Charles Parker Vise Rehab

[Philip1231]

I am considering restoring this Charles Parker No. 974 1/2 vise, but I am not sure about the best way to go about it.  I am thinking
a good cleaning with some type of solvent (mineral spirits or WD40) followed by priming/painting the parts that need paint, and removing rust and polishing
the non-painted surfaces. Beyond that, not sure about the details.  Any suggestions would be welcome.  

[Bill_Houghton]

Should be fine.  Don't forget to lubricate the nut when you put it back together.

I have my uncle's Parker vise - they are substantial pieces of iron!

[Admiral]

I don't know if it is originally correct, but I always like the letters in a contrasting color, like this:

[Philip1231]

OK, I should have known there was an expert on this subject: apparently its Admiral. PM coming your way.

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

I have rehabbed a few and here is what I do.

Initial cleaning
Depending on condition, this can take many paths. I acquired an old Athol that was so slathered in old grease that I pressure washed it in the side yard. Yours looks like it could go the easy route and that is thorough cleaning with Simple Green. The SG will also take off some of the paint. Take the vise apart and start cleaning. When you are done, wipe it with mineral spirits to remove the SG residue.

Wire brushing
Debated topic. I use gentle wire brushing to remove paint and rust.

Filling
Also debated. Some people use JB weld to fill casting flaws and/or grinder marks. Yours does not seem to need such attention.

Preservation
Dedicated visers (?, vise people?, visaholics?) use BLO. I like 25% boiled linseed oil and 75% turpentine. Brush it on liberally, let it dry a few hours or overnight if your shop is cold. Wipe off residue with rag. It should cover completely with no drips or puddles.

Paint
Some like the nude look. I like paint. Black is prewar. Gray is wartime. Blue is postware. Yellow is modern OSHA. But among visers the story is, "your vise, your color."

Bling Vises
If you want to see some vise bling, check out Garagejournal.com and search for "restored Parker".

Good luck with your vise. Parker is the top of the line.

[Philip1231]

Jim:

Excellent treatise on vise rehabs!

Dumb point of clarification: it is EITHER preservation with BLO OR paint it instead: not preserve it with BLO and then paint over it?

If I can find someone to sand/media blast it for a reasonable price, is that advisable? Am I looking to get all the paint off, or just the paint that is loose/flaking?

Phil

[Admiral]

OK, I should have known there was an expert on this subject:  apparently its Admiral. PM coming your way.

No!  Not me, but I see Jim has you covered!

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

Media blasting is good as long as they take care. It is a good and quick way to get down to the surface. As for BLO, remember that linseed oil was once the base for paints. It makes an excellent finish by itself and also an excellent base for paints. I like to use BLO because of the way it behaves on cast iron and steel. It just fills up the pores and makes a smooth surface. Asphaltum does the same thing on old handplanes. A light coat of BLO is just thinner than the asphaltum that was used on planes and vises.

I have stripped and refinished several vises and the BLO has been a good rust preventative. In fact, I am so impressed with it that I am going to try it on some basket case handplanes and see how that goes.

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

To strip the Parker, remove the front screw and plate and you will be able to unscrew and remove the leadscrew. You can punch out the dowel holding the screw nut and remove the nut. I have had limited success doing that. Sometimes the dowel pin is tight and I have been afraid of breaking something. It really does not matter whether you get the nut out or not. It is just easier to clean when it is out. As for the jaws, you can punch out the pins from below. But I would leave them in place. The jaws are fitted individually to each vise. Yours seem to be in good shape. Why cause problems? You can clean them and mask them off for painting.

And Admiral is right about the contrasting paint for the raised letters. "Borrow" a clean make up foam from your wife and use that as a brush.

[Philip1231]

Excellent: I will report back when I have some progress to show off. Really appreciate the information: Thanks!