its not a vice but it is big heavy machinery.....
I've been using the works 10 ton press for the last 5 years to change out wheel bearings and bushes on vehicles...... the press is moving to another office where it will be a nightmare to use.....
so - logical step a 20 ton hydralic press.....
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not mine just a photo representation - its a 12ton. Instructions in the worlds best chinglish and a box that says FRANGILE on it.....
but it does what i need and at worst ill need a new bottle jack if it packs up....
first step will be to jimmy rig a scattershield like....
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I have the perfect piece of an old fire pit mesh to make it from.
Glad I stumbled into this thread.
Happened to be passing the old buy opposite yesterday who was loading his car ready to go to the tip. All sorts of old tools, soldering irons, chisels etc. which he was happy for me to take and save him the journey. An hour later he turned up at my door asking if I wanted his old vice. Turns out its a Woden 186b/2 which I gather is a good make.
More impressive was he carried it down in one hand (he had a caravan towing winch in the other) from his garage 50 yards away ........... he's 96 in a couple of months !
It's about time this thread was resurrected!
I've recently inherrited my Grandfather's workshop, full of old tools. Bolted atop the workbench is a Woden 4" vice, marked with 185B/3 (not sure what that means). There's loads of play in the operation, and the jaws have been thrashed, so it'll be perfect for a refurb one day.
There are also a couple of drill press vices in there; currently none in this thread!
We made our own press with a bottle jack and steel framework, the Jack is a 100 ton railway engine jack!
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And a bit more thread resurrection on a rainy Saturday.
Just reassembled this after restoring as best as I could. It belonged to my late grandfather-in-law, who had it bolted to a railway sleeper in his shed. He was a man who made tooling at British Leyland in its heyday. Unfortunately the remainder of his tools went when he died 10 years ago. My father in law had this sitting on a damp garage floor and was ready to throw it away 😯 so I rescued it around a year ago and have finally got round to restoring it.
[url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/right-you-lot-help-me-identify-this-vice ]Not sure what it is - various people guessed it might be a Record, but there's no proof.[/url] Either way, it's a beast of a thing and the next job is to reinforce my workbench so that I can mount it.
From this:
[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5033/14295018949_cbcfa872c5_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5033/14295018949_cbcfa872c5_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
To this (original colour looks to have been blue over red oxide primer):
[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/677/21901806039_7af5cab78d_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/677/21901806039_7af5cab78d_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
And finally to this (light grey because I like the colour):
[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/758/22590820577_2537db0c7b_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/758/22590820577_2537db0c7b_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
Here's mine..
[URL= http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu38/MarkF-XT/P1010891-Vice.jp g" target="_blank">
http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu38/MarkF-XT/P1010891-Vice.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]
I think I have said, possibly earlier in the thread, that I used to work as a design engineer at Record and vices were one of the products I worked on. I don't remember the 3c from the range or the history although it has some similarities and vices were numbered - the no. 3 was a cast iron bench vice with 4" jaws. The slide looks very much like a no. 3 but the body doesn't and the Tommy bar looks too narrow.
The 36 is a different beast - 'unbreakable' cast SG iron and a quick release using a lever and cut thread/half nut system and 'lifetime' warranty.
I could tell you more if you have a photo of the underneath or can remember anything about the nut or how the slide works.
I N R A T S but has anyone made the "its my only vice" joke?
It's my only vice.
@ gravity slave - that rings a bell! I'll photograph the underneath and post up here tomorrow. TBH I don't think it is a Record. Am not worried - it's painted up nicely and the action is smooth enough (but not as precision as a Record).
Our man...
Looks like a paramo to me?
No vice here yet - but have enjoyed my trawl through
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For gravity-slave, some "up skirt" photos of the vice....
