Vice stand

[MattF]

Just a short one rather than an ongoing thread, but finally got round to sorting that vice stand I picked up the other month.

The usual electrolysis routine to get rid of the crud and rust, and then lathered it with that graphite paste I made.

Not sure as yet as to which vice will end up going on there. May plonk the vice that was on there back on and pour some lead inserts for it, (with the jaws being fairly knacked), else may pop a different vice on there. Can't decide whether to top it with a piece of ply or something either, just to cover over the multitude of holes which have been drilled in that top over time.

 

[Digger6135]

Plywood top, and a substantial anchor bolt to fix it to the floor..

Digger6135

 

[MattF]

I'll go with the ply top. Couldn't decide whether to or not, but obviously I'm not the only one who thinks it would improve the top a bit.

With regard to bolting it down, it's on wheels, and will only see light duty use, (no heaving on whichever vice goes on there), so leaving it portable won't be of detriment. This is a photo of the underside before it was all fettled, but you can see the general setup underside. It's actually quite stable as is, due to the weight of the stand.

This shot shows the underside better, but the wheels aren't on there in this shot.

That photo also shows what a difference that paste makes over bare. There's a slight, but non detrimental, flash rust layer on the metal as I'd left the bits sitting for several weeks after derusting, before getting round to coating them. It's also easier to see just how many holes there are in that top, in that photo.

I literally scoured the skin off a couple of fingertips applying paste to all of those bits. Rough cast is like sandpaper. Tried warming and applying the paste with a brush on one piece, and it did work quite well, but you can't quite work it in as well as you can by applying it with fingertips.

 

[balmerchris]

How did you make the graphite paste matt?

 

[Screwdriver]

Very similar to a stand on eBay right now but with a huge cast column for height adjustment. Lovely bit of kit, as is yours but Four Hundred quid so....

S.

 

[MattF]

How did you make the graphite paste matt?

This is the recipe for it:

Graphite paste

You could likely just use lamp black rather than graphite paste for making it black, if preferred, (which should likely negate the need to give it a final stir as it cools), but I wanted this wax paste to act as a lubricant as well as a finish, hence the graphite. Ingredient amounts can be altered to suit personal preference. I just settled on amounts which I was happy with, (after multiple failed attempts ).

Very similar to a stand on eBay right now but with a huge cast column for height adjustment. Lovely bit of kit, as is yours but Four Hundred quid so....

I saw that one yesterday too. Lovely thing, as you say, but the price is definitely optimistic. Curious as to what the vice on it is. Can't seem to place it.

 

[Screwdriver]

Stovax would be a lot easier to apply being a highly solvent fluid. Then good old fashioned BLO if you wanted the ultimate protection.

 

[Wallace]

Nice one Matt, would shortening the bristles on a paint brush to make it stiffer for applying the paste help?

 

[MattF]

Stovax would be a lot easier to apply being a highly solvent fluid. Then good old fashioned BLO if you wanted the ultimate protection.

There's linseed oil in that paste. Stovax/Zebo etc. are all fine for general stove use, but they're not upto what I want from a paste. Plus, by making it myself, I know exactly what's in there, and can readily adjust proportions if needs be.

I could add more turpentine to increase fluidity for application if I wanted, but you can easily enough just slightly warm the mixture too, to achieve the same end. It applies better as is though. Making it runnier just leads to a sparse coat.

 

[MattF]

Nice one Matt, would shortening the bristles on a paint brush to make it stiffer for applying the paste help?

Did give that a whirl after Gordon mentioned it. Does work okay, that application method, but it just seems easier to really work it into the rough areas by hand. That might just be in my mind though. Seems to use more paste applying it by brush too, so you end up wiping more off afterwards unless you follow it with a rag or suchlike to spread it a bit more evenly.

It's probably me just being quirky, but applying by fingertip just seems to give a more even, thorough coating, and you can feel when you've got enough on there and when you haven't. That application method obviously would be no good for really big stuff mind, but with stuff where you're wanting to get a good coat on and worked in well, so that you only have to do it once, it just seems to be the best option of the methods I've tried so far. It does b*gger the finger tips up though. I'll have fingertips like rock soon.

