By the way, if anyone knows these vise models, any Info on the manufacturer/history would be welcome! I can't see any make or model designations on them that I recognize, so I have no idea where these came from originally
Der größere der beiden dürfte ein 6er Meier & Weichelt aus Leipzig sein. Und auf jeden Fall älter als 1953, danach war das der VEB LES. Mit die besten Schraubstöcke, die es je gab. Unkaputtbar.
@@juleslobo5644 Danke! Das kommt genau hin nach dem was ich auf Google dazu finde. Cool die Historie zu kennen, mal sehen ob jemand auch den anderen identifizieren kann
@@PhilVandelay Translating Jules' comment for others: The larger of the two should be a 6er Meier & Weichelt from Leipzig. And definitely older than 1953, after that it was VEB LES. One of the best vises ever. Unbreakable. Gotta love good German Schraubstöckes :-) searching ebay de for them is a lot of fun even if the shipping is sky high and/or impossible.
Yeah the more I worked on this the more I could appreciate how well it's made and how good the design is. I think you can't go wrong with an old vise this size, they didn't make those for hobbyists so they're built to last. The quality of the castings compared to the el cheapo vise says everything
I have two vises that had failed because of insufficient casting support of the movable jaw, one an LS Starrett, so I too appreciate the solid design of this vise.
Those aren't vises that were typically used by a home craftsman. They were shop vises and are still built in that size today for goodness sakes. You're comparing old factory or production equipment to modern stuff for a home garage. Just like old lathes still need leveling because they will flex and not cut straight. Modern CNC equipment is much better and will control tolerances "better" than in the good old days.
If you put 2 O-rings one at each end of the handle it will stop the loud bag each time you let the handle go and it also stops the deformation caused by the knobs hitting the screw head
That’s actually the only half good reason to make the handle removable as near as I. Can tell because your obviously not going for a good as originally new restoration And instead are going for a new to me ready for a new work life restoration (The type most of us on here enjoy doing ourselves
Beautiful! The cold bluing is just right. Looks like an anvil, ready to take a beating, and not even show it. I would also make soft jaws for it, to complete it.
I screamed NO!! When you applied cold steel bluing instead of paint... but I actually like it now that it's finished!! It looks old but well cared for now. Looks like a great addition to your shop too! Now, I'm considering redoing mine in cold blue.
I still love the cold blue to this day, it holds up so much better than a mediocre paintjob,which often start to chip and look terrible after a few years. I still haven't had any rust either. I'm now of the opinion that paint isn't necessary on a vise, unless you're trying to hide bad quality castings with tons of filler, which is probably the case for a lot of cheaper vises.
Great video, it’s good to see a restoration video where they don’t remove the 30 years of work out of the tool but still have the old saw marks and dints left on and in it
UA-cam suggested your Channel and I am glad it did. Love your work and I agree completely with all your decisions loved removing the rust leaving the pits and the blue looks great in the Vice.
Excellent restoration. Glad you saved that old vise. I think the cold blue gave it a nice industrial look. I've got a couple of vises I'm gonna restore. May just cold blue one!
A suggestion for an improvement on the vice handle. Install a rubber washer at each end to stop the clang of the handle when you release it. thanks for sharing. Cheers
1] I completely agree re: bluing vs paint and the perfect finish that results in having a vise you're afraid to use. 2] You're not unaware of the fact that your idea of the "preserved *rugged look"* [8.00], is really the *"perfect look"* for most ;) It's why your belt sander [shown in this video], turned out as it did; perfect in my opinion. It's why I subscribed. Btw, *great job on this vise.* I'm looking forward to the next restoration as well.
Please correct me if I’m wrong but I was always taught that you should hold your sandblasting gun at an angle. About 45 degrees. That way the glass or sand bounces of the object taking the paint with it and that will increase the lifetime of the grit. Instead of turning it into powder.
Great job and thanks for sharing Phil. That's a unique vise with an anvil horn on it and by the way my crystal ball show's me that your purchase and restoration of this vise was well worth it as you will purchase a welding table and mount the said vise to the welding table
Outstanding as always, while enjoying the video, I thought-brother…you seriously need a blast cabinet, next scene…poof, there it is-guess you were listening 🤣 thanks for another great video ✅👍
Well like you said it's a working vise so no need to paint it. The cold blueing on the casting came out great, nice job. Thank you for taking time to film and post this video, liked and subscribed.
