Vices from a Skip

[Dr.Al]

A week or so I ago I put a post on the long-running "Today I Acquired" thread about some vices I got out of a skip (with permission, I hasten to add). I thought I'd create a thread where I can add photos as I gradually get them back into working condition.

These are the vices - three leg vices and a big bench vice:

Here's another view of the big bench vice that gives an idea of its size:

The quick release mechanism on the vice was completely jammed, as were the two jaws. When I tried to undo the hex head bolt that you can just about see on the left of the vice in the bottom picture, the head snapped off with very little torque.

Having the head snapped off, it was at least easy to remove the plate that was held on by the bolt.

There's some details in another thread about the efforts to get the two jaw castings apart, suffice to say I did manage to do so in the end.

 

[Dr.Al]

The biggest of three leg vices came apart surprisingly easily. I need a bigger container to get the main parts in citric acid (that's in hand so hopefully they'll be derusted in a week or so).

Here are the parts that have had a good soak in citric acid so far:

That's all of the bits of the big bench vice and a few of the bits of the biggest leg vice. The bolt you can see near the middle bottom of the photo had a head that seems to have been mostly held together by rust. Unfortunately it came out of the bath in two pieces. I haven't decided whether to try to weld/braze it back together or just make a new bolt and screw.

All the other parts have come up nicely, although the undersides of the bench vice castings are still very dirty and a bit rusty, so that's a project still to come. Given the weather is looking a bit cooler tomorrow, I might try to spend some time attacking it with a wire brush to see if I can get in the nooks and crannies.

 

[Dr.Al]

Dealing with the broken off screw in the bench vice took a bit of thought. I initially tried various grabbing tools to hold onto the end of the stud, but in the end I concluded the stud wasn't going to come out anytime soon. It was quite soft steel that easily deformed under strong gripping forces and it was in there tight.

I decided the best option was to drill it out and re-tap the hole. Next challenge was how to do that.

This is what I came up with: mount it on the carriage of the lathe with the screw at centre height (raised to centre height with some blocks of aluminium):

I'm using the tool-post mounting hole with a milling table clamp to hold it in place. In the end I added a G-Clamp for some extra rigidity - you can see that in a later photo.

Close-up of the clamping arrangement:

I'm using the collet chuck to hold the drill bit purely because I'd been using the collet chuck for another job and it seemed easier not to bother changing it out.

I drilled it out then tapped it for an M10 V-Coil (helicoil equivalent). Here's a photo while I was tapping it (with a spring centre in the collet chuck) - you can see the "interesting" G-clamp arrangement in this photo:

and here it is with the new M10 thread:

and that brings us up to date. I haven't managed to get the jaws off the vice yet: my impact driver hasn't touched them. I'll try heat and penetrating oil and anything else I can think of before I resort to drilling them out (as the vice bits will be really difficult to hold onto while drilling). Regardless of whether they come out easily or have to be drilled out, I'll probably drill/tap them metric as they're presumably BSW or something antediluvian like that.

 

[Wallace]

Horizontal pillar drill.

 

[Shedendman]

A week or so I ago I put a post on the long-running "Today I Acquired" thread about some vices I got out of a skip (with permission, I hasten to add). I thought I'd create a thread where I can add photos as I gradually get them back into working condition.

These are the vices - three leg vices and a big bench vice:

View attachment 222930

Here's another view of the big bench vice that gives an idea of its size:

View attachment 222931

The quick release mechanism on the vice was completely jammed, as were the two jaws. When I tried to undo the hex head bolt that you can just about see on the left of the vice in the bottom picture, the head snapped off with very little torque.

View attachment 222932

View attachment 222933

Having the head snapped off, it was at least easy to remove the plate that was held on by the bolt.

There's some details in another thread about the efforts to get the two jaw castings apart, suffice to say I did manage to do so in the end.

Whoever chucked those away needs flogging,damn disgraceful

 

[dobbslc]

@Dr.Al can you put up some pics of how the leg vice is assembled?
I've got one that looks very similar that's seized solid and I can't shift anything on it.
Here it is.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

@dobbslc
I have a similar vice to yours.
Mine was seized.

I had to heat the tube, RHS, until old grease was heard to be bubbling.

Then on LHS were the thread goes throw the leg.

Tapping the bar one way and the other had it moving.

 

[pressbrake1]

Whoever chucked those away needs flogging,damn disgraceful

Vice in my avatar came from a skip
Actually all my vices except one have come from a skip

 

[Dr.Al]

@Dr.Al can you put up some pics of how the leg vice is assembled?
I've got one that looks very similar that's seized solid and I can't shift anything on it.
Here it is.
View attachment 222952

Of course! I'll take some photos tomorrow and will post them here.

 

[Seadog]

I need to get on and clean mine. I stripped it a couple of years ago.

 

[frank horton]

good idea with the use of the lathe.......
AND
if I got cought putting that leg vice on the carpet or even in the house I'd be living in the shed.......hahaha

 

[Dr.Al]

Whoever chucked those away needs flogging,damn disgraceful

True, but unsurprisingly I'm not complaining!

 

[Dr.Al]

@Dr.Al can you put up some pics of how the leg vice is assembled?
I've got one that looks very similar that's seized solid and I can't shift anything on it.

Okay, here we go. These are all the bits:

(including one I don't quite understand, but more on that later...)

The bolt, washer and nut at the bottom middle joins the two arms (legs?) together through the obvious hole. I didn't bother putting that together as I think it's obvious. Having said that, here's a close up of that damaged bolt head I mentioned before:

The more interesting bits are the mounting pieces:

The spring arm is held in place with a u-shaped piece:

That in turn attaches to the mounting plate:

They're held together with the u-shaped bit of metal:

A wedge then snugs it up:

 

[Dr.Al]

The female part of the vice screw has a notch to stop it rotating:

The vice screw and its three washers attach to it thus:

and that just leaves this bit, which seemed to fall out of the mechanism when I removed the wedge holding the mounting plate together. As far as I can tell it doesn't fit anywhere (there is a possibility that it was already on the floor underneath the vice, but I don't recognise it so I'm just confused about it):

It's the wrong size to fit anywhere around the wedge or the spring, so I'm just a bit lost. Unless anyone has any ideas on here, I'm working on the assumption that it's either a red herring and unrelated (and therefore unnecessary) or that when I take one of the other two leg vices apart I'll see something that looks like it and the penny will drop!

 

[Dr.Al]

When I disassembled it, I started by removing the vice screw (which amazingly came undone really easily). I then banged the wedge out with a hammer and once that was out it was quite easy to get the mounting plate and spring off. Finally I got a big adjustable spanner on the nut and was frankly gobsmacked when it came undone (albeit with a LOT of torque applied).

 

[Seadog]

I assume you've noticed the split in the yoke?

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

I assume you've noticed the split in the yoke?

A common fault to find.

I have brazed a few up in the past.

May not be as strong as original, but added a decorative feature.
Or in up cycling terms (I still do not like that word) £5:00.

The crack can be simply welded as well.

 

[Dr.Al]

I assume you've noticed the split in the yoke?

Yes (although I didn't know it was called a "yoke"! There's one in the mounting plate too. My plan is to get better at brazing and fix them that way, assuming this stuff isn't suitable for welding. Do you think that's sensible?

 

[Seadog]

I would think it's real forged iron, I couldn't suggest a rod for it, but I expect there might be one. An alternative might be to tie the pieces in a fashion similar to cast iron stitching and then braze the lot together. Ultimately it depends what you are going to do with it.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

have come from a skip

I need to know where this skip lives....