[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5676/22650294169_42dcc15129_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5676/22650294169_42dcc15129_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5747/22419731964_a649a739a0_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5747/22419731964_a649a739a0_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5745/22624136918_28a2150b12_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5745/22624136918_28a2150b12_b.jp g"/> [/img]
And in situ on a rather oily workbench top (I could have flipped it over when I installed the bracing underneath that the vice is attached to, but I rather liked the patina....
[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/762/23053667121_29ce55df1d_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/762/23053667121_29ce55df1d_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5781/22950867230_b3d1255cb0_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5781/22950867230_b3d1255cb0_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
(This is quite enough photography of a blinkin' vice..!)
Just waiting for the grazed fingers/ fist from those long threads!!
Just waiting for the grazed fingers/ fist from those long threads!!
Yes! The plan was to to have a coach head on the vice and the nits in the bench, but (for various boring "design") reasons that didn;t happen.
I'll cut them down at some point and put a cap nut on each of them.
Yet another resurrection! As I've picked up a cheap angle grinder, I thought I'd give in and put a wire brush on it and give my Record No 4 a going over. I think it had been repainted at least four times, looks lots better now, needs a small wire brush to get into some smaller nooks and crannies, and some wire wool.
Anyone know what would be a close match to the original blue they were painted?
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In the process of fixing up a sheet of kitchen top with a strip of 2x4 screwed underneath and two 12mm bolts inserted from underneath so I can clamp it in the workmate then drop the vice onto the bolts and use wingnuts to secure it.
In the process of fixing up a sheet of kitchen top with a strip of 2x4 screwed underneath and two 12mm bolts inserted from underneath so I can clamp it in the workmate then drop the vice onto the bolts and use wingnuts to secure it.
Just use a couple of 4x50 screws and you'll be fine 😉
some "up skirt" photos
Missed this until now but those photos show it's not a Record. Record vices have a separate nut for the screw. The nut is SG iron (for lubrication and strength) and sits in a dovetail groove in the body and is secured by a pin. There's no pin hole on that one, looks like the nut is cast as part of the body. If it fails or wears then the vice is done.
Record used to sell a spare nut kit. The pin is knocked out, nut replaced, pulled tight then a new pin fitted. The curves on the dovetail allows the nut to self align with the main screw.
My Record No 4 after two coats of smooth Hammerite:
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Does look better than when I first got it.
Another thread resurrection! I've been looking for a vice since this thread started but they've either been too far away to collect or had really expensive postage (for obvious reasons).
Anyway, I started looking again last week and found this 5 minutes down the road with no bids on it. Won for the princely sum of £22. Its in fill working order, just needs a derust if the non-painted parts and a bit of grease.
So, did everyone just wire wool the bare metal or did you treat it afterwards?
No to build the workbench to fix it to...
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I've been looking for a vice since this thread started but they've either been too far away to collect or had really expensive postage (for obvious reasons).
Same here, had given up looking...
It start as a bit of "that might be quite useful, maybe I should try and get one" and the harder they became to find the more it was "I really need a vice, this would be so much easier if I had a vice, I must find a vice". I had given up after losing a couple on eBay to a dodgy seller who clearly didn't like my winning bid so just cancelled the sale and relisted them. Being in the south London they are few and far between so I got lucky with this one as the guy was clearing out his Dad's shed
"So, did everyone just wire wool the bare metal or did you treat it afterwards?"
Nope mine looked similar - so i bolted it to the bench and started using it.
Its not supposed to look pretty.
Cheers trail rat, I'm happy with the main body as it is I just want to get rid of some of the rust from the bar as every time in touch it I get orange hands!
I have a Record No. 3, and a Record 52 1/2 woodworking vice in my workshop. Paid about £30 for each. I was insistent on getting something like proper old Record vices, as the quality is far, far better than any of the cheap tat you seem to get these days. Having seen a big Clarke vice shear, and the bubble 'Aero' metal within, I'd never buy a cheap vice.
