Alright - first time posting here.
Background - So there I was....getting ready to do my first ever 1911 build and spending too much money on tools. I search online for the best vise. "Wilton" comes up a lot and often noted that used are good as new at fraction of cost. Great. Now I simply need to take 15 min to do a search and determine what to look for on used vise, then hit ebay and I am home free. But, nooooo, I find this damn marriage-wrecking-site with all your nice vises.
Thank God my wife is huge geek and thought the electrolysis bath was cool. So still married after spending a few weeks fixing a vise that was not broken just so I could get a late start on another hobby that prevents me from taking out the trash on time.
Oh, and, I am already a huge fan of Parker shotguns. Should have seen my face when I came across my first vise post from mjozefow.
HAD A BLAST working on this. Never would have guessed I would develop such a passion around a simple vise. My neighbors enjoyed the hell out of it too.
My images are big, so I included a few external links to save some visual space.
1 - Bought a vise for "normal" eBay price. I paid $25 per cm just like Autopts and mjozefow recommended. Or was that inches
[big thanks for your knowledge, by the way, along with so many others on here]
forgot to get picture
2 - Took it apart. That was an adventure getting the pins out. Also discovered the previous owner astutely painted the rust before taking his ebay picture.
Taken apart
3 - Stripped the paint in process that made Al Gore cringe

4 - Close up
stripped close up
5 - Day at the Spa
home made chemistry set
6 - Damn! It works!
rusty dynamic vs bathed static
7 - Naked Lady - At this point. I really reconsidered painting it. Something about raw metal that is seriously satisfying.

8 - Taped it up. I did that myself, but had a pro powder coat it. Overkill for a vise, but it does look nice now. I did pay just over a 1$ per pound for the powder coat though
Taped
9 - Finished (first pic, rear assembly not in, but rest of photos it is all together). Sense of accomplishment meter = 10.



Thanks again for all the great information shared on here!!
Background - So there I was....getting ready to do my first ever 1911 build and spending too much money on tools. I search online for the best vise. "Wilton" comes up a lot and often noted that used are good as new at fraction of cost. Great. Now I simply need to take 15 min to do a search and determine what to look for on used vise, then hit ebay and I am home free. But, nooooo, I find this damn marriage-wrecking-site with all your nice vises.
Thank God my wife is huge geek and thought the electrolysis bath was cool. So still married after spending a few weeks fixing a vise that was not broken just so I could get a late start on another hobby that prevents me from taking out the trash on time.
Oh, and, I am already a huge fan of Parker shotguns. Should have seen my face when I came across my first vise post from mjozefow.
HAD A BLAST working on this. Never would have guessed I would develop such a passion around a simple vise. My neighbors enjoyed the hell out of it too.
My images are big, so I included a few external links to save some visual space.
1 - Bought a vise for "normal" eBay price. I paid $25 per cm just like Autopts and mjozefow recommended. Or was that inches
forgot to get picture
2 - Took it apart. That was an adventure getting the pins out. Also discovered the previous owner astutely painted the rust before taking his ebay picture.
Taken apart
3 - Stripped the paint in process that made Al Gore cringe

4 - Close up
stripped close up
5 - Day at the Spa
home made chemistry set
6 - Damn! It works!
rusty dynamic vs bathed static
7 - Naked Lady - At this point. I really reconsidered painting it. Something about raw metal that is seriously satisfying.

8 - Taped it up. I did that myself, but had a pro powder coat it. Overkill for a vise, but it does look nice now. I did pay just over a 1$ per pound for the powder coat though
Taped
9 - Finished (first pic, rear assembly not in, but rest of photos it is all together). Sense of accomplishment meter = 10.



Thanks again for all the great information shared on here!!
