C.BRAXMAIER
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- Apr 17, 2012
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The VISES of Garage Journal
- Thread starter mjozefow
- Start date
how are you guys making the bare metal handles and slides clean up so nicely....it doesnt seem to be sandblasting but more like you are actually polishing them some how.
how to get that raw effect and keep it from rusting? I primered the slide on my reed but am starting to think its going to get ugly the 1st time i open and close the vise.
Mark in Indiana
Well-known member
I polished mine with a Scotch Bright attachment on my air sander.
To keep it from flash rusting in the garage, I keep a thin film of oil on the handle & jaws.
I'm now trying furniture wax on the Blanchard ground surface of my table saw. Seems to work well so I'll start using that method on other bare metal in the shop.
spongerich
Well-known member
I use some bowling alley wax and re-apply it once in a while. Works pretty well... once in a while I get a slight haze of rust when we have lots of damp weather, but it cleans right off with some more wax and some 0000 steel wool.
hey Mark can you tell me more about this ? Details or got a link? Thanks!
dieselmike
Well-known member
Stupid rare un branded vise. What you see are the only markings. I just painted the letters and cleaned up the rest. Good thng my buddy works at a scrap yard or this would have already been gone. Works great!
PCO6
Well-known member
I've seen a few vices that are similar to yours but they have had "Canada" cast into the side of them not "Canadian". Yours and the other ones have some "Record" like features such as the rear lip on the stationary jaw. Record produced vices for other companies and the one you have may be one of them. That's worth keeping. How does it work?
Stupid rare un branded vise. What you see are the only markings. I just painted the letters and cleaned up the rest. Good thng my buddy works at a scrap yard or this would have already been gone. Works great!
Mark in Indiana
Well-known member
It's like the green scrub pad for scrubbing dishes.
I'll bring my camera home tomorrow and post pictures of what I used. In the mean time, you may find some information if you Google "scotch-bright"
PCO6
Well-known member
BTW ... that looks a lot like a RAE vice ...
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=110084
http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=110084
"Zyliss" clamp on vise from switzerland
I've got that one, very cool. Youtube has some video clips about it (search for Zyliss).
Mark in Indiana
Well-known member
Here are a couple of pictures.
One picture is of an old finishing sander that I fitted a Scotch Bright pad to for large areas. The other picture is an air grinder (aka buzz bomb) with an attachment that holds the Scotch Bright disks. You can choose a rough pad or a smooth pad. I also have sanding disks for this set up. I generally use a 90 degree buzz bomb for polishing. Easier on the wrist.
Hope this helps. BTW, great looking vise you have.
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yeah i thought for the €8.- at the flea market i pick it up, for the list price it´s not versatile enough
.btw. the new name for the vise is "swissrex" http://rexmetall.ch/
Mark - Thanks for the pics, Ill look into that.
And now pictures of my vise thats 90% complete. still need to clean/strip the slide from over spray and wax it. Same with the handle.... added some 5/8" O Rings too today.
Before/After pics.
added the O Rings to avoid the clank/paint chipping.
now its almost ready to use for another 70 years.
And now pictures of my vise thats 90% complete. still need to clean/strip the slide from over spray and wax it. Same with the handle.... added some 5/8" O Rings too today.
Before/After pics.
added the O Rings to avoid the clank/paint chipping.
now its almost ready to use for another 70 years.
C.BRAXMAIER
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keoki
Active member
Beautiful resto.
What is the "trick" to paint the lettering a different color?
What is the "trick" to paint the lettering a different color?
C.BRAXMAIER
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toomanytoyzz
Well-known member
Scored this today at the local flea market for $60. Here's the thread with the story http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=150892. Not gonna win $5k for it, but it's better than fleebay prices.
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I used a foam brush from city mill and made sure there was no excess paint and just lightly brush it on
Mark in Indiana
Well-known member
I use a magic marker before clear coating the tool. Works for the very small letters on the C Parker vise wrench. I also use paint pens for letters that I want a different color than black.
