JC's tool restorations down under

[J.C.]

JC's tool restorations and reviews

Hi all;

Edit: Updated the title to reflect the fact that I'll post reviews up in here too.

Thought I'd post up a thread showing the restorations I have happening here. Rather than clutter up the entire thread with thousands of pics I'll link to a page with the bulk of them and just post up new acquisitions and before/after pics here.

Lately I have been finding some vices locally for prices that made them hard to pass up - here is a 5" Dawn:

This one cleaned up pretty well - it had started life painted in Dawn Red but at some point someone had decided to paint over that with blue. Stripping, disassembling and reassembling here:

https://motofaction.org/tool-review...n-review-information-history-australian-made/

End result:

 

[J.C.]

Another vice from last week;

This one is a 6SP, which is 1" bigger than the one above. Worst nick this time around. I think I'm the third owner of this one - I'm pretty sure it's at least a decade older than the one above based on the stories from the previous owners. More pics:

https://motofaction.org/tool-review...ew-9010-australian-made-cast-iron-semi-steel/

End result:

The red is a lot further from the Dawn colour but it does come up nicely with the lettering done in silver... I can't decide if it's too jolly or not after being used to the darker brown of Dawn vices.

 

[J.C.]

Also found some Carter clamps last week, cleaned one up and did it in a modern-Dawn-ish colour to see how I liked it:

Can't find out much solid on the Carter company (like brochures etc.) other than a little bit on the Oz hand tools page, and that's mostly about planes with a few pics of other products. Looks like they may have done an offset vice ala contemporary Dawns. Anyone know more info about them?

 

[bonneyman]

Nice work!

Also a slick idea of how you compressed the spring to get that cotter pin in the screw.

 

[ZRX61]

There's an easier way to compress the spring:


Post #13.


https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=418013

 

[J.C.]

There's an easier way to compress the spring:


Post #13.


https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=418013

For my hands the sash clamp is quicker and easier - but I like that idea too, that’ll be handy for those vices where the clamp method wouldn’t be as straight forward.

 

[ZRX61]

You might be over-thinking it

 

[J.C.]

I have arthritis in my hands, and the movements involved with the clamp are less costly than using safety wire. For most, I imagine that you’re right.

 

[1/2 Cup]

J.C. nice work.

 

[drivesitfar]

JC: another way to compress a spring that is held in by a cotter pin is to cut a notch in a piece of pipe that will fit over the screw and the notch should be big enough to give you access to remove or replace a cotter pin.

the vise in my picture is an old Athol, but this should work for other vises that have a similar situation.

keep up the great work

 

[J.C.]

I like the pipe idea... I went looking for pipe before I went for the flat bar but all I had was stuff that was way too small. Next time I'm at the metal supplier I might pick some up just for that.

Found a vice that's a keeper - been wanting a SG Dawn for soooo long and picked one up locally that needs a little bit of a cleanup:

 

[J.C.]

Hadn't heard of Ess-Vee before I found this one locally:

Didn't much like it, particularly not after being spoilt with some nice Dawns of late.

https://motofaction.org/tool-reviews/ess-vee-100mm-bench-vice-vise-restoration-review/

 

[J.C.]

Not really a major restoration but I cleaned up a Jackdaw and re-lubed it:

More pics here: https://motofaction.org/tool-review...10-inch-aa10-british-england-made-carrington/

Despite being 63 years old it's pretty nice to use - definitely better than the cheap shifters I have accidentally acquired over the years...

 

[J.C.]

Finally finished reassembling and repainting the Dawn offset vice:

More info and pictures here:

https://motofaction.org/tool-review...ion-review-60195-super-grade-sg-ductile-iron/

Needed the handle straightened and a new main nut and screw/washer set, both of which were available from Dawn via a local tool shop. Such a nice vice to use.

 

[F124C]

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End result:

Hi J.C.,

I've got an old Dawn 6SP. Can you advise me on the colour you used, I might get around to refurbing mine one of these days.

AL.

 

[J.C.]

The colours I have tried and the results so far are here:

https://motofaction.org/tool-review...lamp-vice-vise-red-paint-what-colour-matches/

 

[F124C]

^^ Thanks J.C. for this info.

I can get Dupli-Color spray paints over here, so might go with this option.

I like the Barossa Red shade - it reminds me of the colour on some of the older Britool socket boxes (there was a long running thread about Britool box colours on here a while ago).

AL.

 

[Gzuz]

These are some really nice restos. I'm loving that Dawn offset!

 

[J.C.]

^^ Thanks J.C. for this info.

I can get Dupli-Color spray paints over here, so might go with this option.

I like the Barossa Red shade - it reminds me of the colour on some of the older Britool socket boxes (there was a long running thread about Britool box colours on here a while ago).

AL.

That's probably one of my favourite colours that I have experimented with so far - I reckon that a socket box in that colour would be pretty nice too.

These are some really nice restos. I'm loving that Dawn offset!

Thanks! I'm still feeling stoked every time I use that vice... was certainly not one I expected to pick up for a resto, but am super pleased that I did.

