Worst Swinden's ever

[Screwdriver]

The worst aspect of this poor old thing (1945) is that the rotation was locked solid. I knew what it was but thought I'd better check the concentricity of the rotating jaw.

Looked ok, polished lightly having gone to the trouble of getting it mounted. This is the problem:

The rotating body has at some stage been turned down, the clamp has to move further causing the bolt to tip as the top of the clamp bends too far.

Wedged some aluminium shims in the join, clamped it down and bored the inside as round as I dare remembering a few thou too much and the part is a doorstop. It came out ok, the boring bar would just about make a cut as it gradually ramps into the ovality in the bore. Probably 75% to 85% round after taking 15 - 20 thou.

The clamping bolt was also horribly bent.

Not for long!

After that, I fired up Mr. Blobby my trusty MIG and built up the head. I figure if it went horribly wrong, I'd just make another one.

But it went well and the part is saved.

More...

 

[Screwdriver]

I chased the thread with a 5/8 Whitworth die nut. Came in dead handy for aligning the part later using an air drive finger grinder and simply indexing the nut in the vice.

Turned out wery well and is a perfect fit for a 14mm spanner or ring spanner!

This vice has met a few welders in its day as well as Mr. Grinder. Obviously has been welded to a bench at some stage, or possibly a tank. I'm assuming someone jst hacked this out with a grinder.

Filled it and filed it.

This is the main event I suppose. A huge mystery hole in the back of the moving jaw.

Five minutes with Mr. Blobby.

Out with the grinder (it looks better than this now).

So nearly there. I now have a working Swinden's.

Had it proved a bit more tricky, I might have had a bit more of a play with it and fitted a rotating base in between the base and jaw! Too fiddly and very little advantage to doing it that way round. Maybe some other time.

Now I just need to make up some jaws and decide on a shocking colour scheme.

 

[arther dailey]

Damn your making a good job of that ! and as for the previous statement that your weldings not good,ha,cant see a lot wrong with that, saving the clamp bolt is another winner.. are you sure you will be able to afford to sell this after all the work put in?

 

[Screwdriver]

I might keep this one. Thats why I am doing another vice in tandem with this.

 

[Parm]

Good Job, nice to see an old relic being rescued.

You have far too much time on your hands !!!

 

[TechnicAl]

Good Job, nice to see an old relic being rescued.

and especially when he is restoring a lovely old vice

 

[arther dailey]

 

[Screwdriver]

Well this is galling...

Looks like it has worn down a good quarter of an inch meaning the mechanism has a lot of slop. I did notice the handle virtually goes half a turn before anything happens. I was worried it might be the main nut but that's all good.

Mild filing on the end stop, heat it up and press it out.

Now we can see the problem.

Weld it up.

Turn it down.

Looks ok.

There is still 100 thou gap but the plan is to fit a washer.

...and I found this.

A 2 inch bar of Aluminium Bronze. Probably worth more than the whole vice and having struggled to machine it, that needs to wait until tomorrow. It's as tough as old boots. I struggled to machine it.

 

[miggie weld]

doing a great job their

 

[Screwdriver]

I am quite pleased with this aluminium bronze thrust washer. Once I found I had a bar of that stuff, I got all excited about how valuable it is as a material and didn't want to waste the thickness of my parting off tool. Clearly I also wasn't going to drill a hole in it first either So I chopped off a thin slice on the bandsaw knowing it was going to be a pain in the **** to finish it off and boy was that a pain! But it's done although this isn't quite the finished item.

next problem on the list, one of the quarter twenty bolts came out sideways and without jamming against the thread shaft, two of them were a push fit! This is why:

Uhmmed and ahed about it for a while then decided to bite the bullet and drill and tap for 8mm.

Found some nice looking machine screws which will probably get stripped and blackened. Note I have also used a die grinder to remove the galled surface and establish the precise thickness for the thrust washer.

Then superglue the washer to a mandrel, knock off 25 thou, refit and test.

It is bang on so a bit too tight and it didn't bed in either which is a good/bad thing. Didn't bed in so the surfaces are good and square, bad because I need to shave off another 10-15 thou, probably off the back end of the main screw. I want a decent thickness in the thrust washer because I don't want it to flex or bend and frankly, turning a few thou off a nice big shaft is a lot easier.