Well, to be honest, that was one of the best vice casting I've ever seen, so the "rough" look was a very good choice. I would like the bluing to be darker, but it is already very nice. Good job.
That was absolutely awesome to see such a great vise get restored and the way you did it was perfect. I completely agree that it is better to leave the imperfections etc. as it's not a museum display lol you are actually using it. I think you did an amazing job. I would give almost anything to own that vise lol but oh well. I hope you get many years of use out of it.
Working on one myself, thanks for the video, it has helped a lot. Like the black painted parts, the red is nice too just not sure how it will hold up, great job.
Very nice vise and I hope you will have a good time with it. Years ago I got a big vise as a gift from a friend. Old beaten up and rust everywhere. At that point I saw a vise restauration video on YT and decided to restore it. So I disassembled it completley and soaked it in vinegar. First I planned 1 to 2 weeks but somehow I forgot it and it stayed for more than 6 months in the vinegar. And yeah now I have a vise with little to zero rust but with a lot of pocks. I started to file and sand it down but as you mentioned there are parts that cant be reached. The jaw inserts there completly eaten up by the vinegar and the hole distance is super odd. Haven't found suitable jaws anywhere yet. At the moment I plan to use filler on the whole thing and sand it smooth. After that paint. Just metal would be pretty ugly with all the pock marks.
I really like the design of that vise.....I have old Wilton but yours looks way more solid ( wilton over-rated in my opinion) I laughed a little when you said you weren't doing a full restore , I told myself ya we'll see haha. Never seen bluing on casting it looks great.
@@PhilVandelay Yep, comment from @fredio54 "The larger of the two should be a 6er Meier & Weichelt from Leipzig. And definitely older than 1953, after that it was VEB LES. One of the best vises ever. Unbreakable." Mine does not have the N°6 and the circle, it is kind of a noname but exact same design :) Waiting for the restoration video of yours then! Thanks again for the great content. Cheers from France
I like the bluing. Paint has its place but vises take a beating more than most items in a shop. I blued a small drill press vise, and also an old micrometer. They turned out pretty well.
That was my reasoning too, especially self-made paintjobs on vises usually look terrible after a bit of use because the paint chips everywhere. I've used the blued vise for a few years now and it still looky great! No rust either. I think one of the main reasons most vises come painted is probably to make the castings look more smooth, especially with the cheaper ones. They usually cake that paint on really thick... luckily this old vise had a very nice casting quality.
Love the Bluing! Why paint and then beat up in a shop! Some restorers paint and polish them so they look like a Xmas tree ornament! Thanks for posting such great work and take care!
Turned out nice! I'm surprised you didn't add a thrust washer under the head of the main screw (the one that moves the jaw). Makes loosening the vise when tight much easier and just adds more smoothness to the operation.
Finally, a restoration job that does just that - restoration. I hate the OCD for mirror polishing parts like in most other restoration videos. If the parts were meant to be mirror polished, the original manufacturer would have certainly done that, or have them chrome plated at least. This OCD to get eyeballs on YT is going out of proportion here on YT. I enjoyed the video, thank you.
I agree. But I have to say that I have done a couple "over the top" restorations on very small vises. They belonged to my dad and I wanted to bring them back to life. It was more of an exercise in futility.
13:20 I hope by now you've got a manual impact driver? That's the only right way to remove old big tight screws like that due to the simultaneous inward and rotational force they impart. Using the power impact was a massive gamble, glad it mostly worked out though, phew.
14:15 I have seen black smiths put mangled screws in a round "hole" that fit the diameter with the head in a countersinked space, to be able to hammer it back to shape without losing material.
Love the video and I have to say I've often wondered why restores don't blue vises. If used regularly I guarantee it will look better in five years than a similarly used painted vise.
Yep, can confirm that. I've been using this a few years now and it still looks great and shows no rust. I think painting is fine if you do it professionally (e.g. Powdercoating) but anything applied with a brush will look terrible for a tool like this that sees heavy use
Great video. The result turned out fantastic and functional. I hope you’re being safe with the paint. It probably has a good chance of being lead paint.
![Die Filer [Restoration]](/img/n.gif)
By the way, if anyone knows these vise models, any Info on the manufacturer/history would be welcome! I can't see any make or model designations on them that I recognize, so I have no idea where these came from originally
Nice job
Send some pics to Abom79 he’ll have the answers you seek.