Refurbishing? I thought about that with mine, then common sense kicked in and the fact they will be subject to heavy use and not stay pretty for long. If you actually use a vice, rather than just have it on your pristine bench for your mates to admire as you pretend to be a 'proper' man, then you don't need it looking pretty. 😉
The only problem with the No. 3, is that I need to reinforce the bench it's on; trying to welly a stuck seatpost out of a frame and I can see the whole bench twisting. I wouldn't mind, but it's got a 3x3" frame and 45mm worktop. 😯
Cool, think I'll just rub down the bar to get rid of the worst of it, I don't have the patience for a full refurb
A quick wash and wd40 will have it looking good.
I've been thinking of sorting out a vice to mount up on a Workmate* for portable workbench duties. I was talking to my dad about it the other day and he tells me he's had this old Vono (nope, never heard of them either 😕 ) No.5 lying under a bench waiting for a home for years...
It's maybe a tad chunky for what I have in mind but for the price I ain't bothered! If needs be I might have a look for a wee Record No.0 or similar as a back up for "delicate" work.
I haven't had a chance to do much more than de-grease it but I'm liking what I'm seeing so far.
Needs new jaws making and a couple of the holes for the jaw screws drilled out and re-threaded but otherwise it's in pretty good nick...
It'll get a good wire brushing and then a couple of coats of Hammerite and then I'll mount it on a removable worktop that'll clamp in the Workmates jaws (an idea I read on STW 🙂 ). Thinking of making that from 2 layers of 18mm Plywood glued and screwed together...
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Decent quality castings and a good big thread/nut!
*Not the one in the pictures. I have one of the older, mostly metal (ok, not plastic!) ones to use for this.
And the thread comes back again....
So these are up for auction tomorrow:
[url= https://s6.postimg.org/4jue7g9b5/auction_vices.jp g" target="_blank">
They look brand new apart from some light surface rust and one of them has a lug missing. They are 2 separate lots, I only need one and I can't attend the auction so I need to put in a bid by tomorrow morning. What would you bid?
Mark
You could easily find yourself paying over £75 if eBay prices are anything to go by.
I got a 52 1/2 E for £26 and a 60 minute round trip to collect off eBay.
Not in that sort of condition though..!
Come on you lot, it's not like you have normal, healthy, social lives outside of STW! 🙂
They have a quick release which you might not be able to see and they pretty big, probably about 10" wide? I know they're 'new' and therefore not going to last more than 5 minutes in the hands of a real man but I think for a bit of bodging in the garage they might suit my needs ok.
I'm thinking £25 (which will be +20% fees), place your bets now!
Funny this thread should pop up today ive got a collection of vices to remove from benchs in the workshop all have been in place since the 70s.
Thanks OMITN, there's such a big difference between the new prices (who buys them?) and second hand prices. I guess I just have to see how it goes.
Parkesie, are any of them for sale? I think you're quite near me (stoke).
Update:
So I didn't win either of the woodworking vices, there was a glitch and my bids didn't get placed.
However, next day, another auction, this pops up:
[url= https://s6.postimg.org/6m42d6m1t/IMG_20170209_181910.jp g" target="_blank">
And I won! £22 + fees! Wondering if I can sneak out this afternoon to collect it... 🙂
Think most are ear marked for my garage and friends will post some pics up when i get on with it. If any are left ill offer them up. Yeah im in the stoke area shin print.
I might as well add to the general collection of vice pron on this thread. Not a Record, but a Woden (I know nothing about them). Picked it up locally on eBay about 2 years ago for the princely sum of £15 if I remember rightly.
[url= https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2216/32784377836_23e891d00d_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2216/32784377836_23e891d00d_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/RX3vkJ ]2017-02-10 16.06.24[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/136120472@N08/ ]Dave W[/url], on Flickr
I can't find any pictures of it in its original state but I cleaned it up and gave it a coat of hammer effect. It's had a fair bit of use since though. It's bloody massive (6" jaw?) but whilst a smaller vice might be more appropriate for some jobs, there's not really such thing as a vice that's too big in my book.
