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This fine, heavy
duty brace bears the patent date,
July 9, 1895, for
its ball bearing chuck.
It also has the old style, flip-over pawls that so obviously control the ratchet functions. Lignum vitae ball bearing head and rosewood wrist. Made by Peck, Stowe and Wilcox and marked Pexto/Guaranteed on the bow.
The chuck has a different set of jaws from that in the Smith patent. The jaws and their distinctive spring were patented by Oscar Altwein in 1911 and assigned to the Peck, Stow & Wilcox company, so this brace was made before the Smith patent was to run out in July, 1912, and yet less than one year before the Altwein patent application was filed in May, 1910. |
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The ratchet's flip-top pawls follow the R.C. Ellrich design of the expired US Pat.No. 293,957, issued February 19, 1894. There is a single spring located in the center of the ratchet housing as seen at left. |
