Show us your bench vice(s)

[Cuthy246]

Hi guys need some advice, whilst im still waiting to try find some welding overalls (tall and big) so I can actually do a course, I bought my first vice. It's a record 23. I love it but from looking on here I now want a big one. anyway whilst looking I found a paramo 41, whats peoples options on paramo? I have no need but I kind of like vices now, just bought a woden carpenters vice and I have no use for it.

Also any links to where I can get welding overalls for tall and big much appreciated

We have a paramo no6 at work. Has taken lots of abuse including a scaffold pole handle extension (not me I might add) good solid construction

 

[Craig-SM]

I picked up a Paramo No5 vice the other week for a little project. Decided to strip it down today and start the clean up. Plenty of dirt and grease covering it and once brushed off showed it to be an ugly sod covered in welding acne.
The screws for the jaws eventually came out with a bit of heat and an impact driver. They’re all in good condition so will clean up and be reused.
The many welding blobs were removed with a flap disc and that’s were I’ve left on for the moment. Next will be a good degrease ready for painting, although not sure what colour yet. It was originally blue but who knows what it will end up being.

 

[Turbo]

I got this Woden 186B/4 on a steel bench I bought.

It looked pretty rough, covered in weld spots.

I was going to put it in the electrolysis tank but first I stripped it & soaked it overnight in a solution of hot water & washing powder to degrease it. After a power wash it came out fairly clean with little rust so no electrolysis needed.

I used a flap disc to remove the weld followed by a wire brush on the grinder before painting.

The bare metal areas were finished with wax.

To hold the spring & washer down to get the split pin in the shaft I came up with a cunning plan.

I used 2 bits of 30mm tube & 2 scrapers as spacers, fitted the nut & used it to compress the spring.

This vice is for the Mens Shed & it needed to be able to mount in a wood vice.

The vice was bolted to some 6mm place & a bit of 50x50 rhs.

This is so it can be clamped in a wood vice. A bit of angle was added for a welding earth.

 

[MattF]

When you have an open end slide, the simplest way to remove/refit the pit is using a tube which'll slip over the leadscrew. Cut a notch in the end, and you can compress the spring by pushing on the tube, and the notch/slot allows access to the pin.

 

[Viceman]

A friend gave me this the other day

Tried to find the maker in the usual places and found something similar in the Buck and Hickman catalogue but no makers name. Have seen half a dozen or so on Ebay exactly the same so they must be a production item. Anybody got any ideas of a manufacturer or history behind it?
It was seized up but a quick brush to get the spiders out and a splash of oil, now working great

 

[Craig-SM]

Well the Paramo No5 is cleaned, painted and reassembled.

From this


With a bit of spit and polish plus lots of degreasing, wire brushing and a touch of Hammerite blue it now looks a lot better.



Enjoyable way to spend a rainy day in the garage, giving a vice older than myself a new lease of life. Just need to find a new home for it now.

 

[Dieselman 63]

The area around the jaws isn’t supposed to be painted, just saying. Try wire brushing something or clamping something very hot and you’ll see why.

My Woden 190/8 is wearing in nicely. It’s a great size of vice, works beautifully too. Here it is holding part of the power hacksaw two-part vice.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Last night I heard a crash, thought it was the cat making something fall down.

This is my outside vice.



Well it was.

The crash was the vice failing.




The 30mm oak has failed.

Another repair job on the list.

 

[Dieselman 63]

Last night I heard a crash, thought it was the cat making something fall down.

This is my outside vice.

View attachment 181490

Well it was.

The crash was the vice failing.

View attachment 181491


The 30mm oak has failed.

Another repair job on the list.

Must be handy living at the scrapyard

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Theses two have retuned to me.

 

[JACKSPANIEL]

I bought this later model Record 75 from Bristol after collecting a hornless anvil from Weston Super Mare a couple of weeks back. It came out of a college workshop 20 years ago so is unused and at £86 I think worth the detour.
I'm still looking to buy a Record 518 1/2 if anyone out there can put me in touching distance of one please?!!.

 

[JBanner]

Some very nice vices there, I particularly like the Ajax.

I have been on a binge recently and picked up several nice ones. Very pleased to finally get a 5 inch Parkinsons Samsonia the other day and then even more pleased to pick up a 3 inch Columbian 603 with a swivel base today. The Parky will probably stay as it is but I do want to clean the columbian up and maybe re-paint it. I know they arent a common vice over here but does anyone know if this is the original colour?

 

[Arc Tourist]

............................ I do want to clean the columbian up and maybe re-paint it. I know they arent a common vice over here but does anyone know if this is the original colour?

View attachment 181588 View attachment 181587 View attachment 181584 View attachment 181585

The two Columbian vises my Dad had when I was young were both painted a kind of dull red oxide color, so the color looks about right in your photos. Both of my Dad's vises are long gone, but I was fortunate to find a four inch one here in the UK like the one we had back in California; it was painted red-orange which I sort of like, considering everything else gets a coat of my favourite green.

 

[SteveB58]

These two can hardly be classed as bench vices, but if fitted to a piece of timber they can used in a larger vice for holding fiddly pieces of work. Should have put a rule alongside but jaws are a little over an inch wide, both marked foreign. One on the right was £1 at a car boot, no idea where the other one appeared from.

 

[Dieselman 63]

These two can hardly be classed as bench vices, but if fitted to a piece of timber they can used in a larger vice for holding fiddly pieces of work. Should have put a rule alongside but jaws are a little over an inch wide, both marked foreign. One on the right was £1 at a car boot, no idea where the other one appeared from. View attachment 181625

I have one of those, I use it to hold fiddly things in for painting

 

[JBanner]

The two Columbian vises my Dad had when I was young were both painted a kind of dull red oxide color,

Hmm, i wondered if it was the original, seems it may be. I will clean it up then and take a view on what to do. I do fancy a red but maybe something a little brighter.

 

[Arc Tourist]

Hmm, i wondered if it was the original, seems it may be. I will clean it up then and take a view on what to do. I do fancy a red but maybe something a little brighter.

Yeah, brighter seems a good option. Here's a photo of the 4" Columbian when I acquired it.
.

 

[Dieselman 63]

I think that red oxide was standard on a lot of American vises, especially Reed who had either that or pale green-grey.

 

[brightspark]

does anyone actually use them half of them not even fastened down

 

[slimjim]

does anyone actually use them half of them not even fastened down

I understand what you mean,

They are supposed to be working tools, not garage queens