Irwin Record No.3 Mechanics Vice 4in

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The paint I'm using is hammerite smooth blue, which is less than half the price of the roundel blue I could find online. Thankfully this isn't a Record vice, so feel absolutely no obligation towards what colour I'm painting it. I bought the impact driver for the first vice I did up, a record no.4 with screws in a similar sort of state. Much to my surprise they came out really easily, unlike today! Both vices were very dirty and rusty where they had been kept outside for some time and on the threaded parts and undersides were years of grease and grime.

The No 1 vice was reassembled and a new roll pin was installed to hold the opening spring. We initially tried using a split pin but had clearance issues when turning the vice handle. The larger Record No 2 vice was missing the spring and washer which opens the jaw when unscrewed on the clamping screw and the roll-pin which was supposed to hold the spring and washer in place was sheared off in the shaft and needed to be drilled out. A new spring, washer and pin would be needed for the reassembly. I’m not sure if anyone is interested in ways to clean up rusty old vices but I’ve done quite a few so I hope the following helps someone: The vices are Record No 1 and No 2 models and are engineers' vices designed to be mounted onto a workbench or other strong surface. The vice was in the house (well, garage) when I bought it. I recently had a good tidy up and re-arrange which included re-locating the bench and vice.

RECORD Mainscrew & Handle/Nut/Pin/ for No.T53 PD VICE

I’m really happy with both of the finds, just at the time I was looking for them – they’ll look great on my bench (once I’ve built it!) A small model maker's vice I machined out of aluminium when I was an apprentice, which has come in surprisingly useful over the years! I found a business called Paragon Enamel Paints which sells a very wide range of paints in modern and vintage colours. They sell a blue paint which is the same as the original Record vice paint called “BS381C 110 Roundel Blue - Record Vice Blue” https://www.paragonpaints.co.uk/BS381C-110-Roundel-Blue-Record-Vice-Blue.html On the lookout for a tail vice now. Then i’ll start on my bench, drawing inspiration from your bench, Paul. I wasn’t too popular with the wife for stealing her hairdryer but it was worth it, the vices are completely rust free.

I see the weld, definitely fettling post weathering pre machining, standard practice in non stressed areas like that. Presently, on my personal benches, I have three Woden vises on the two benches at my home workshop and at the Penrhyn Castle workshop, have two personal benches there, I have two Record vises and a Woden vise. I really like the suggestion of the kurust passivated finish then oil or maybe varnish, I have just the job in mind for it, if only I could remember what it is 🙁 seriously not long ago I was looking for that sort of finish, a light bulb lit up in my mind when you mentioned it but I have no idea what it was! Before the vices could be primed and painted any remaining dust and dirt had to be removed using isopropyl alcohol and clean rags. The areas which did not need to be painted were covered in masking tape and then sprayed using Red Oxide primer and left for two days to fully dry. I do have two metalworking vises, so I expected the #57 to be used only for the occasional woodworking I do. However, it turns out that it has now become the vise I use the most, due to its location on the bench and height. Incidentally, the wooden-liner mounting holes in the rear jaw weren’t threaded, so I cut M6 thread in it myself. Not sure if the factory forgot to cut threads or whether doing so was normally left as ‘an exercise for the new owner’.

That would have looked stunning just lacquered, that way it would have shown traces of all its colourful life (see what i did there). Such a satisfying job, and cost about the same as an import vice of about the same size. This thing will outlast me, my son and probably his son! I don't bother with masking it up, I'll sand any paint off the machined surfaces when I'm done and tidying it up.