Restoring Parkinsons Perfect-Vise No.5

[Moggzy_]

Hi all,

First post - I've currently undertaken a project of restoring a Parkinsons Perfect Vise No.5. I've been given it, it did belong to my grandfather, who used it and I'm looking to restore it to full working order. As such I'm after advice in regards to the restoration, if anyone has any guides it'd be appreciated.

I was able to clean most of it up, however some more work is required(see images below)

I've hit my first hurdle, the bolts holding the jaws in are rusted tight. I've doused it in WD-40 but it's still not undoing. Would heating the bolts then cooling them be worthwhile?

Pictures of vise:

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

The fixings are imperial.
They will be tight to remove. But time, heat and easing oil will have them apart.

If the quick release is working, leave alone. The spring has a habit of breaking. They can be repaired, but it is a pain.

Strip it down, remove the old paint. It may give you some numbers. If it has a government arrow you can find the service and then paint it the correct colour.
If you find a GPO stamp you have hit pay dirt.

The 2 screws holding the plate for the quick release will be tight. Get a decent fitting hammer through screwdriver. Or a Hammer action impact wrench they will come out. They are either 1/4 or 3/8 Whit or UNC. Standard counter sunk screws will fit.

The bench fixing holes can be opened up to take a M10 fixing. With out making the holes to big.

The Writing on the side was sold as new in a contrasting colour to the body, gold leaf looks good.

The half nut square bolt holding the saddle for the quick release is an odd size. But give it a tap or warm the area round it to remove it. If it is tight.

Depending on the age the jaws will be fitted with two bolts or 2 bolts and a pin.
When you get the bolts outs warm the body with a hot air gun until spits bubbles. Then using a brass drift remove the jaws.

The body will clean up well. They all look goon in paint or bare metal.

Have a fun restoring it.
Done a few myself.

 

[Moggzy_]

Thank you! I shall have fun restoring it

 

[TFrench]

Nice vice. Heat is almost always the key to getting stuck bolts out. It sometimes takes a few cycles of heating and cooling to get them to go, so dont try to rush it. As a last resort as they're through bolts you can cut the nuts off and punch them through. My favourite colour scheme I've done a vice is a rich green (specifically BMC green engine paint, leftover from my days of mini restoring) with white lettering. Looked quite classy I thought. I generally strip them down, go over them with a wire wheel in an angle grinder, then repaint. Vices are great to restore as there arent too many parts and you get something you can use every day.
As you can see in the second pic, I've got a few in the restoration queue...

 

[Trevanion]

What's that doodad on the third from bottom shelf on the right Tom? Some kind of workbench/mill collet holder?

 

[TFrench]

Yeah, that was a 5C collet indexer. Sold it a couple of weeks ago. The guy I got it from said it was broken, but I just took it to bits, cleaned and oiled it and it wasn't broken any more!

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

 

[hawkeyefxr]

What i have done in the past to remove vice jaw screws is to cut the head off of a12mm bolt. Then make yourself a screwdriver 'head' but it bust be the full width of the screw bolding the jaws in place. Weld the screwdriver head to the bolt head and use a socket tee bar.
You get more safe leverage this way. Some heat will help as well.

 

[Moggzy_]

Hi all, thank you all for the advice so far!

The bolts are well and truly stuck in, done a number of heating cycles and still not removing, going to give it one last chance before drilling the bolts out

I've began to take the vice apart - Managed to remove the quick release mechanism, however I've hit a snag... :| The main screw refuses to be removed. I've attached a picture of the end, which is refusing to slide through.

I suspect I'll need to hit it this though, with a punch whilst being well lubricated.

Further more the mechanism for locking the screw, appears different to a number of videos I've seen. Am I right to think this will need to be removed from the inside once the screw has been extracted??

Hopefully once it's apart fully I can give it some TLC and get it looking good.

For those curious I've hit two colours on the body of the vise, a battle ship grey which appears to have been painted over with a bronze and then other layers (Red, Blue, black) over the last years

 

[grt78]

From what I have read the original colour of Parkinsons vices was a bergundy/red-brown. I am restoring an inherited Perfect 16 and would like to paint it the closest to the original colour. Does anyone have any ideas about what I could use - Hamerite do a red but it is very bright and not like the colour I hae seen on the old originals. Grateful for any suggestions.

 

[Trevanion]

From what I have read the original colour of Parkinsons vices was a bergundy/red-brown. I am restoring an inherited Perfect 16 and would like to paint it the closest to the original colour.

I have a Parky Perfect vice and it's definitely some kind of 'dirty' red colour but I've never paid too much attention to it, 'tis to work not to look pretty :lol:

Have a look at these:

https://www.paragonpaints.co.uk/RAL-Colours.html

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

From what I have read the original colour of Parkinsons vices was a bergundy/red-brown. I am restoring an inherited Perfect 16 and would like to paint it the closest to the original colour. Does anyone have any ideas about what I could use - Hamerite do a red but it is very bright and not like the colour I hae seen on the old originals. Grateful for any suggestions.

The Parkinson range was traditionally burgundy red.

If it was taken into Government service the paint code was different.
GPO. Post box red.
Royal Navy Blue, dark blue but not Navy blue.
Flying Core/RAF Roundel blue.
Army Green.
Civil defence was based on what service they came under. But Brown was a good colour.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Hi all, thank you all for the advice so far!

The bolts are well and truly stuck in, done a number of heating cycles and still not removing, going to give it one last chance before drilling the bolts out

I've began to take the vice apart - Managed to remove the quick release mechanism, however I've hit a snag... :| The main screw refuses to be removed. I've attached a picture of the end, which is refusing to slide through.



I suspect I'll need to hit it this though, with a punch whilst being well lubricated.

Further more the mechanism for locking the screw, appears different to a number of videos I've seen. Am I right to think this will need to be removed from the inside once the screw has been extracted??


The half nut drops into the body and can be worked out. It is tight. You will need a swear box.

The jaw nut and bolts will be tight.
Do the nuts come off?
The body needs to be hot enough for your spit to bubble on it.
Loosen the nut.
On the bolt place a good fitting ring spanner on it and work it back and forth. Adding a light oil.
Not wd40, that will burn off.
When the bolt moves, tap the nut with a soft drift. Short hard blows. Then work the bolt again.
They will come out.

Can you show a picture of your main spring issues?



Hopefully once it's apart fully I can give it some TLC and get it looking good.

For those curious I've hit two colours on the body of the vise, a battle ship grey which appears to have been painted over with a bronze and then other layers (Red, Blue, black) over the last years