield]

The 'Fixie' trademark seems to have been invented by Jerrims.

Google 'jerrims fixie' and there are three good results:

1922 Jerrim's "fixie" 3 jaw vice, UK

I have one of these vices and it needs some love. One of the swivel jaws has lost a corner and the original jaw pads are not present. I can't find a classified section on this forum but please let me know if I ought to post elsewhere as I would be interested in offers. Cheers

www.garagejournal.com

Jerrims Engineers Vice - what to do with it.

I picked up this Jerrims vice that was destined for the scrap. My wife has asked if I'd like to donate it to the small firm she works at, but it's so unusual I'd like to know a bit more about it, especially if it might be worth anything, before I blindly give it away. The normally 'fixed' jaws...

www.ukworkshop.co.uk

Advertising - Daily Commercial News and Shipping List (Sydney, NSW : 1891 - 1954) - 5 Oct 1921

trove.nla.gov.au

The last of these, you cannot see without logging in, but the Google text gives the man's name as James Henry Jerrim.

You can look him up on the patent search (he was prolific):

Espacenet – search results

Espacenet: free access to millions of patent documents. Find out if your invention is unique or if other inventors have filed patent applications that are considered to be prior art.

worldwide.espacenet.com

Click on the title of the patent and it opens in the pane on the RHS of your screen. Between 'patent translate' and 'X' at the top of that pane, there are three vertical dots. Click on them to download original document in pdf form.

I think you want this one:

Espacenet – search results

Espacenet: free access to millions of patent documents. Find out if your invention is unique or if other inventors have filed patent applications that are considered to be prior art.

worldwide.espacenet.com

 

[GraemeVW]

The 'Fixie' trademark seems to have been invented by Jerrims.

Google 'jerrims fixie' and there are three good results:

1922 Jerrim's "fixie" 3 jaw vice, UK

I have one of these vices and it needs some love. One of the swivel jaws has lost a corner and the original jaw pads are not present. I can't find a classified section on this forum but please let me know if I ought to post elsewhere as I would be interested in offers. Cheers

www.garagejournal.com

Jerrims Engineers Vice - what to do with it.

I picked up this Jerrims vice that was destined for the scrap. My wife has asked if I'd like to donate it to the small firm she works at, but it's so unusual I'd like to know a bit more about it, especially if it might be worth anything, before I blindly give it away. The normally 'fixed' jaws...

www.ukworkshop.co.uk

Advertising - Daily Commercial News and Shipping List (Sydney, NSW : 1891 - 1954) - 5 Oct 1921

trove.nla.gov.au

The last of these, you cannot see without logging in, but the Google text gives the man's name as James Henry Jerrim.

You can look him up on the patent search (he was prolific):

Espacenet – search results

Espacenet: free access to millions of patent documents. Find out if your invention is unique or if other inventors have filed patent applications that are considered to be prior art.

worldwide.espacenet.com

Click on the title of the patent and it opens in the pane on the RHS of your screen. Between 'patent translate' and 'X' at the top of that pane, there are three vertical dots. Click on them to download original document in pdf form.

I think you want this one:

Espacenet – search results

Espacenet: free access to millions of patent documents. Find out if your invention is unique or if other inventors have filed patent applications that are considered to be prior art.

worldwide.espacenet.com

Thanks!

I had found the post about machine vices, and saw the comment on garage journal (shame there are no pics), but that's all is found.
The patent is great! Thanks for that. It's for the same one as in the buck hickman catalogue. Has quite a few differences. The sliding jaws machined surfaces have been done in a different way too.

Mine looks like an evolution, so I assume it's later, but I'm guessing.

 

[Agroshield]

Mine looks like an evolution, so I assume it's later, but I'm guessing.

Patent drawings are purely for obtaining a patent. They have a family resemblance to the manufactured article; they show the novel features of the item but are not blueprints for any real piece of iron so do not put too much emphasis on them.

You could say that the patent drawing is the mad genius inventor's version and the one in your shed is the engineer's version (though if it were made today, it would be the accountant's version).

 

[GraemeVW]

Patent drawings are purely for obtaining a patent. They have a family resemblance to the manufactured article; they show the novel features of the item but are not blueprints for any real piece of iron so do not put too much emphasis on them.

You could say that the patent drawing is the mad genius inventor's version and the one in your shed is the engineer's version (though if it were made today, it would be the accountant's version).

True, could be.
But the patent drawing version is also the same version that was advertised for sale in the buck hickman catalogue.

If I can remember where the online resource for that was, I may see of I can find later examples.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

True, could be.
But the patent drawing version is also the same version that was advertised for sale in the buck hickman catalogue.

If I can remember where the online resource for that was, I may see of I can find later examples.

My signature is where you most likely found the catalogue, I digitised them some years ago.

 

[GraemeVW]

My signature is where you most likely found the catalogue, I digitised them some years ago.

Maybe, although I don't see signatures on my phone. You may have given me the link though.
There is a gap between 1935 and 1958 I think. I suspect this vice may be between those dates.
They can't have sold many though, and maybe no others survived.
I've only seen pics online of the machine vices.

I wonder if they may even have been made to order?

 

[CwazyWabbit]

I think the gap in the catalogues I own is literally because they didn't produce them in that period due to the war and its after effects. The gap is 1935 to 1953.
There is mention in some of the other catalogues saying the Fixie bench vices are available upon enquiry rather than being directly listed in the catalogue.

 

[GraemeVW]

I think the gap in the catalogues I own is literally because they didn't produce them in that period due to the war and its after effects. The gap is 1935 to 1953.
There is mention in some of the other catalogues saying the Fixie bench vices are available upon enquiry rather than being directly listed in the catalogue.

Yes, I thought it was probably due to the war.

 

[GraemeVW]

It wasn't easy, but it's apart!
With the center bar forward, the rotating jaws are locked

Center bar pulled up/back

And the jaws can then rotate

The inside of the jaw pockets. It has far more support for the rotating jaws than the fortis. This is making the fortis 3 jaw look a bit lame!

Here you can see mine has 3 seperate machined surfaces to locate the extending jaw. The one in the patent and BH catalogue has the more usual squared edge.
You can also see here that the rotating jaws are nicely machined. They fit in the pockets very nicely.
Unusual? Horizontal serations on the jaws too.

The fortis 3 jaw for comparison

 

[GraemeVW]

Also looks like it was blue at some point too, so it's had at least 3 paint jobs.

I'm still thinking maroon though.

One very stubborn jaw screw to get out still, then I need to order some more citric acid to de rust it. Although I may just manually clean it then repaint. My fortis was in a terrible state so I had no choice other than to completely 're finish it, but it looks a little too new. Would like to maybe avoid that with the fixie.

 

[GraemeVW]

Cleaned the dirt and grime off, inside and out, ready to remove the last of the old paint and get it de rusted.

Looks like it may have originally been black, so maybe I shouldn't paint it maroon.

5784... 1957?

 

[GraemeVW]

Not really posted much about this, but between the ball vice and the prentiss, this is still progressing.
Need to finish up cleaning the dynamic jaw, then clean up the static jaw casting. All the other parts are ready.

 

[GraemeVW]

I've not gone overboard, just cleaned and painted.

It's a shame about the chip in the rear jaw, but not much I can do about that.

 

[GraemeVW]

Not sure how I missed these pics, but found these over on garage journal.
Pics of the other (first?) Type of fixie 3 jaw bench vice.
Broken unfortunately, and missing alot of parts. But these are the only real photos I've seen of this type.
Been talking to the guy who sold it, 2 years ago, and it went to the USA.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Hopefully it's since been restored