Der größere der beiden dürfte ein 6er Meier & Weichelt aus Leipzig sein. Und auf jeden Fall älter als 1953, danach war das der VEB LES. Mit die besten Schraubstöcke, die es je gab. Unkaputtbar.
@@juleslobo5644 Danke! Das kommt genau hin nach dem was ich auf Google dazu finde. Cool die Historie zu kennen, mal sehen ob jemand auch den anderen identifizieren kann
@@PhilVandelay Translating Jules' comment for others: The larger of the two should be a 6er Meier & Weichelt from Leipzig. And definitely older than 1953, after that it was VEB LES. One of the best vises ever. Unbreakable. Gotta love good German Schraubstöckes :-) searching ebay de for them is a lot of fun even if the shipping is sky high and/or impossible.
Thanks!
Love the cold blue, and I really love that vise design. The giant casting support below the moving jaw in particular.
Yeah the more I worked on this the more I could appreciate how well it's made and how good the design is. I think you can't go wrong with an old vise this size, they didn't make those for hobbyists so they're built to last. The quality of the castings compared to the el cheapo vise says everything
I have two vises that had failed because of insufficient casting support of the movable jaw, one an LS Starrett, so I too appreciate the solid design of this vise.
When tools were built to last. Great video.
Those aren't vises that were typically used by a home craftsman. They were shop vises and are still built in that size today for goodness sakes. You're comparing old factory or production equipment to modern stuff for a home garage. Just like old lathes still need leveling because they will flex and not cut straight. Modern CNC equipment is much better and will control tolerances "better" than in the good old days.
Best vise restoration I have seen... Thank for letting the casting texture being seen. Best regards!
If you put 2 O-rings one at each end of the handle it will stop the loud bag each time you let the handle go and it also stops the deformation caused by the knobs hitting the screw head
Good idea, I'll try that
That’s actually the only half good reason to make the handle removable as near as I. Can tell because your obviously not going for a good as originally new restoration
And instead are going for a new to me ready for a new work life restoration
(The type most of us on here enjoy doing ourselves
Keep up with the vídeos Phil! These outstanding video, shop and tool quality are not easily seen elsewhere.
I appreciate your calm and cool attitude and narration. Excellent video.
You have done a very respectful job. You have preserved the magic, old equipment possesses.
Awesome overhaul job Phil! I do have to say that the cold blue looks great too! Good job!
Beautiful! The cold bluing is just right. Looks like an anvil, ready to take a beating, and not even show it. I would also make soft jaws for it, to complete it.
I was literally just randomly reminiscing about your belt grinder build this morning, and hoping for some awesome new project (:
New sub, love the "Don't have the patience for that"!!
I screamed NO!! When you applied cold steel bluing instead of paint... but I actually like it now that it's finished!! It looks old but well cared for now. Looks like a great addition to your shop too! Now, I'm considering redoing mine in cold blue.
I still love the cold blue to this day, it holds up so much better than a mediocre paintjob,which often start to chip and look terrible after a few years. I still haven't had any rust either. I'm now of the opinion that paint isn't necessary on a vise, unless you're trying to hide bad quality castings with tons of filler, which is probably the case for a lot of cheaper vises.
I really like the way the vise came out. Good choice on the finish. Thanks for showing this.
Great video, it’s good to see a restoration video where they don’t remove the 30 years of work out of the tool but still have the old saw marks and dints left on and in it
Wow ! That was an awesome restoration. Beautiful work done, one of the best I've seen. 👌 Keep bringing those videos for us to watch.
You do a nice job Phil and i found this video very soothing and easy to watch well done
That is maybe the nicest vise I have seen. You made it better than new.
Excellent video. The shots, the lighting, the new life in the machinery...and the music at the end! I was hooked!
Nicely restored vice. Well done and good job Phil
UA-cam suggested your Channel and I am glad it did. Love your work and I agree completely with all your decisions loved removing the rust leaving the pits and the blue looks great in the Vice.
Excellent restoration. Glad you saved that old vise. I think the cold blue gave it a nice industrial look. I've got a couple of vises I'm gonna restore. May just cold blue one!
Nothing to say, nothing to add.
Perfect job.
Bravo.