Another Dawn resto:

More pics here:

https://motofaction.org/tool-review...ated-vice-vise-review-australian-made-121152/

Certainly don't see as many fabricated ones locally as cast, and it seems that there's two lines of Dawn fabricated vices currently for sale - one made overseas and one made domestically. I'd be curious to see them side by side and check out the differences.

 

[1/2 Cup]

J.C. top stuff I have some Dawn bits and pieces just waiting for some TLC.

 

[J.C.]

Thanks! Wish I could find some more Dawn stuff locally, had a good run for a few weeks where there was a vice every few days that turned up but I haven't seen one for a while now... which is probably good, since I have a Record and two unnamed vices to look at yet and I shouldn't stockpile too much.

Cleaned up a Temmah wrench today from '58:

Pics and whatnot here:

https://motofaction.org/tool-review...n-review-information-history-vintage-antique/

Can't find heaps on the company - other than a bunch of advertising from the 30s onwards for razorblades in Australia, and again in the 50s for tap and die sets... anyone have anything further?

 

[don long]

J.C.
I haven't seen any of those vises you cleaned up before. I really like the slanted vise. I enjoy refurbing old tools and equipment.
You mentioned not stock piling your projects. I wish that I had taken that route when I started. I go on the premise that if I see it I have to get it cause it won't be there tomorrow and that's why I have shipping containers full of waiting projects (It's a disease that is incurable)

 

[J.C.]

J.C.
I haven't seen any of those vises you cleaned up before. I really like the slanted vise. I enjoy refurbing old tools and equipment.
You mentioned not stock piling your projects. I wish that I had taken that route when I started. I go on the premise that if I see it I have to get it cause it won't be there tomorrow and that's why I have shipping containers full of waiting projects (It's a disease that is incurable)

I guess you probably don't get a lot of Dawn vices outside Australia - and in a similar vein I have never seen a Wilton around here!

I made a mistake a half decade ago and picked up a shipping crate or two of motorcycles and parts of a certain make and model and while they were very useful for writing a lot of articles on the parts hoarding became somewhat of a curse and got in the way of, well, using the workshop for basically anything else.

My approach was to get rid of the shelving that stored it all one section at a time and dump the contents on the floor so that eventually I would get tired of tripping on it and stepping over it and get rid of it.

It has worked - albeit slowly - and I am on the home run of clearing out now.

 

[F124C]

I guess you probably don't get a lot of Dawn vices outside Australia - and in a similar vein I have never seen a Wilton around here!

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I wonder how a Dawn vice managed to find it's way to little ol' Ireland.

Is there any way of determining the age of Dawn Vices?

AL.

 

[J.C.]

Carry on luggage?

The imperial ones (eg 5SP rather than 125) pre date metrication in Oz and some styles vanished from catalogues in certain years... I intend on calling Dawn to ask sometime soon.

 

[J.C.]

Disassembled, cleaned and re-lubed a Dufor W9 Australian-made ratcheting wrench:

More pics: https://motofaction.org/tool-review...nch-drive-vintage-history-restoration-review/

At the end of the day it doesn't look all that different - less grubby, but I didn't want to change the patina on the outside but it works again now that all the gunked up lube is gone and replaced with fresh stuff!

 

[bonneyman]

Carry on luggage? ....

 

[J.C.]

Did a Carter 3":

Into:

More pics and some measurements here: https://motofaction.org/tool-review...vice-vise-restoration-review-australian-made/

Such a cute little thing... here it is next to a 6" Dawn:

 

[J.C.]

Finished a Dawn 6LQ - a 1960s approx. quick release 6" vice:

More pics here:

https://motofaction.org/tool-review...l-antique-australian-made-restoration-review/

Also did a video of the quick release function - first time I have seen one like this in the flesh:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dl6sr0EYKn8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[J.C.]

Cleaning up a Dawn 150mm:

More pics here:

https://motofaction.org/tool-review...neers-bench-vice-vise-review-australian-made/

 

[J.C.]

Picked up some nice Ko-ken extensions last week - a review:

https://motofaction.org/tool-review...eview-pk3760-6-3-8-inch-9-5-mm-made-in-japan/



Got another few Dawns in to clean up, just haven't had the time to get to them lately...

 

[J.C.]

Picked up a couple of the Nepros wrenches - my thoughts:

 

[J.C.]

Cleaned up a Dawn which came to me in a rather lurid red:



More:

https://motofaction.org/tool-review...engineers-bench-vice-vise-review-restoration/

 

[J.C.]

Cleaned up a cast steel 6SP Dawn:



More:

https://motofaction.org/tool-review...vise-vice-restoration-review-australian-made/

 

[J.C.]

Another Dawn - this one a cast steel offset vice:



https://motofaction.org/tool-reviews/dawn-number-no-5-cast-steel-offset-bench-engineers-vice-vise-australian-made-review-restoration/

 

[J.C.]

Not much activity in the workshop through COVID, though I have managed to get one 6" quick release cast steel vice done.

Dawn Cast Steel 6SQ Standard Pattern Quick Release Vice Refurbishment | MotoFaction

Today I'm restoring a vintage cast steel Dawn quick release vice - check it out!

motofaction.org

Lovely custom-made QR handle by some previous owner...