Show us your bench vice(s)

[MattF]

...could it be a 190/8 with a badly cast 8?

Sounds the most plausible probability.

On about No.8's, (a Parkinson, in this case), I took pity on an Ebay one the other day. Picking it up later this week. The rough life it seems to have led, judging from the rear of the slide, coupled with the rusty condition, missing handle and inserts and then finally the paint job it's had inflicted, I thought I had to rescue that one and possibly give it a chance. Would likely have ended up in a skip if I hadn't. It's only a few miles away from me, so I thought sod it. It should either be salvageable, fit for an outside vice else usable as spares at worst case.

 

[Turbo]

I've checked a few catalogues and none show a 190/5, could it be a 190/8 with a badly cast 8? or is not that big?

It may well be a 190/8, though it didn't look that big, more like 4-4.5".

I managed to get the jaws off the 111 - the nuts unscrewed once I ground off the welds and the bolts came out with a punch and the bfh. Unfortunately the perches themselves are bowed along with the jaws. Looks like it's going to be a few hours work with a grinder and file!

 

[MattF]

It's one of those jobs though that once it's done, it's done. Something like a Speedicut file should get those in shape fairly quick.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

.....
I managed to get the jaws off the 111 - the nuts unscrewed once I ground off the welds and the bolts came out with a punch and the bfh. Unfortunately the perches themselves are bowed along with the jaws. Looks like it's going to be a few hours work with a grinder and file!

Look on the bright side, if that had been a cast iron vice it would have broken instead of bent

I have an old style Record No 36 and the shelf the dynamic jaw slides on was bent down by a couple of mm and was causing the jaws to misalign, I was able to bend that back with a couple of very big clamps (2 rated at 6000lb each so theoretically I could have been putting 12000lb into straightening it).

 

[MattF]

Was that the one where you mentioned that Record introduced extra bracing in that area in the later version, to prevent that happening?

 

[Turbo]

I have an old style Record No 36 and the shelf the dynamic jaw slides on was bent down by a couple of mm and was causing the jaws to misalign, I was able to bend that back with a couple of very big clamps (2 rated at 6000lb each so theoretically I could have been putting 12000lb into straightening it).

I was thinking of trying a clamp either side, maybe with some heat but I was afraid of breaking it. Is the cast steel malleable enough to straighten? The worst part on both jaws is the part from the bolt holes to the outside edge ie the weakest part so I could clamp it there.

 

[MattF]

If you're going to try heating it, put a parallel between the shelves, clamp the vice up tight onto that and then apply two clamps, one either side of the jaws at the outer ends, pulling both together. Heat and apply gradual pressure with the clamps. If the metal is fragile enough to be damaged working it that way, then there's something wrong.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Matt beat me to it, it should bend back fine. Have you ever seen a broken Record 36/35/34/110/111/112/113/114 ? They are all either cast steel or malleable iron instead of cast iron, I've seen bent ones, ones with bits cut out, big gouges, but never a broken one.

 

[MattF]

...but never a broken one.

If Turbo ends up being the first to ever show one, our names will be mud.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Comparison between Ductile and cast iron strength. Ductile/Malleable/SG/Nodular all seem to be used interchangeably and I've yet to find a definition of how cast steel differs from them if at all, but suffice to say all the cast steel vices ended up being made from Ductile/Malleable/etc iron as the years went by.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

If Turbo ends up being the first to ever show one, our names will be mud.

I take it back, I've now seen one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/large-old-vice-/111686841784

That said the whole is in a very thin part of the casting, I'm still surprised though ...

 

[MattF]

Did they determine that malleable/ductile was preferable to steel eventually then?

I take it back, I've now seen one

[...]

That said the whole is in a very thin part of the casting, I'm still surprised though ...

By the looks of how much pounding that's taken on that rear portion, looks like it did well to only end up with that one small hole.

 

[CwazyWabbit]

Did they determine that malleable/ductile was preferable to steel eventually then?
....

I don't know, but I did forget they also called it Pearlitic Iron as well. Apparently the ductile iron is more wear resistant than cast steel.

....By the looks of how much pounding that's taken on that rear portion, looks like it did well to only end up with that one small hole.

Amusingly the anvil shows little sign of having been used

 

[Turbo]

I'll have to find something suitable to use as a parallel.

It will also be another chance to use the rosebud. It was a complete as new BOC torch, mixer, stem and I think a 3H rosebud tip, over £200 worth that I won for £6! I connected it up once and the flame it produces is scary - noisy and an amazing amount of heat. It had a 16mm bar glowing red in seconds!

 

[eSCHEn]

Gah you've got me into it now! Was innocently perusing gumtree when I spotted this one http://www.gumtree.com/p/car-part-accessories/big-mechanic-vice-/1119133883 bit far for me but was wondering if any of you knowledgeable chaps could identify it? No marks that I can see but looks clean, I'm not sure if that mark on the rear is a paint spill or weld fix though, think it's paint?

 

[MattF]

Parkinson or Record, and that run on the rear is paint. There's a big weld on the front jaw though. Some devil has snapped the front jaw off in the past.

 

[eSCHEn]

Ahh so there is. That's what you get for looking a vices for sale at three AM.

Still blaming you (and cwazywabbit) for me developing this unhealthy interest!

Thanks for the info Matt

 

[CwazyWabbit]

That is a Parkinson not a Record Matt

Two things give it away, the first is that it's red ..... of course it could be that it was repainted ages ago
Second clue is that if you zoom in on the second picture and alter the brightness/contrast you can just see the outline of some of the oval Parkinson Perfect Vise logo, some has been obliterated by the weld.

They must have been going some to break that jaw off, although despite being a lovely vice they are only grey cast iron.

EDIT: looking at a few pictures I think record used a slightly different shaped tear drop as well ... but I'd need to check a few more

 

[eSCHEn]

if you zoom in on the second picture and alter the brightness/contrast you can just see the outline of some of the oval Parkinson Perfect Vise logo

Just when I got comfortable with the vice geekiness it goes up

 

[MattF]

I did think Parkinson, but added Record just to cover. T'would have been so embarrassing if I'd got it wrong, so better to cover all choices.