Ugly Duckling, Wilton Vise Restoration 2

[Eddyde]

Update:
I striped the vise using a hot Lye solution my new ultrasonic cleaner. The results were amazing, the lye dissolved every trace of paint and grease. I used a 10%, by weight, solution lye and water. I processed the movable jaw first with a 30 min cycle (the longest the ultrasonic cleaner will do). The paint was almost completely gone but some was still in the nooks and crannies as well as the dried grease. I realized I forgot to turn on the heater so I set it to 60ºC (140ºF) waited till it heated up then ran it through another ultrasonic cycle. The jaw emerged completely clean except for some rust. Next, I processed the vise body leaving it soak for about 15 minutes to get up to temperature then ran the ultrasonic cycle of 30min, this time every trace of paint and grease was removed down to the metal, in one treatment!
I soaked all the parts in a solution of white vinegar to neutralize the Lye, then rinsed everything in hot water and dried with paper towels.
I will process the parts with Evaporust tomorrow, also in the ultrasonic cleaner.

 

[Dhal22]

So, a couple of hundred $, still not a bad deal.
Everything looks to be in good condition except for the end cap & swivel lock. Are the caps available or can you make a new one?

He said a couple of bags of groceries. I was assuming $300-$400…………

 

[Eddyde]

So, a couple of hundred $, still not a bad deal.
Everything looks to be in good condition except for the end cap & swivel lock. Are the caps available or can you make a new one?

I looked around and it doesn't seem like any are available, so yeah, I'll probably just make one.

 

[Eddyde]

He said a couple of bags of groceries. I was assuming $300-$400…………

LOL, it was $150

 

[Eddyde]

Interesting fun fact about your vise for you: There are three main swivel base types you see on Wilton Machinist and C-series (Combination) vises. The earliest was one solid piece style that allowed 180* of rotation. After that they became all two piece construction (note below about the Tradesman line). For a short period of time they had an outer ring with a smooth ledge on the underside and the inner ring had two small, smooth tabs that would rub on the ledge of the outer ring for friction. That's the style this vise has. It's literally the only style you can't go buy new parts to replace since nobody makes either the inner or outer rings with smooth surfaces...they all have teeth in those spots. At one point I tried narrowing down the years they used them, but it was slow going and I stopped trying to sort out the years. I'm pretty sure they only had that style base for a couple of years.

Side note....the Tradesman line uses/used a different setup with just an outer ring and pads with teeth on the swivel lock carriage bolts on all but the 1780 models which used the larger two-piece base from a C2/C3.

I should have put this first.....NERD ALERT

Wow, thanks for the info, I guess have a rare one! To add to the mystery the date is stamped 6 30 6? There is a pin where the last last digit of the year should be. So, did they take advantage of the pin as a zero, for 60? Or was the date stamped before the hole was drilled and that digit obliterated?

 

[mmcmdl]

LOL, it was $150

They must have been pretty small bags of groceries ! What will be the final color Ed ? Was the original color some kind of silverish blue ?

 

[FOMOGO]

Came out nice Ed. A shame the the blast cabinet is down (one of my most used tools), it would make short work of the rust, and leaves an ideal surface for paint (glass bead). I just tape off any critical surfaces. Mike

 

[Nesse1]

I hate when I see vises that have been sandblasted with typical media. It often softens the lettering and can mess with the surface texture. Something less aggressive like walnut shells might be okay, but I've never bothered...wire wheel will get them more than clean enough for self-etching primer to adhere perfectly. After literally hundreds of vises restored I haven't had paint flaking off them.

Blasting using 100 grit aluminum oxide or silicon carbide will strip and clean with minimal fuss, and NOT erode the metal enough to notice without a microscope. Walnut shell on cast iron?

 

[FOMOGO]

Have cleaned a lot of cast with glass bead and haven't noticed any excessive material removal. Changing media in a large blast cabinet is pita, especially for one operation. Mike

 

[Eddyde]

They must have been pretty small bags of groceries ! What will be the final color Ed ? Was the original color some kind of silverish blue ?

I guess I'm either a "smart shopper"or a cheapskate, lol.

Good question, I saw traces of a pale-greenish paint which I assume was the original color. However, I am not beholden to an exact restoration. I think I have a rattle can of Rust Oleum, Grey, Hammer Finish I might use. Otherwise, I'm open to suggestions?