34 minutes ago, edwards said:

I think its about 15kg, which (to mix measuring systems) is not bad for a 4 1/2" vice. Its certainly strong enough  

 

I've got a 3" Paramo on the bench in the shed and a 6" QR Paramo on the other bench in the workshop. Somewhere I have a record pipe vice but I've only used it once!  Its possible I might be a *tiny bit* over-equipped for a Pharmacist who just messes about in the garage, but he who has the most tools wins, eh?

 

The optimum number of vices to own, is the current number of vices owned, plus one.

 

The alternative way to calculate the optimum number of vices to own, is the number of vices that will result in your divorce, minus one.

 

I'm single, so I'm going with the first one

Ah, the N+1 rule... I am a cyclist, as are all the family. The same rule applies to bikes, we are up to 15 for a family of 4 so far and approaching the D-1 end of the equation, even though 3 of those bikes belong to the missus. That is the reason for all the tools, honest - bike repairs!

I liberated a Record No.14 vice from my Dad's house just before it was sold, to replace a smaller 3" vice I'd broken. Have cleaned it up, but not so far re-furbished it.

 

It only gets relatively light use.  At four and a half stone, I've not so far needed to bolt it to the work bench 😁

 

 

Gaz

Edited 30 March, 20206 yr by IamGaz

OK so a few more days on lockdown, a bit more done to the vice.

 

I found my paintbrushes! In a fit of rage, I started tidying up the conservatory, and found the "vice painting" brush I used last time, perfect for getting into all the tight spots. I didn't take any more pictures of me painting it, as it would have quite literally been looking at paint drying. Here's how it looked when I'd finished the third coat:

 

 

With all the painting done, I scraped off the paint that had gotten onto any of the machined surfaces with a chisel, and then set to work with a bit of wet and dry and some oil to rub off any left over paint and shine it up a bit.

 

 

Then onto the final cleaning up bits: a bottle brush gets into the nut quite nicely. I did intend to remove the nut for a proper clean, but it was stuck fast. In the end I decided the juice wasn't worth the squeeze and cleaned/painted with it in situ.

 

The last bit that needed cleaning was the screw holes for the jaws. Considering the holes are pretty much sealed off from the world, it's remarkable just how much crud is in them. I started off by running a 1/4" drill into the holes with my fingers to free off anything in the bottom hopefully draw out some of the crud.

 

Then since I don't own a 5/16 BSW tap, I used a screw with a slot cut into it to chase the dirt out:

 

 

The crud gets nicely caught up in the slot, and it can then be removed with the aid of a toothbrush or similar.

 

Repeated this until the screw comes out clean, and then onto the other 3 holes... Once they were all at the same sort of level I used a cotton bud and some degreaser, and then ran the screw in one last time with a bit of oil on it to flush out and remains of junk. All good now!

 

With all the cleaning and painting done I was able to get the parts back together. Getting the spring and pin back on was a right PITA, I eventually managed it with some pipe grips and a sturdy rod pressing on the washer to compress the spring, then tapped in a new split pin. Took a lot of goes, and I was using all 3 of my hands so no pictures either. I'm not 100% happy with the end result, I feel the spring is too tight really and it makes the operation a bit stiff. I can happily spin the handle with one finger so it's not too bad I suppose, but I'd like it a little looser. I considered taking it all apart and drilling a hole a little further down the acme screw so the spring would be less compressed, but I think it would be overkill frankly.

 

So that's where I am with it currently, I have some 1" by 1/2" brass bar coming to create some new smooth jaws, and some 5/16 BSW screws which are actually 1/4" shorter than the 1" long originals, but they should just about do the trick. My previous supplier of screws I used isn't trading at the moment (presumably due to corona) so hopefully the shorter screws will be fine.

 

I'll let you know when it's done! 

You have been busy!

It is looking good.

I wonder if @chrisund123 had seen this thread and it had given him some inspiration too?

 

 

 

32 minutes ago, john999boy said:

I wonder if @chrisund123 had seen this thread and it had given him some inspiration too?

 

 

 

 

I'd not seen that thread (I rarely venture out of the Octavia MK2 forum!), but I had seen the gressel vice video last year - it's a thing of beauty and puts my efforts to shame!