A suggestion for an improvement on the vice handle. Install a rubber washer at each end to stop the clang of the handle when you release it. thanks for sharing. Cheers
A big o-ring works as well if you have one around
Phil, I could not think of a better reason to buy a blasting cabinet. Also, the cold blue finish looks great.
1] I completely agree re: bluing vs paint and the perfect finish that results in having a vise you're afraid to use.
2] You're not unaware of the fact that your idea of the "preserved *rugged look"* [8.00], is really the *"perfect look"* for most ;)
It's why your belt sander [shown in this video], turned out as it did; perfect in my opinion. It's why I subscribed.
Btw, *great job on this vise.* I'm looking forward to the next restoration as well.
Lovely work and what a well designed vice. Like the result. You got my subscription. Almost a 70 year tool and look like new. 👍🏻
Yep I really like this vise. There's another addition for it coming soon!
I liked the blued look better than paint looking forward for the next
great video, love that you restore the vise and not pimp it up to unuseble.
Really cool t-shirts! Just grabbed a couple..
That was mind blowing 👍👍
I was just waiting for your mill to come into action 😊 and it has come
Please correct me if I’m wrong but I was always taught that you should hold your sandblasting gun at an angle. About 45 degrees.
That way the glass or sand bounces of the object taking the paint with it and that will increase the lifetime of the grit. Instead of turning it into powder.
Excellent result, it couldn't get better, congratulations on your excellent work, greetings from Portugal.
That is some of the best work l have seen on refab on those vise.
Don't we all just love My Mechanics!!
Great job and thanks for sharing Phil. That's a unique vise with an anvil horn on it and by the way my crystal ball show's me that your purchase and restoration of this vise was well worth it as you will purchase a welding table and mount the said vise to the welding table
you do great work...
Outstanding as always, while enjoying the video, I thought-brother…you seriously need a blast cabinet, next scene…poof, there it is-guess you were listening 🤣 thanks for another great video ✅👍
Well like you said it's a working vise so no need to paint it. The cold blueing on the casting came out great, nice job. Thank you for taking time to film and post this video, liked and subscribed.
Nice job I really love the design of that swivel looks really cool 👍👍👍
Yes, I really love how this vice turned out. Lovely.
Well, to be honest, that was one of the best vice casting I've ever seen, so the "rough" look was a very good choice. I would like the bluing to be darker, but it is already very nice.
Good job.
That was absolutely awesome to see such a great vise get restored and the way you did it was perfect. I completely agree that it is better to leave the imperfections etc. as it's not a museum display lol you are actually using it. I think you did an amazing job. I would give almost anything to own that vise lol but oh well. I hope you get many years of use out of it.
Working on one myself, thanks for the video, it has helped a lot. Like the black painted parts, the red is nice too just not sure how it will hold up, great job.
Very nice vise and I hope you will have a good time with it.
Years ago I got a big vise as a gift from a friend. Old beaten up and rust everywhere. At that point I saw a vise restauration video on YT and decided to restore it. So I disassembled it completley and soaked it in vinegar. First I planned 1 to 2 weeks but somehow I forgot it and it stayed for more than 6 months in the vinegar. And yeah now I have a vise with little to zero rust but with a lot of pocks. I started to file and sand it down but as you mentioned there are parts that cant be reached. The jaw inserts there completly eaten up by the vinegar and the hole distance is super odd. Haven't found suitable jaws anywhere yet.
At the moment I plan to use filler on the whole thing and sand it smooth. After that paint. Just metal would be pretty ugly with all the pock marks.
All I can say is wow! Nicely done
Great work! I totally agree with you on the painting the vise
I really like the design of that vise.....I have old Wilton but yours looks way more solid ( wilton over-rated in my opinion) I laughed a little when you said you weren't doing a full restore , I told myself ya we'll see haha. Never seen bluing on casting it looks great.
Haha. Exact same thought.
I really like the blued finish. Looks great with the wear, and very practical for a working shop.
Great work!!! Love the cold blue.
Well done especially the finish
Looks good. Wouldn't know it was the same vise! 👏
Great work very satisfying to watch and learn. Like the shirt designs too
Smashing resto.....the finish is terrific
Thats a monster, great resto job 👍
Awesome, I restored the same model as the second vise you did not restore in this video. No rotary base but I love its design so much.