Catalyze
Well-known member
Greetings and a Happy Spring time to you all. It looks like the vises are a great crop this year with lots of them sprouting up. Word of Caution: if WXM posts that 22X Parker one more time.....I shall have to make a time machine and go buy one new. His vise keeps me awake at nights.
Here is a nice old Reed 404 1/2 that ended up in the trunk of my wife's car on our "vacation". It is the first vise that I ever just used Simple Green and Dawn on in the alley. It had no rust because it was dipped in oil and grease but that sure made the jaw swivel nicely. I weighed my Reed and a comparable Parker 272 swivel jaw. Reed is one heavy vise for any of its sizes.
View media item 20152
View media item 20154
View media item 20153The Reed has unworn jaws and was not abused at all. It was probably built in the late 1930's to 1940. You have to love the way they come apart and have adjustments for wear compared to some other brands (like the Prentiss "fingers of death" screw collar).
Have a great Memorial Day weekend All and Stay Safe!
Craig
Here is a nice old Reed 404 1/2 that ended up in the trunk of my wife's car on our "vacation". It is the first vise that I ever just used Simple Green and Dawn on in the alley. It had no rust because it was dipped in oil and grease but that sure made the jaw swivel nicely. I weighed my Reed and a comparable Parker 272 swivel jaw. Reed is one heavy vise for any of its sizes.
View media item 20152
View media item 20154
View media item 20153The Reed has unworn jaws and was not abused at all. It was probably built in the late 1930's to 1940. You have to love the way they come apart and have adjustments for wear compared to some other brands (like the Prentiss "fingers of death" screw collar).
Have a great Memorial Day weekend All and Stay Safe!
Craig
bigcaddy
Well-known member
Catalyze,
That is one great looking Reed you finished up there. I have been looking for a swivel jaw reed for some time but have had no luck finding one in the many garages that i haunt on weekends.
They seem to be showing up more often so maybe ill find one sooner or later.
That is one great looking Reed you finished up there. I have been looking for a swivel jaw reed for some time but have had no luck finding one in the many garages that i haunt on weekends.
They seem to be showing up more often so maybe ill find one sooner or later.
You turn out some of the finest restorations on this thread. If only the original owners of the Reed Vise Co. of 100 years ago could se this one. Its priceless.
Catalyze
Well-known member
I would wager that all the original manufacturers would be bowled over if they knew that 50-100 years after production, folks still care about their vises. These tools were meant to be used and used up. Yet we go out of our way to dig in dumpsters, track down vacant building owners, and chase rumors to keep them alive and functioning. That's why Aliens from Mars will never conquer us......they don't love vises enough.
Craig
Craig
zoomieport
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balane
Well-known member
With the quality of vises being sold in bulk today just imagine 50 or 100 years from now how desirable these older, good quality vises will be. Back in the day I don't think you could buy a bad vise. I could be wrong on that but now most vises sold are junk. Maybe things will turn around in the future but I definitely see the love for these early USA vises improving even further with time.
PS. Aliens probably use some form of force field / inertial dampener for vises. Just imagine your object hovering the air, completely immovable unless you want it to with absolutely nothing touching it. That would be awesome.
.......................eh!............say wha?
Mike Cohagen
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- Feb 23, 2012
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- 46
Nevermind.
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metalmagpie
Well-known member
I don't have a pic yet, but today I found an old Record bench vise. It has no. 634 cast into the handle where I see other old Record vise numbers. It is an enormous vise. The jaws are 6" wide and the top of the jaws is 14" above the base. The moving jaw is 25-1/2" long including the handle head. I haven't had time to weigh it yet either. This was a combination vise, which probably means it had once had pipe vise jaws below the regular jaws. My pipe jaws are missing. It does say "MADE IN ENGLAND". I'm guessing it weighs 160 lbs or more. Anyone ever heard of a vise like this? (If you're British, please substitute 'vice' for 'vise' and don't hold my Yankee spelling against me please!)
metalmagpie
metalmagpie
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Jawn
Well-known member
I posted this vise before (Columbian No. 03 1/2), but now I've made a new mount for it to go with the new workbench.
