Record No.2 vice restoration

[JOEPRO]

I know I know. It's been done a 1000 times. I have some simple questions and can show how I get on here for anyone planning a similar project.

Got this one for £10 today very light use and no damage.



I want to strip it down to bare metal and repaint it.

I have citric acid but have never used it before. Does it really need heated or does it just take longer without heating? I presume the acid won't strip the old paint?

And whats the easiest way to remove the old paint? Does paint stripper work on these? Or blast it instead? I have a 8 inch bench grinder with wire wheel also but it won't reach all nooks.

I may get the handle and hardware re - zinc plated locally too. Otherwise if I just buff it and apply tool wax it will still rust away in my garage. This vice will be set up in my second garage and will see little use but always wanted an original record vice and it'll still be handy for odd jobs when a car is in that garage.

 

[Sergei Slovenija]

H2O + NaOH + hot

 

[Parm]

Just hit with a twist knot cup in an angle grinder. Job jobbed

 

[Arclikeharrypotter]

Wire wheel the bare areas, and clean it up that’ll look lovely. Looks in really good condition.

 

[jenki]

I started with hot TFR and a scrubbing brush followed by the pressure washer.

 

[MattF]

That looks like fairly light rusting. A scrub with a nylon scourer dipped in kerosone would be my starting point for cleaning that up, unless you're wanting to go the full hog?

 

[AdventuresInMetal]

I think its beyond repair, but luckily I collect vices that are beyond repair so i'll give you £11 for it?

On a serious note though, got yourself a nice little buy there, i reckon a little wire brushing and a bit of paint it'll be a great little vice.

 

[EBME2]

Here’s my No.4, as above cleaned worst off with wire wheel, then a bath in citric acid, didn’t bother trying to remove all paint.

 

[JOEPRO]

That looks like fairly light rusting. A scrub with a nylon scourer dipped in kerosone would be my starting point for cleaning that up, unless you're wanting to go the full hog?

Yes I'd like to go the full hog. Strip it down, strip all old paint. Buff up any bare metal again. Tape off. Re paint the body. Re-assemble.

I may or may not bother with zinc playing some of the parts. I'll see. There is a place a couple miles from my house that does it cheap and can get it back within a couple of weeks.

 

[Colin Barron]

Here’s my No.4, as above cleaned worst off with wire wheel, then a bath in citric acid, didn’t bother trying to remove all paint.

View attachment 412676

Just need some Eclipse soft jaws.

 

[Agroshield]

I may or may not bother with zinc plating some of the parts.

The challenge with plating will be that the handle and screw are assembled. I do not think the part of the handle that is inside the screw will plate properly. Maybe if you were doing it yourself you could give it ten minutes, then slide the handle along a bit, give it another ten minutes, etc. but no-one doing it commercially will take that care.

You might be able to cut one of the handle ends off, lightly counterbore it and then drill and tap both parts so they reassemble with a threaded rod and an invisible joint.

 

[JOEPRO]

Update,

Split it apart this evening and noticed the spring and pin etc is damaged. As were the original screws. Someone had been there before and damaged them a little. I cleaned them out with a sharp chisel and used my impact driver to remove them.



Then I cleaned the parts in my parts washer tank and tried some wire wheel to see how the steel would clean up.



Very nice, no pitting at all.

So I buffed all of the rust off.



I think I'll mask off the buffed bare parts and hammerite blue a fresh coat of paint over the original. And reassemble with a new "service kit" on ebay which includes new pins, washer, spring & screws since those are damaged on this vice.

 

[JOEPRO]

This is the kit I am going to buy on ebay:

 

[JOEPRO]

Does this stamped number underneath have any known meaning? Maybe 1989 year of manufacture?

 

[AdventuresInMetal]

I could be wrong on this, my facts on british manufacturing are mostly made up, but I think thats how many cups of tea were involved during its manufacture.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Does this stamped number underneath have any known meaning? Maybe 1989 year of manufacture?

View attachment 412699

Could it even be 68?

 

[JOEPRO]

Correct I think as the top part of the 8 is usually the smallest.

Yes looking at it again I had it the wrong way up. If that is year of manufacture then the condition of this vice is simply amazing for its age. (Can anyone confirm that is a date code for sure?)

I did mock it up when leaving garage. Looks great, nearly tempted to wax it all and leave the original paint / patina

 

[AdventuresInMetal]

I did mock it up when leaving garage. Looks great, nearly tempted to wax it all and leave the original paint / patina

Not the worst idea, at least this way you won't be afraid of using it.

 

[JOEPRO]

Looking up I found this post on another forum which does suggest this is a date code



That is the exact vice as mine but mine says 68. So it must be 55 years old then I wasn't expecting that, really cool.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

tempted to wax it all and leave the original paint / patina

I would do just that.