Nice, I have yet to take care of that one. Someone in the comments actually found out who made them but I forgot already
@@PhilVandelay Yep, comment from @fredio54 "The larger of the two should be a 6er Meier & Weichelt from Leipzig. And definitely older than 1953, after that it was VEB LES. One of the best vises ever. Unbreakable." Mine does not have the N°6 and the circle, it is kind of a noname but exact same design :) Waiting for the restoration video of yours then! Thanks again for the great content. Cheers from France
Perfect! Congratulations
Gorgeous!
Good to see you again sir
This vise was never this good until U made it the finest vise in ur city = job well done
I like the bluing. Paint has its place but vises take a beating more than most items in a shop. I blued a small drill press vise, and also an old micrometer. They turned out pretty well.
That was my reasoning too, especially self-made paintjobs on vises usually look terrible after a bit of use because the paint chips everywhere. I've used the blued vise for a few years now and it still looky great! No rust either. I think one of the main reasons most vises come painted is probably to make the castings look more smooth, especially with the cheaper ones. They usually cake that paint on really thick... luckily this old vise had a very nice casting quality.
Great result👍
I think you did a fantastic job. It came out great as a usable tool.
Awesome job.
awesome work! NICE finish...
The Black stain finish looks good , I hope it will protect the steel fro rust. Job well done. that VISE will be around longer than we will.
Beautiful job
Great job!
Love the Bluing! Why paint and then beat up in a shop! Some restorers paint and polish them so they look like a Xmas tree ornament! Thanks for posting such great work and take care!
Really nice vice. Well worth your effort. Nice job too.
Great restoration mate!
Meticulous attention to detail. Liked the work and the camera angles/shots to demonstrate your work. Thanks for sharing.
Doing a restoration myself for a Record No. 6. I was going to hammerite it, but the cold blue looks magnificent :o
That looks awesome
Beautiful work! Your work and videos are always such high quality!
Very nice job 👍well done.
I Liked & Subscribed
Turned out nice! I'm surprised you didn't add a thrust washer under the head of the main screw (the one that moves the jaw). Makes loosening the vise when tight much easier and just adds more smoothness to the operation.
Very nice restoration, well done.
Awesome work!
Great work
Thanks for restoring the vise and not rebuilding or redesigning it as so many others on UA-camrs do.
Very nice. Who doesn't like seeing an old vice getting a second chance? I hope you checked for lead based paint and took proper precautions.
Beautiful!
Finally, a restoration job that does just that - restoration. I hate the OCD for mirror polishing parts like in most other restoration videos. If the parts were meant to be mirror polished, the original manufacturer would have certainly done that, or have them chrome plated at least. This OCD to get eyeballs on YT is going out of proportion here on YT.
I enjoyed the video, thank you.
I agree. But I have to say that I have done a couple "over the top" restorations on very small vises. They belonged to my dad and I wanted to bring them back to life. It was more of an exercise in futility.
@@michael7324 Or perhaps an exercise in love for your Dad or his memory.
Awesome as always!!!
Genial...!!..Excelente Restauración...Saludosss
Just brilliant!
Beautiful restoration buddy 👍 i like it 👍
Oh, great now I vise envy! Nice find. Good quality. Pretty sure not made in China. I would have grabbed them also.
13:20 I hope by now you've got a manual impact driver? That's the only right way to remove old big tight screws like that due to the simultaneous inward and rotational force they impart. Using the power impact was a massive gamble, glad it mostly worked out though, phew.
14:15 I have seen black smiths put mangled screws in a round "hole" that fit the diameter with the head in a countersinked space, to be able to hammer it back to shape without losing material.
Nice job I really like the finish
Nice job Sir. I agree with you. Looks much better in bare metal. I used to be a motor mechanic. Paint on garage vices lasts five minutes.
Very nice job, thanks.
That's one hell of a piece of equipment! Finish really suits it.
Love the video and I have to say I've often wondered why restores don't blue vises. If used regularly I guarantee it will look better in five years than a similarly used painted vise.
Yep, can confirm that. I've been using this a few years now and it still looks great and shows no rust. I think painting is fine if you do it professionally (e.g. Powdercoating) but anything applied with a brush will look terrible for a tool like this that sees heavy use
Great video. The result turned out fantastic and functional. I hope you’re being safe with the paint. It probably has a good chance of being lead paint.
Thanks That's actually a good tip, I hadn't even considered that... I should be more disciplined with breathing protection in general 😕
so goooood👍👍👏
Super video