Oh, and it had no jaws when I bought it either, hence the bodged-on bits of steel plate.
And it's attached to the bench with coach bolts, of course.
Picking it up was an experience. It was in a village about 10 miles away and I went with my homemade bike trailer to pick it up, which was ambitious. Unfortunately, or possibly fortunately, the trailer snapped a spindle just as I arrived in said village. A local fencer passed in his Defender and saw me with my now single-wheeled trailer and kindly offered to transport me home. I picked the vice up (which I could barely lift) while he had his tea and then he stuck the trailer and vice in the van and ran it back to mine for me. I rode back and stopped at the supermarket on the way to buy him some beers.
After years of looking on ebay, I've just landed this little beaut. Needed something for chainsaw-sharpening duties, the No.4 is the perfect size but they seem to be the most popular, so often go for silly money.
I set my self a limit - it had to be within 25 miles for collection, and less than 50 quid. This one came up right on the boundary, with no bids and a starting bid of £45 which won it!
It's absolutely mint, the jaws are unmarked and it even has the original Record transfer on the front. 🙂
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>ourmaninthenorth its a Parkinson Handy vice.
Ive just picked up a Pre War all steel record 75, to refurb or not to refurb that is the question.
Dunno if it's been mentioned yet but there's a very good "Show us your vices" thread over on the mig-welding.co.UK forum.
Some real enthusiasts over there!
Does anyone have a link for the correct sized coach bolts to fix a Record No.1 down?
The heads on the ones I bought are too big to fit down in the recesses/slots and I can't seem to find the right ones.
Thanks
Grind the heads surely?
It's alright, I was having a senior moment 🙁
I've decided upon sympathetic restoration for now. Wire brush wheel and degrease. Leave as much old paint as I can. Even managed to get the jaws off so prob knock up a pair at work as you can no longer acquire them.
I just picked up a Record No.112P (P implies it was made by Paramo as far as I know) off gumtree, the jaws look real clean and there is zero butcher marks on the slide, which suggests it's had an easy life. It says ''RECORD STEEL HEAVY DUTY'' on the side of the body and it's a non-QR version, just has a plain square thread screw.
Every picture of a 112 I've seen on the internet* is of the QR variety and only says ''RECORD HEAVY DUTY'', missing the ''STEEL''*. Anyone know the ins and outs of the models? I would be interested in gravity-slave's take on this.
*with the exception of a no.110 that includes the ''STEEL'' but it too is the QR type. ''record steel heavy duty'' on google images and it's the last one on the first row.
Will upload pics later, promise.
That's brilliant - thanks wysiwyg..!
Just finished the workbench and attaching my Record 52 1/2 vice to the newly constructed workbench. Its a quick release, Made in England model so ticks off all the STW boxes. Its held in place with coach bolts (another tick) and has new wooden jaws fitted made from some bits of mahogany given to me by my dad (another tick). Just won a second hand dog to fit in the front (£4.20 on ebay).
All it needs is to plane down the top edges a little. One happy man
[url= https://s26.postimg.org/rildobwbd/IMG_20171126_201659.jp g" target="_blank">
PSA Good looking Record No 75 for sale cash / collect only Wallasey / Liverpool (too far for me).
As the striking surface is not a hardened steel insert, it’s probably a very late one made of malleable cast iron
I picked up this Record Imp at the Ecocentre tool sale for £5
How timley , spent part of Friday mounting an old Record No 25 onto my workplace work bench. Got given it by another department who'd replaced it with a horrible crappy wee Eclipse. Dressed the top of the jaws to square them & flipped them round , it looks a lot better already. Need some new 5/8" unc csk screws now , & a repaint.
It's a beast!
Holy thread reserection! ! One of my fave over the years. Prompted a ebay sourced Record 110 heavy duty which is marvellous.