At some point, I'll actually get round to using this paste for what I originally designed it for. All of the Drummond changewheels were the main motivator for making it, so that I can have them covered with a dry, lubricating finish and all in the same neutral colour, so that they can be swapped between machines at will.

 

[Norm]

Nice little restoration job there Matt it looks grand,

Seems to use more paste applying it by brush too,

spoken like a true yorkshireman

 

[the snooper]

Not sure as yet as to which vice will end up going on there.

with the amount you have I think you need a quick release system so you can change your mind

 

[MattF]

spoken like a true yorkshireman

I'm not tight, honest.

with the amount you have I think you need a quick release system so you can change your mind

Could do with one. I'll be damned if I can think which vice might suit it best, and even though it fits the opening perfectly, I'm guessing the vice which came with it isn't the original one, (hence I'm not loathe to put a different one on there), judging by the amount of holes in the top.

 

[MattF]

On a slight tangent, decided today which vice is going to take the final spot on my little vice bench. The Mathieson/Saracen is going to take the spot. Not bolted on yet, but been prepping the bench today, (had to profile the edge), and this is where it'll be going.

It'll be joining the Parkinson Handy and the Fortis 10.

 

[Richard.]

Matt every bit of your equipment looks too shiny and clean. I saw your pillar drill the other day gleaming like an Aston Martin in a showroom and those 3 vices look new. Do you ever use any of it?

 

[MattF]

Yup. I'm just a bit anal about cleaning up after myself when I do something. That little Parkinson Handy, for example, gets a lot of use. I merely brush, vacuum and wipe things down after I've finished with them. I like to look after my tools and equipment, so try to keep them clean rather than just letting crap build up on them through use. I stick to the old saying: "Look after your tools and they'll look after you". Plus, I tend to have cotton sheets to cover everything when not in use, to stop crap and dust settling on there. I know, I'm a sad git.


p.s: The gleaming drill can't have been mine. Mine still looks like it's been dragged through a hedge backwards as yet, until I get round to fettling it.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Nice one Matt, would shortening the bristles on a paint brush to make it stiffer for applying the paste help?

There's linseed oil in that paste. Stovax/Zebo etc. are all fine for general stove use, but they're not upto what I want from a paste. Plus, by making it myself, I know exactly what's in there, and can readily adjust proportions if needs be.

I could add more turpentine to increase fluidity for application if I wanted, but you can easily enough just slightly warm the mixture too, to achieve the same end. It applies better as is though. Making it runnier just leads to a sparse coat.

Save your fingertips, Matt.

Consider a few of these http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Large-Ste...644469?hash=item3cd80b1bf5:g:oKkAAOSwc3ZUqydz - you can add either tape or a cable-tie at different heights on the bristles to control the amount of 'spread' in the brush, making it suit the consistency of the paste you're applying.

 

[MattF]

Cheers. That's a nice looking brush. May well have to order one of those to try. Definitely looks nice and meaty, and a good handle on it.

 

[MattF]

Matt every bit of your equipment looks too shiny and clean. I saw your pillar drill the other day gleaming like an Aston Martin in a showroom and those 3 vices look new. Do you ever use any of it?

This is my pillar drill Richard. As you can see, definitely no showpiece.

Other than giving the base a quick derust and a single coat of paint, (only did that the other day though, and simply because I'd parted it from the base to shift across the workshop, hence decided a quick spruce up of the base might be in order whilst I was at it. Can't decide whether I like that Moss Green for it or not though), that's pretty much still in the general condition it was when I got it, i.e: dog rough.

Edit: Just on a different note with the drill, does anyone know what the R&M logo within a circle stands for? Just asking as that's what's on the top tag. It says "Machine Number" on that plaque, with the encircled R&M logo inbetween those two words.

 

[Richard.]

Looks a lovely drill Matt I must say.