BUGATTI workshop vice - Lot 65

BUGATTI workshop vice The vise designed by Ettore Bugatti is an adjusting vise - he didn't intend it for the heavy-duty work for which conventional vises are generally used. It was used by workers to adjust mechanical parts on cars at a time when machine tools were not as advanced as they are today. This is what gave this precision tool its letters of nobility. Early in the design process, Ettore Bugatti had a wooden mould made to cast the core for the sand moulds. In this impression, the logo is carved into the wood. Early versions of the vices had a groove on the moving part and two guide screws in the fixed body. Later, the wooden mold was modified by the insertion of an aluminum logo. This will ensure a higher quality of the logo in the foundry. They are easily recognizable, as the logo is more prominent on the body. A sheet metal dust cover with three screws and felt gasket will also be added to prevent impurities from getting trapped between the moving and fixed body. After the war, there was less need to adjust finished parts, and vices had to be more versatile. Pierre Marco made the final modification, removing the two guide screws and machining the fixed body to fit a much stronger square slide. The vice presented here is therefore a version of the first series made by Ettore, who will have seen Bugatti automobile parts between his jaws. It bears the number 34, which can be found on almost all components. Some models also had the number behind the bronze piece where the crank rests, as is the case here. A second number, 046, was added after the war. In its long career, the vice has only had one of its jaws replaced by number 18. It is functional and has kept its original black paint. It has remained in the family to this day.