I've had this Record No. 6 vice for several years but only recently got round to fabricating a stand for it; all made from one three-metre length of 3" x 2" channel. I can hang my 16st off the tommy bar with it partially open - it will lift the rear leg when fully open; wanted something that wasn't going to take up too much floor space and could be moved around.
Some real enthusiasts over there!
Enthusiasts....you funny guy
Picked up a Record No.4 at the weekend, I’m looking at how best to clean it up now.
Wow, this thread is still going. About time I got a decent vice sorted. Anyone know of any value options in South Yorkshire?
Picked up this 1942 ex-MOD No.84 for just £7.16
<[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49623290463_07814b954d_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49623290463_07814b954d_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
Cleaned, primed and painted
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49623301668_cb765ea0df_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49623301668_cb765ea0df_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49624090297_8bcb924568_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49624090297_8bcb924568_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
Bloody hell, that's a bargain.
I know, the prime and paint were more than double that!
*sigh*
I really want a vice. Sadly, that means I need a bench to put it on and a clear shed to put the bench in.
You should keep an eye out for a local bargain and just store it, it will remind you to clear the shed.
I confess to having a few in stock - they make good presents, although I have ended up with a couple that are too big/heavy to wrap.
Nice job JohnJohn,brought it back to life.
Does anyone else find it really irritating that most people cannot remain in the vicinity of a vice for more than 90 seconds without tightening the jaws to F.T and leaving the handle at a random angle?
Perhaps that group have a similar aversion to people who leave vices with the handle hanging vertically and an infuriating gap in the jaws?!
and an infuriating gap in the jaw
I was told not to leave vices closed in cold weather.
I am going to take a picture of my vice at the weekend. It cost a grand total of the petrol to make a 18 mile round trip.
Good old Freecycle.
And I only got it because I thought it 'may come in handy' yet it gets used regularly and I don't know how I ever coped without one.
Was taught to always leave the vice opened one turn and handle loose - especially to reduce the pain if you walk/bump into the handle.
I’m sorry it wasn’t posed properly, although my valves and logos line up if that’s any compensation!!!
Here we go again! Just picked up this beast. Not a Record, but of the same era and similar weight. I was told it came from the same factory which made Fortis vices in Coventry, which was bombed in WW2 - so this is at least 80 years old. Not sure if I'll keep it as it is, or tart it up. I think I need to reinforce my bench.
Nice,looks a tough old unit ,I like that the 'UNBREAKABLE' is underneath the hammer point 🙂
That looks lovely.
I have kept an eye out for one on FB Marketplace and Gumtree for quite a while now, but no luck so far.
Most that do come up seem extortionate for their condition (i.e. covered in rust and mangled jaws)
Picked up a No. 1 Record on eBay. £35. Perfect from general messing about.
I’ve got two record vices. Inherited one from my Dad and the other one is an ex-Rolls Royce Barnoldswick one that cost me a tenner. Got workbenches at either end of the garage. Not OTT at all... 😉
What's the most useful size for bike tasks, no3?
Tempted to get a 52 also or similar as it's been my headset instal method for years at my dad's. New house though so need my own..
Any good sources other than gumtree/FB (Glasgow)?
It’s great to see this thread is still turning up some unusual vintage vices
Not quite as hefty, but I just mounted up my Woden 194. On the hunt for a bench vice too but this does everything I need really. Dowels need sanding flush still and should make some jaws.
Any good sources other than gumtree/FB (Glasgow)?
Doubt it beyond nicking one, everyone seems to be clued into the desirability of them now. Here's a brilliant example of a "nearly new" Sealey for a bargain £80
Bills Tool Store might yield a Woden or something less well known. Maybe Wilsons if there is a tool auction.
I don't think this has been posted before - really nice video of a vice restoration:
What’s the most useful size for bike tasks, no3?
Probably not a vice
I ordered a no4 off Ebay from an "established" vintage tool seller. £55, so providing condition is decent enough, better than the recent FB offerings (£40 for a rusted Irwin no3 or the same for a Polish one with no handle)
