Before using this site please read the site disclaimer. Also please note that any links provided may be part of an affiliate programme (viz. eBay, Amazon) which helps support the site as I will earn a commission when visitors make a qualifying purchase.
Australian-made Record vices appear not infrequently - information on them is scarce, though! Here's what I have so far.
Ralph McKay Ltd., engineers, was registered on the 30th June 1950 and acquired the engineering business in Hamstead Road, Maidstone, established in 1932 by Messrs. Ralph and Oscar McKay. Directors were Ralph McKay, Oscar McKay, Victor McKay, E. Palmer and L. J. Yeo. The Argus reported on the 1st July that Oscar was abroad investigating engineering developments in the USA and UK.
The Melbourne Herald reported on the 16th September 1953 that Ralph McKay (agricultural machinery manufacturers) was undertaking extensions to it's factory due to increased profit and demand, and that new lines not previously made in Australia were now being introduced in increasing quantities. No mention of Record there but I think it paints a picture of an expanding company looking for opportunities to manufacture locally.
On 30th June 1956 The Argus ran an advertisement for Ralph McKay Ltd. for a junior drafstman, stating that the company manufactured automotive and agricultural components and medium to heavy forging. Sounds like the kind of company who would have the capability of producing bench vices.
Ralph McKay died on the 6th August 1959.
12th Jan 1962 saw The Canberra Times report that Dangar, Gedye and Maloch Ltd. were now a distributor of Ralph Mckay Limited in NSW. May be somewhere else to go searching for catalogues...
A 1963 Record catalogue (No. 17) lists Hampton-McKay Pty. Ltd. of Melbourne, Australia as an associate company. Who were they?
The Bulletin reported on the 24th October 1964 that Ralph McKay Ltd. was a Melbourne-based amalgmation of Welch Perrin Industries, Welch Perrin & Co., and Ralph McKay (Aust). What was Ralph McKay (Aust)? A revamped version of Hampton-McKay, which was a vice and small tool manufacturing venture entered into jointly with C. and J. Hampton Ltd., of Sheffield, England. Best known for their Record vices. Local competition apparently proved fatal for that particular venture and so after production was suspended Ralph McKay purchased the English interest, and the name was changed in March 1963.
At the time the Bulletin article above was published it was apparently now operating in a satisfactory fashion as a marketing and manufacturing unit for agricultural wheels and rims. The ASIC site shows that Hampton-McKay Pty. Ltd. was de-registered on the 26th March 1963, and that the business was previously known as McKay (Aust) P/L, Ralph McKay (Aust) P/L, Hampton-McKay P/L.
At this stage it seems likely that Hampton-McKay manufactured the vices in Melbourne utilising Ralph McKay's engineering expertise and production capacity, but that production ended by 1964. I can't find anything about when that company was first registered so I could have an idea about when they began making them.
In 2019 the server has had to double in capacity to support the growing site... please consider dropping the site a donation to help cover the costs! Check out our Patreon for support options, buy a shirt, buy our apps, use my NordVPN affiliate link to sign up to their service or donate via Paypal:
| Paypal $5 link ->> | |
| Paypal $10 link ->> |