That Clark you have is a big vise @Martin w, the largest they made to my knowledge. If you have time, would you mind measuring the height as well? It would be great to know the weight too, if that's not impractical to do. Thanks!
Newer vises often used decals to as an inexpensive way to identify them, whereas older vises had the brand name and model number cast into them. A wooden vise pattern is made, special sand is packed around it, the pattern removed and then the molten metal poured into it. Sometimes the brand and model number are additional bits attached to the main pattern, so that it can be easily switched, as probably happened when the RAE vise in my first post was branded for Eaton's. On some vises you can see where the metal casting retained the impression of the nail or screw heads that held these added pieces in place. Occasionally a vise turns up that should have the brand or model number cast into it, but is missing, and presumably the plate for that fell off or was accidentally not put on before making the mold. In the case of the missing "T" and "H" on your two vises, my understanding is that sometimes the casting was imperfect, and raised letters would be more prone to problems. Rather than scrap a whole casting, companies would do things like grind off a bad letter or whole word and sell the vise anyway.
Newer vises often used decals to as an inexpensive way to identify them, whereas older vises had the brand name and model number cast into them. A wooden vise pattern is made, special sand is packed around it, the pattern removed and then the molten metal poured into it. Sometimes the brand and model number are additional bits attached to the main pattern, so that it can be easily switched, as probably happened when the RAE vise in my first post was branded for Eaton's. On some vises you can see where the metal casting retained the impression of the nail or screw heads that held these added pieces in place. Occasionally a vise turns up that should have the brand or model number cast into it, but is missing, and presumably the plate for that fell off or was accidentally not put on before making the mold. In the case of the missing "T" and "H" on your two vises, my understanding is that sometimes the casting was imperfect, and raised letters would be more prone to problems. Rather than scrap a whole casting, companies would do things like grind off a bad letter or whole word and sell the vise anyway.
