Show us your bench vice(s)

[SteveB58]

Not sure where you’ve pulled the name Rob from

Cast steel was used to make unbreakable vices. During WWII ductile iron (sg iron) was discovered which gave iron comparable properties to that of cast steel. The patterns were retained but the word ‘steel’ disappeared on the vices. The 34, 35 and 36 vices were also cast steel originally but changed after the war.

Apologies, wrote without the glasses on, saw report thought it was Robert. Good to know that there is some age to the vice, it could be replacing my rather venerable Peter Wright.

 

[Dieselman 63]

Another couple of vices ticked off, these are a part of the same job lot.

Record No1 (on the orange board) and a Record No00 in my hand. Still to go is the monster No6 and the No3. I’m also receiving a No2 tonight when I deliver the 00.

 

[Craig-SM]

Ahhh! It’s had a baby vice.

 

[Dieselman 63]

Ahhh! It’s had a baby vice.

Mummy, (half of) daddy and baby

 

[Dieselman 63]

The first three I’ve restored all lined up at the customer’s house. I picked up a very crusty No2 off him last night, one owner since new - the guy he bought it from was 85. I’m trying to outshop one a week, this week it’s the No6, you get a lot of vice there!

 

[Maker]

I've never seen a 00 before, that's awesome. How wide are the jaws?

 

[Turbo]

Our Men's Shed were donated some tools by an old lady clearing out her late husbands shed. Among them were a Record No 1, a cobblers last & a 10lb sledge head.

The blue paint on the vice was fairly good but it had white emulsion splattered on it. After some experimentation I settled on using a rotary brass wire brush on a drill to remove the paint & rust. It left the original blue paint mostly intact. On the bare metal parts I used a knotted wire wheel on a grinder. The screw & nut were removed, cleaned & oiled. Finally it was all given a coat of beeswax polish.

Turned out rather nicely, I've a few more vices to restore & I will likely use this method as it removes the rust but preserves the patina. Plus it's a lot quicker, easier & less messy than electrolysis & painting!

Here is the sledge head alongside a 7lb I cleaned up.

 

[Dieselman 63]

I've never seen a 00 before, that's awesome. How wide are the jaws?

2”! Three times smaller than the No6 which has 6” jaws.

 

[Dieselman 63]

Another one done, this time the mighty Record No6.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Got this yesterday.

Had a quick play. But paid full price for it, the dealer would not haggle. £30.

But It meant I did haggle harder on the other items.

 

[Mr Fixer]

A fine piece of engineering!

 

[sdhuk]

Another one done, this time the mighty Record No6.

What was the colour you used? I really like it. It's.a bit different to the original 'roundel blue' I think.

Thanks.

 

[Arc Tourist]

I think I'm allergic to this topic. This thread seems to bring out an itch to look for another vise/vice that one doesn't need. Its an itch I've had to scratch twice this month with one vise coming from overseas and another vice from here in the UK. Hopefully they will both be here in the next couple of weeks.

 

[Dieselman 63]

The No3 and No2 were in a comparable condition when received, now the No3 is done.

Still to go is of course the No2 and a No24. I think I have a No5 coming as well. This has turned into a nice little earner!

 

[Arc Tourist]

Today I was lucky to chase down a parcel delivered to the wrong street, my parcel !
Inside I was happy to find my undamaged purchase from overseas, a vintage Columbian Gyro-Vise.
Don't think I'm going to paint this one, only clean up the unpainted areas with a wire wheel.
.

 

[Memmeddu]

Today I was lucky to chase down a parcel delivered to the wrong street, my parcel !
Inside I was happy to find my undamaged purchase from overseas, a vintage Columbian Gyro-Vise.
Don't think I'm going to paint this one, only clean up the unpainted areas with a wire wheel.
.View attachment 193754 View attachment 193755 View attachment 193756

Very nice and strange

 

[SteveB58]

Today I was lucky to chase down a parcel delivered to the wrong street, my parcel !
Inside I was happy to find my undamaged purchase from overseas, a vintage Columbian Gyro-Vise.
Don't think I'm going to paint this one, only clean up the unpainted areas with a wire wheel.
.View attachment 193754 View attachment 193755 View attachment 193756

Had one of these for a while but in green also known as the parrot vice due to how it stands. Can be used in two orientations straight up, as pictured or at 90 degrees. Good vice. I use mine when repairing guitars as you can hold awkward shaped items easily. Sharpe edges need filling down on it and not in use everyday Have a look here to see how it can be used in guitar repair. http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/ProductReviews/Tools/ParrotVise/parrotvise.html.

 

[Arc Tourist]

Very nice and strange

I bought this for nostalgia reasons as I remember using one a long time ago and I really liked it, but didn't have the money to buy one at the time even though they weren't expensive. These vise's were favoured by gunsmiths and wood workers, and were originally made by the Will-Burt company, which was bought by the Columbian vise Company.
The vise has a narrow profile with 3 1/2" wide jaws and a 5" opening capacity and can be rotated 360 degrees. It's removable by just lifting it off its base and can quickly be positioned in a horizontally if desired. When the jaws are closed on an object, they instantly lock the vise from rotating on the base; the locking toggle can be seen in the last photo.
A similar import, called a "parrot vice" is currently available, but apparently the screw and nut have a tendency to strip out rather quickly.
.

 

[God mode restorations]

View attachment 190495 View attachment 190496

Got this yesterday.

Had a quick play. But paid full price for it, the dealer would not haggle. £30.

But It meant I did haggle harder on the other items.

That's a nice vice

 

[Arc Tourist]

Had one of these for a while but in green also known as the parrot vice due to how it stands. Can be used in two orientations straight up, as pictured or at 90 degrees. Good vice. I use mine when repairing guitars as you can hold awkward shaped items easily. Sharpe edges need filling down on it and not in use everyday Have a look here to see how it can be used in guitar repair. http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/ProductReviews/Tools/ParrotVise/parrotvise.html.

Yes, like you say, they can hold awkward shapes easily. I would have liked to have got one of the tall jaw vises, but the one I have was hard enough to find at a reasonable price and fortunately also in very good condition. Thanks for the link.