Colour match for old Parkinsons vices

[StevieO]

You'll be surprised - the rod and knobs above are manually sanded/polished (in the sense that it's just wet and dry paper held against the spinning metal on the lathe).

You can make a simple support (block of wood with a hole in it, clamped to a disc sander's table) to keep a bolt held square to the disc sander face whilst spinning it in a drill. I've used a similar technique to hand clean/polish rods that are too big for my lathe.

I'd be quite happy to make you a few handles if you need though.

Hi, You are really helpful and that's greatly appreciated.
A lathe would make the world of difference to sanding as you well describe. I've got my eye on a Clarke Metalworker CL300M as a first learning step but it is hard to justify at the moment vs the number of handles I would need to make. Not sure the max diameter bar it can take yet either...... website says 20mm but I read that does not run all the way through the head at 20mm... or something like that.

Sadly I don't have a disc sander table either. I have a Makita drill, a Makita angle grinder with cutting and flap discs, a pneumatic belt sander hand held and emery cloth. I'm not yet what you would call "small workshop kitted" !
I might take you up on a few handles as and when I need some and that would be really appreciated.
Thanks so much for your help.
br
Steve

 

[StevieO]

Reposted these photos of my Parkinson 15 I have r eversed the QR Bracket to hold the nut perminantly against the screw it works fine View attachment 129137View attachment 129138View attachment 129139ik

Definately looks like the original colour. So close to a Woden Green too.
I'm sure they used different colours for different customers. Someone said recently (can't recollect who) that they also supplied the War Office/MoD with green, and also Black was for export.

 

[sploo]

Hi, You are really helpful and that's greatly appreciated.
A lathe would make the world of difference to sanding as you well describe. I've got my eye on a Clarke Metalworker CL300M as a first learning step but it is hard to justify at the moment vs the number of handles I would need to make. Not sure the max diameter bar it can take yet either...... website says 20mm but I read that does not run all the way through the head at 20mm... or something like that.

Sadly I don't have a disc sander table either. I have a Makita drill, a Makita angle grinder with cutting and flap discs, a pneumatic belt sander hand held and emery cloth. I'm not yet what you would call "small workshop kitted" !
I might take you up on a few handles as and when I need some and that would be really appreciated.
Thanks so much for your help.
br
Steve

I have the CL300M; and that was the lathe used to made that handle. I've recently acquired a much larger Colchester Chipmaster, but I'm still "sorting" it, so the Clarke is the one that's making parts. It (the CL300M) benefits hugely from a number of upgrades (many can be DIY'd: see Milling attachment for a mini lathe and (more) improvements to the mini lathe). It's limited, but still perfectly decent. It does indeed have a 20mm bore through the spindle. I'm pretty certain I've had 3/4" (19.1mm) rod going all the way through it.

You can clamp/fix handheld sanders and grinders to use them as if they are fixed machinery. Especially an angle grinder if it has threaded holes for the handle. An angle grinder with flap disks would make short work of grinding a bolt head into a cylinder.

Give me a shout as and when you might need vice handles.

 

[StevieO]

Thanks very much. I'll be in touch as and when. Appreciate it very much.
br
Steve