Old hand vise question

Dstarver

Inactive
I picked-up this old handvise and am wondering what it was made for. It has proof marking that I no nothing abhandvice.jpg

handvise2.jpg

handvise3.jpgout. Any help would be appreciated.
 
I may be wrong, but the stamps looks to be naval ordnance. It looks like its made to either clamp the outside or inside of a part on a slide way, and maybe on a pistol. I've never seen that design, but that don't mean they didn't make it in-house, and never cataloged it.

Added: This design could be used to make an adjustable lap for a slide or a frame. Place some compound in the ways, slightly tighten the tool down in it, and run it forward and back to achieve a lapped surface.
 
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I am not sure it is a hand vise; I think a hand vise would have a knurled knob for more positive tightening . It could be a device made to clean out or straighten grooves, like the grooves in a 1911 slide.

Jim
 
Dstarver,

I just took a look through several military manuals, and could not find a tool like this listed. They generally have them cataloged, and have detailed prints to recreate each tool. I am pretty sure that is naval ordnance, but it could be for something else than a gun, or even something to do with the linkage between the guns and trigger in planes, who knows?

I asked a friend of mine, who is ex-Navy, and worked in instrument repair on a sub tender, and he had never seen a tool like this, but did mention that they made custom jigs, etc., that were never cataloged. He said that during Nam, they were turning out pot pipes while the CO's back was turned.:D
 
the device is for clamping, not spreading. If you look closely you will see that the top screw is perpendicular to the jaw attached to the handle and the the lower screw is perpendicular to the floating jaw.
 
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