Wilton C2 vise resto

[bczygan]

Well, after a long time sitting on the kitchen floor, I decided to revisit removal of the adjustable rear jaw on my 372 Parker. I set it on one of the burners on my gas stove for a few minutes and then hit the end of the pin that holds it in place, with a HF punch and a HD Vaughn (Clearanced) ball pein. Knocked it loose and tapped it out with a long screwdriver. Rear jaw was still stuck. Hit it with a Vaughn plastic/rubber mallet and marked up the rubber face. Finally wedged some flat punches in the crack and tapped it off. Very tight fit that needs some work. But success! Photos to follow.

The pin in the top that holds the adjustable back jaw straight is missing, so that isn't what's holding it up. It's just very tightly secured in the casting. See the photos in this thread:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=80782&highlight=parker

Also:

Bill

 

[DavidB]

I can't belive I missed this thread until now. V7guy, you've done an amazing job restoring that vise especially given how many issues you had to deal with! I like that smoke grey color as well. Any updates with more pics?

 

[Catalyze]

He definitely has the patience of Job! Now I am sitting here at almost midnight with No end to the thread. I am running out of popcorn.......
Craig

 

[v7guy]

I've been using the vise for awhile now. For some reason I thought I updated the final pics, but it appears not.
Until tonight I'd never bolted it down. The vise has been heavy enough it stays put even when I've been grinding with a 4.5" grinder.
So I went and got some grade 5 bolts and some washers and flanged nuts. (was going to get grade 8 but I couldn't get matching washers and nuts).
Unfortunately due to the way I built my bench I had to mount the vise a bit farther back than I would have liked. Then after I drilled the holes I noticed there are two mounts on the base that are closer together. I'm not sure if the closer mounts should be at the front or back, I reckon I'll probably end up moving the orientation when I get proper feed back. Right now the closer mounts are on the right side and the wider on the left... you can see the spacing in the pics.
After some use I also realized the handle still isn't perfectly straight and after it was painted the clearance isn't quite enough. The paint has rubbed off where it's crooked down to primer. I'll pick up an OA set up this summer and straighten it properly.
Another problem is tapping the holes for the set screws for the pipe jaws. It seems the tap needs an off sized bit. I haven't picked one up yet and the pipe jaws are not currently in use... which is unfortunate because they would have been ideal during a few recent projects.
Of note is that I needed to notch the washers to get them to mount flat on the ears.
A few pics...

 

[v7guy]

To answer a few questions I've missed...

spongerich-I hope I've got another 30 years "at least" to use this thing. I get a smirk when I use it.

gilbo-The primer used is Rust-oleum "professional" high performance metal primer. It's listed as clean metal primer pt# V7580 and is oil based.
So far it seems to be working out .
bczygan- I love that vise, look forward to seeing it get done.

 

[v7guy]

grabbed the jaws and measured them up, there are no divets or marks on the jaws themselves, they are just held in by the interior of the hole in the vise and the tension of the set screw.
the measurements are as follows.
3 5/16

1 3/4

1 1/4

3/4 at the most narrow part

 

[v7guy]

I've been using the vise for awhile now, it's really got a workout on more than a few occasions and has been more useful than i could've imagined. I have never been able to get the holes for the set screws that hold the pipe jaws tapped. It's been a bit frustrating because I could've really use those pipe jaws on a few occasions.

One hole has ended up at 3/16" and the other has ended up at a huge 5/16". I can't seem to get a tap down either hole. These holes were made with a hand drill so maybe they are a bit off, but the same method didn't keep me from tapping the other holes.

While I have been gaining tools, I'm still stuck without a drill press or anything of the sort. Does anybody have some ideas for getting these holes tapped?

 

[G20-Budo]

I realize this is an old thread, but I just had to post that the C2 turned out NICE! When I look at the first pics of it all rusted and not working correctly, and then the final pictures, it just makes me smile.