 

[Parm]

I am quite pleased with this aluminium bronze thrust washer. Once I found I had a bar of that stuff, I got all excited about how valuable it is as a material and didn't want to waste the thickness of my parting off tool. Clearly I also wasn't going to drill a hole in it first either So I chopped off a thin slice on the bandsaw knowing it was going to be a pain in the **** to finish it off and boy was that a pain! But it's done although this isn't quite the finished item.

next problem on the list, one of the quarter twenty bolts came out sideways and without jamming against the thread shaft, two of them were a push fit! This is why:

Uhmmed and ahed about it for a while then decided to bite the bullet and drill and tap for 8mm.

Found some nice looking machine screws which will probably get stripped and blackened. Note I have also used a die grinder to remove the galled surface and establish the precise thickness for the thrust washer.

Then superglue the washer to a mandrel, knock off 25 thou, refit and test.

It is bang on so a bit too tight and it didn't bed in either which is a good/bad thing. Didn't bed in so the surfaces are good and square, bad because I need to shave off another 10-15 thou, probably off the back end of the main screw. I want a decent thickness in the thrust washer because I don't want it to flex or bend and frankly, turning a few thou off a nice big shaft is a lot easier.

As a hobbiest I also a skin flint cheap ass. But sometimes it’s not always about the money.

I’m sure you will have picked up your stock of expensive bar of metal for next to nothing

 

[Screwdriver]

As a hobbiest I also a skin flint cheap ass. But sometimes it’s not always about the money.

I’m sure you will have picked up your stock of expensive bar of metal for next to nothing

Free of course from a shed clearance. I have an embarrassingly large collection of stock from that one particular shed. I even told the lady that there was some value in what appeared to be a rusty pile of rubbish. She just said get rid...

Huge bars of copper, brass, bronze, phosphor bronze, brass hex and some massive chunks of toolsteel. I have spent the last few weeks suffering from tennis elbow, I'm guessing my old bod is objecting to two solid days trying to forge it before realising my mistake (that's why no forging for the past month).

I would dearly like to chop a couple of chunks off that copper bar to make jaws for the Swinden's but that would be a crying same, even though it would look lovely and it's the exact thickness. I agree though I do need to loosen up a bit on the cost of materials.

 

[Seadog]

I got all excited about how valuable it is as a material and didn't want to waste the thickness of my parting off tool.

I assume you've kept all of the swarf for future use?

 

[Screwdriver]

I assume you've kept all of the swarf for future use?

Well, err, yes I still have it but like I said, there's not much of it! The kerf out of the bandsaw:

...and about 100 thou of turnings. It was a stupid thing to do, cost me a lot of time but saved a chunk of brass.

 

[Seadog]

It was a stupid thing to do, cost me a lot of time but saved a chunk of brass.

How wide is your parting tool? I've an insert type that's only 2mm. It makes parting a joy. I've a 3mm one as well.

 

[Screwdriver]

How wide is your parting tool? I've an insert type that's only 2mm. It makes parting a joy. I've a 3mm one as well.

Yep my favourite parting tool is an insert type and is about 2mm. Wouldn't touch this bronze. It is tough (and my tip has seen its best).

I also have an HSS p.o. tool for general use but it's easily 5mm+, another one is 1-2mm but too short to cut the bar. Remembering i really don't want a long stick out for a thin p.o. tool going into tough hard bronze!

So I lopped it off on the bandsaw which took ages...

 

[arther dailey]

Screw driver, just remember fact is in 15/20 years some one else will be clearing your sheds ! this stuff outlasts us all , anyways love the superglue on mandrel idea, nice one paint wise I have found the tractol farm machinery enamel brush paint very good and the bit you will like,cost effective, especially if you oven bake at low temp..nail hard, otherwise sloow drying.worth trying

 

[Screwdriver]

I am often struck by that thought, especially since I made quite a good living out of "dead mans shed". Still am too (more later).

Plus I spent most of my Christmas in hospital following a suspected heart attack. I might not have mentioned that...

 

[Seadog]

I hope it's all resolved now, Steve.

 

[Screwdriver]

I hope it's all resolved now, Steve.

Still not dead.