I didn't want to drill that maple top because I might move the bench and decide I want the vise on the opposite corner, or might have a project that a flat bench top is more useful than a vise. It's a relatively light duty vise anyway, so clamp mount should be fine.
So, here we go. It's made of layered MDF with a piece of cork lining the inside for extra grip. Carriage bolts between the two halves provide the clamping force, and it clamps quite well. I would pull the bench over before I could inadvertently pull the vise mount off the bench.
I didn't want to drill that maple top because I might move the bench and decide I want the vise on the opposite corner, or might have a project that a flat bench top is more useful than a vise. It's a relatively light duty vise anyway, so clamp mount should be fine.
So, here we go. It's made of layered MDF with a piece of cork lining the inside for extra grip. Carriage bolts between the two halves provide the clamping force, and it clamps quite well. I would pull the bench over before I could inadvertently pull the vise mount off the bench.
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metalmagpie
Well-known member
Here are the crappy pix I saw when I found it on CL. Shows this vise is a beast. Note, the handle is not installed in these pix.
- metalmagpie
- metalmagpie
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spongerich
Well-known member
That's quite a beast! Records are fantastic. I bought a 5" about a year ago with the intention of just flipping it and making a few bucks on it. I fell in love with it while I was cleaning it and now it sits on my bench across from my Wilton. The long handles make it easy to put some serious clamping force to work.
Catalyze
Well-known member
Now you have done it!! Autopts is down in his basement going over every one of his hundreds of Wiltons looking for the Anti Gravity lever.
Craig
Catalyze
Well-known member
Conor - I learn something new everytime I scroll down the posts. From you I learned my Patent number ended in an "8" and not a 3....it is now corrected.
Mike - very nicely done! Love the brass end cap.
Jawn - a very well thought out mount, looks manufactured it is so well finished.
Metalmagpie - great find...it's the only combo Record vise that I have seen
Which reminds me....I have a Record swivel base in the shop somewhere...it is the 2 bolt hold down kind....let me find it and measure it properly. It will hopefully let someone make a stationary Record into a Swivel Base vise.
Craig (and I am Not saying how I got a Record vise base)
Mike - very nicely done! Love the brass end cap.
Jawn - a very well thought out mount, looks manufactured it is so well finished.
Metalmagpie - great find...it's the only combo Record vise that I have seen
Which reminds me....I have a Record swivel base in the shop somewhere...it is the 2 bolt hold down kind....let me find it and measure it properly. It will hopefully let someone make a stationary Record into a Swivel Base vise.
Craig (and I am Not saying how I got a Record vise base)
Talus
Well-known member
Jawn
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anodyne33
Well-known member
Okay folks, time to help me out. I bought this guy sight unseen (the seller made me an offer I couldn't refuse) from Craig's a few nights ago. He says it's been in his parent's basement since the 60's and possibly the 50's.
It was repainted at some point, and I can't find one damn marking on it. Swivel base, looks like some kind of removable rear jaw. Jaws are probably about 5", and I'd guess it's well over a foot and a half long nose to tail.
I haven't put it on the scale, but it's every bit of 80+ lbs.
Any ideas on the origin? and what's the skinny with that rear jaw?
Thanks
s
It was repainted at some point, and I can't find one damn marking on it. Swivel base, looks like some kind of removable rear jaw. Jaws are probably about 5", and I'd guess it's well over a foot and a half long nose to tail.
I haven't put it on the scale, but it's every bit of 80+ lbs.
Any ideas on the origin? and what's the skinny with that rear jaw?
Thanks
s
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metalmagpie
Well-known member
The Record no. 634 I found yesterday weighs an amazing 165 pounds! Wow, no wonder I had trouble moving it. What a friggin beast. It's just *huge*! The jaws open a full 12" and there is 5-1/2" of throat clearance between the bottom of the jaw and the top of the shank of the movable jaw. Here's a pic with a familiar object in it to give you some idea of scale:
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