caotropheus Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 Greetings gentleman I was offered this vice and took some pictures as soon as I got home. I did not inspect it carefully yet, I just handled it for 10 min to take the pictures. The leg was buried deep in the soil and the moving jaw seems to be bent and it seems that it does not close more than what you see in the pictures. I saw no markings like symbols, letters or numbers. I just know that I have to disassemble the vice, clean all the rust and gunk and forge a spring. My questions are, can you gentleman identify the origin and manufacturer of this vice? Should I even try to toss the moving jaw on the forge and straighten it? Thanks PS: You Gentleman can see in the background the new 500 kg working bench that I am building... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the iron dwarf Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 I think I would straighten it, and maybe add more metal to the front of the thin area where it bent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 I would check the material with a grinder and then heat appropriately and straighten. I would also make a thick washer for the front to move the wear point on the screw to where there are still threads! How large of material will you generally be working on it? If not excessive I would not try to beef up the front leg after heating and truing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njanvilman Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 You might also want to think about a bronze bushing for where the screw shaft goes through the front jaw. It might take a bit of experimenting to find the correct diameter that would work. It would make the handle a lot less sloppy when in use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forger Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 (edited) To me it looks like the vices sold by Centaur Forge back in the mid 1970's. I believe they were made in England and were a bright blue color. Maybe Vaughans? Thats my guess. Good luck Mike http://anvils.co.uk/products/view/77?cat=46 Edited April 7, 2014 by forger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the iron dwarf Posted April 7, 2014 Share Posted April 7, 2014 Vaughns AFAIK import almost everything from various parts of the world, when I visited their place many years ago it looked like they had not made much in a long time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Good Morning, Straighten the short leg and then add a old/new clutch release bearing to the thrust washer closest to the handle. it makes it way better to tighten/loosen!! Clutch release bearings are available from your local auto repair or parts store. They are going to ask "to fit what?", Most any of the older cars will fit as they have a 1 1/2" hole. REAL PARTS STORES (the ones with older employees) will be able to look up sizing in the back of their old catalogues. A new parts man won't have a clue. If you have a problem, PM me and I will give you a rage of numbers. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsmith Posted April 8, 2014 Share Posted April 8, 2014 using a throwout bearing does sound slick, hadn't thought of that, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caotropheus Posted April 8, 2014 Author Share Posted April 8, 2014 Gentleman, Thank you very much for your kind answers. Your suggestions are extremely valuable to guide my repairs. Unfortunately, I have to finish a couple of pending projects before I will try to repair the vice. This will give me more time to gather information for the repairs. According to the link provided by forger, the vice I pictured is similar to the one pictured in Vaughans' catalogue. A pitty we do not have details of the spring attachment area. It seems that the spring connects to the moving jaw, just underneath the screw shaft. This seems to explain the "need" for a bronze bushing that njanvilman noticed, in this case, the spring would fulfill a portion of the underneath space and the screw would be less "sloppy". If I use a clutch realease bearing like swedefiddle referred, that will move the screw wear point like ThomasPowers referred. Since I already have a bigger leg vice than this one, I see no need to "beef up" the legs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caintuckrifle Posted April 9, 2014 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I recently purchased a vise that has a bend in the moving jaw very similar to the one you picture here though not as large. Is this common in older vises? Is it caused by misuse or what??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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