Show us your bench vice(s)

[Slowcoach]

Colour match for old Parkinsons vices​

Just general information for anyone interested.

Contacted Paragon Paints to see if they had a match for Parkinsons vices which were originally a dark red. Just got their answer which may interest anyone wanting to colour match.

"Hi Steve,
I did my own not so long ago and created a bespoke match.
I have been meaning to add it to the website for some time now, your email was the nudge I needed. Please see BS381C 452 Dark Crimson - Paragon Paints
I used a semi-gloss but the finish level is entirely your choice.
Regards,
Steve Perks
Paragon Paints"

So it's a Dark Crimson and behold it is now on their website - see link above.

Best regards to all....
Steve O

Hi,
Ive just done a no.5 in the crimson because I thought the dark was too brown. I went for full gloss because the cheeky beggars wart extra for semi and Matt. The dark shade has been around for a while and I don’t think he’s made that just for his vice. It certainly had no reference to parkinsons until very recenty.

 

[Vono]

Last weekj end I was donnated a large amount of workshop stuff.
Today I had to sort sorting the good from the bad.

But in one of the box's was thus nice odd vice. When I can I will be googlin the information on it.
In the mean time here she is.

View attachment 332228


View attachment 332229


View attachment 332230

Ahh a Lockjaw by Spear & Jackson
They were called the motorists vice as you could take it with you & sucker it to a car wing ! Came with a suction pad underneath for doing that or an optional bolt on clamp type attachment for quick release bench mounting. I think yours is later as it's blue, I have a burgundy one. The alloy jaws were non marring & rocked slightly to accommodate odd shapes & were easily removable, rubber padded ones were available to fit. i'll take some pics when I can of mine
Quite a nice thing aren't they.
Article here -

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[CwazyWabbit]

Last weekj end I was donnated a large amount of workshop stuff.
Today I had to sort sorting the good from the bad.

But in one of the box's was thus nice odd vice. When I can I will be googlin the information on it.
In the mean time here she is.



View attachment 332230

Those ladder stabilisers are really useful and as far as I know you can't buy those anymore.....

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Those ladder stabilisers are really useful and as far as I know you can't buy those anymore.....

Oh.
Ok what ones are they?

 

[Will1964]

I am on the look out for a pakisons wood working vice if anyone comes acros one for sale in the somerset vicinity could you let me know. I dont mind the condition i like a chalenge

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

I am on the look out for a pakisons wood working vice if anyone comes acros one for sale in the somerset vicinity could you let me know. I dont mind the condition i like a chalenge

 

[Sergei Slovenija]

I bought used German HEUER FRONT steel vices, just cheap.
The gas elevator 250 mm works without remarks, balanced. I really missed it, this is a good option.
Jaws 126 mm, span 150 mm
A little cleaning and lubrication and they work like new. The closure of the jaws, the checkering is perfect. I will not paint.

Made copper pads on the jaw. Thickness 5 mm, TIG welding at 200A. Side fixing cheeks made of stainless steel. Filler rod - bronze. Heat dissipation when welding copper is very strong. I had to weld with dots, cutting off 4 mm from the filler rod. For reliability, I then soldered the seam with tin solder and cleaned the copper in phosphoric acid.

I looked at my tool supplier, a new kit like this costs 482 euros + VAT... This is crazy.

 

[ranger08]

Now if Paragon could only get the Record blue correct! the blue they copied was for the later vices 1960s onwards, the british roundel blue used during and after the war was a much darker shade. Anyone who has ever made a british ww2 model aircraft will know the outer colour of the roundel transfer was very dark. I have several survivor 52 1/2s from that ww2 era with the darker blue paint. The current Paragon record blue is quite frankly aweful.

 

[ranger08]

I bought used German HEUER FRONT steel vices, just cheap.
The gas elevator 250 mm works without remarks, balanced. I really missed it, this is a good option.
Jaws 126 mm, span 150 mm
A little cleaning and lubrication and they work like new. The closure of the jaws, the checkering is perfect. I will not paint.

Made copper pads on the jaw. Thickness 5 mm, TIG welding at 200A. Side fixing cheeks made of stainless steel. Filler rod - bronze. Heat dissipation when welding copper is very strong. I had to weld with dots, cutting off 4 mm from the filler rod. For reliability, I then soldered the seam with tin solder and cleaned the copper in phosphoric acid.

I looked at my tool supplier, a new kit like this costs 482 euros + VAT... This is crazy.

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very cool vice, looks beautifully made

 

[SteveB58]

Looks cast light alloy?

Usually not a good choice for vices, but if thick section or light duty OK. Jaws of this one could be useful for the chisel handles I'm making right now.

Slightly off-topic, I like the apprentice-piece vices, - usually bog standard but well made drill/machine vices, which I pass by, but sometimes more adventurous (swivel etc) and sometimes alu or zinc with special jaws and sometimes woodwork or bench types of like alloy - anyone else have similar?

