Multiple Restoration Projects

[Maui]

I was looking at the various projects that I’ve been working on lately in my basement, and here is a snapshot of just a portion of the vise restorations that I have nearing completion or completed. It is surprising how many of these I’ve had in process at one time. The Reed 2C was just reassembled last night, and moves oh so smoothly. I just need to polish the cylinders for locking down the swivel base and wax them with Johnson’s paste wax to call it finished. And this got me thinking - how many projects have you juggled at once? I know guys who simply do one restoration at a time and when it’s completed they start the next one. But I rarely do that. I usually have multiple irons in the fire at once. That way if I come to a temporary roadblock on one I can make progress working on another. How about you? How many restorations have you worked on at the same time, and what were they?

Maui

 

[davethorik]

Sorry for the sidebar- is that the Dropfo you mentioned getting a few months back?

 

[Maui]

Dave, yes it is. It cleaned up beautifully. I can provide some close-ups if you want to see them. I am in the process of machining a new set of jaws for it out of A2 tool steel and they are nearly done.

Maui

 

[davethorik]

Very nice! For some reason I thought you said it was a fixed base, but maybe I'm confused. It looks like my 3", and its pretty impressive for a 3"...max opening is 5.5"!
I'd like to find a bigger one. Post up pics!

Mine is in queue. It has one steel jaw and one made of wood. The swivel base was stuck when I got it, but it came apart and works now, that's all I've done.

 

[Maui]

Dave, for all intents and purposes it is a fixed base. Apparently a previous owner welded up the area where the adjustment screw was after locking it down (and likely sheared off the screw in the process) and then ground it down to match flush with the rest of the base. So it doesn't rotate. Here are some views of the restoration in process. I used Rust-Oleum hammered red spray paint. It came out a deep cherry red which I like. And after 2 or 3 coats I sprayed a layer of gloss clear coat on top. You can see that the original jaws have suffered some damage. And the area where they fit into the jaw towers have been damaged and will need to be filed to be cleaned up too. But it is close to being done. The last photo is the A2 jaws partly machined. I just have to cut the individual jaws from the bar and clean up the ends and then machine the opposite side for the attachment screws to seat.

 

[RTM]

I have many projects of different skills and resources going at least one time. My last vise rehab took many weekends, but there was lots of waiting for soaking, drying etc, so a plane restore might be going on in a different corner, and a power tool waiting for parts in a different area. With so many projects requiring parts or serious thinking about how to solve, gotta keep them all in flight. None are major like a motor rebuild tho, that usually ties up too much space.

 

[Maui]

One of the problems I sometimes struggle with is making sure I know where the various parts are for each vise. Once you break them down you need to be able to remember what components go with each vise, and more importantly where you stored them. As the months go by, this can be harder to do.

Maui

 

[PacificaVette]

Any time I take something apart, I put the various pieces in ziplock bags. Small pieces go in small bags, labeled (with a description in case I forget what it is), and the small bags are placed into a large ziplock, labeled, etc.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Right now, I am restoring a Milling machine vise, a 10 drawer file card cabinet, an automotive flywheel grinder, building up a shop computer, and am restoring a Bridgeport milling machine. I do something on each one each day, and start new projects as some get completed. Only way I know how to work, as my career required this.

 

[davethorik]

A+ maui, looks great. Sorry to hear about the damage, these vises wedge the main nut into the slot cut in the base, which locks the swivel base when the jaws are tightened. I forget if j. R. Long was involved with these, seems a lot of his patents were of this type. These vises aren't common. They were made in Canal Fulton ohio, close to where I live.