I must say also a top contender for worst vice I ever had was by Cintride of Bakewell - swivel thin-walled alu.

I would have had an apprentice made vice, the apprentice being me. Unfortunately as I decided to round the sharp edges it was and thus not as designed I could not take it home.

 

[Vono]

As promised here's pics of my version of Yellow Ardvarks Spear & Jackson Lockjaw vice.
As you can see mine is in the earlier burgundy/red colour & has the optional bench clamp part bolted on it underneath.
The little lever on the back works the suction clamp underneath.

 

[Vono]

Here's one I just picked up for the princely sum of £9.50 It originally came from a school apparently that was getting rid of this type of stuff.
It's an old steel Woden, I've never had a Woden before.
Needs a bit of work including a new jaw. This is one I might actually paint as it's pretty tatty.
Anybody any idea if the green under the red is the original colour ?
Any idea on its year also welcomed.

 

[dannysheff]

very cool vice, looks beautifully made

As promised here's pics of my version of Yellow Ardvarks Spear & Jackson Lockjaw vice.
As you can see mine is in the earlier burgundy/red colour & has the optional bench clamp part bolted on it underneath.
The little lever on the back works the suction clamp underneath.

View attachment 332492 View attachment 332493 View attachment 332494

And part of your collection of Workmates?

 

[Vono]

And part of your collection of Workmates?

Well spotted Danny
Yes I must admit I do like a Black & Decker Workmate. The one on the wall is an absolute minter from the 1970's that came boxed, in front of that is one that was my other half's dads & the one with the Lockjaw on was £5.00 on a car boot.
Such handy things !

 

[ranger08]

vise identification please
i got this vise today, why? because it looks well made and the rear jaw moves backwards
would anyone happen to know what the markings mean

 

[ranger08]

 

[25.4_mechanic]

vise identification please
i got this vise today, why? because it looks well made and the rear jaw moves backwards
would anyone happen to know what the markings mean

It could be a German make, probably more precisely from the GDR.

Vices with movable back jaws have been more common in Germany since the 19th century than I have found in your country.

The design language fits Eastern European production of the 60s and 70s, no one here has been able to say anything so far, so producers from English-speaking countries also drop out and I have found some expired offers for exactly the same looking vises in the German-speaking area.

The sellers in these offers were also unable to give more precise information. The keyword GDR came up several times in the ads, but products from other Eastern Bloc countries were also used there.

Such vises were an important means of production and had to last for a long time, if some of the scarce material was released for this purpose - usually over-heavily built and very durable.

EDIT:

SZ probably stands for Schraubstock Zwickau - "Schraubstock" is the German word for vice/vise,
Zwickau is a town in the very east of the GDR, now Germany again.

From what little I was able to find out, these were made that way until the very end of the GDR.

The stamped numbers in the jaws are not that unusual, if the two parts were honed in parallel on to each other and later separated again, e.g. for painting. I would date your specimen rather early than late.

Hope that helps a bit, I'll try to find out more ...

Carsten

--

 

[ranger08]

It could be a German make, probably more precisely from the GDR.

Vices with movable back jaws have been more common in Germany since the 19th century than I have found in your country.

The design language fits Eastern European production of the 60s and 70s, no one here has been able to say anything so far, so producers from English-speaking countries also drop out and I have found some expired offers for exactly the same looking vises in the German-speaking area.

The sellers in these offers were also unable to give more precise information. The keyword GDR came up several times in the ads, but products from other Eastern Bloc countries were also used there.

Such vises were an important means of production and had to last for a long time, if some of the scarce material was released for this purpose - usually over-heavily built and very durable.

EDIT:

SZ probably stands for Schraubstock Zwickau - "Schraubstock" is the German word for vice/vise,
Zwickau is a town in the very east of the GDR, now Germany again.

From what little I was able to find out, these were made that way until the very end of the GDR.

The stamped numbers in the jaws are not that unusual, if the two parts were honed in parallel on to each other and later separated again, e.g. for painting. I would date your specimen rather early than late.

Hope that helps a bit, I'll try to find out more ...

Carsten

--

Thanks mate, yes that’s the exact model, thank you for all your efforts

 

[25.4_mechanic]

Thanks mate, yes that’s the exact model, thank you for all your efforts

You're welcome.

Would you tell us about the dimensions and weight of your specimen?

The paint/patina looks very nice -
I would just remove the varnish from the rotating tube with the inside thread, lube it and oil the whole vice for a finish -
don't do much more, it looks great!

Carsten

--

 

[ranger08]

that was the easiest resto ever
condition is amazing and quality is second to none, super smooth dove tail design with no racking at all
jaw width 78mm opening 60 to 100mm, weight about 7 to 8 kg
inside both front and rear castings were "RH3"