# Record 52 1/2P Vice Restoration



## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

Bought this Record 52 1/2P vice quite a few years ago for $30 used and it sat around in my garage and in my basement ever since - collecting rust.
For the record (pun intended) the "P" signifies a "plain" screw, that is, no quick release. The jaws are 9" wide with a depth of 13". Oh, it weighs a ton.

Anyway, I've done electrolysis rust removal before on some smaller items, a couple of old Stanley planes and irons, but never on something this big.
I won't go into the details of the process setup as I'm sure you've all heard of it or tried it. The vice was frozen and nothing moved on it so I started off by spraying some 3 in 1 on the threads and let that soak for a while, then slowly turning the handle a bit at a time until it finally started to move. Eventually I got the vice apart into it's various parts.

I left the vice in a large rubbermaid tub filled with water and some washing soda, connected to an old battery charger and let it sit "cooking" for about 30 hours. Finally removed the vice from the solution, washed it down with some warm water and detergent, dried it off and sprayed some more 3 in 1 for temporary lube and to prevent further rusting. Now I've got to build another work bench around this. I've currently got a cheap 7" vice in my smallish workbench that I've been using for a while, but this Record is going to require something more substantial. Did I say it was heavy???

Here are some before and after pics:


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

thanks for the great job you did on my new vise...


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## Terry Q (Mar 2, 2017)

Wow, nice job


In woodworking there is always more then one way to accomplish something.


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## Tonto1 (Nov 10, 2016)

You shouldn't try to overdue it! That think is way too heavy. A guy in your position...you know I'm available to help you out. Just let me know what the shipping is & I'll handle the rest!

Great job on the restore by the way!


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

Great job Vince . If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought the first pic was a write off. 
It turned out looking fantastic after the Vince touch though


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

Tonto1 said:


> You shouldn't try to overdue it! That think is way too heavy. A guy in your position...you know I'm available to help you out. Just let me know what the shipping is & I'll handle the rest!
> 
> Great job on the restore by the way!


Thanks - I think this weights 35- 40 pounds. Shipping charges would be pretty high, so don't expect it any time soon:wink:


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

Wow, Vince, that looked like a boat anchor in the first picture. Hard to believe it is the same vice. Good job,it looks heavy too look at the size of that handle hub. You can do some serious clamping with that. Look forward to seeing the new workbench.

Herb


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## Multiwood (Feb 24, 2013)

Excellent job Vince, wouldn’t know it’s the same vice.


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## TenGees (Sep 12, 2012)

Amazing now, Vince, looks great. Originally it didn't look like $30... now it's obvious that you stole it!


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## DonkeyHody (Jan 22, 2015)

I'm the guy my friends come to for advice on this sort of thing . . . and I didn't know about rust removal by electrolysis. Thanks for the education, and GREAT JOB!


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## Danman1957 (Mar 14, 2009)

Vince,

Amazing how you took what looked like a boat anchor and turned it into a museum quality show piece that's also useable in a workshop. I really like it.

Danman


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

Impressive on all counts.


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## comp56 (Mar 30, 2017)

that is an awesome restoring job on an awesome Record vice.
I too acquired an old Record vice the 52D quick release, however I was lucky in the fact it was in my 89yr old aunt's basement in a box brand new. I'm guessing it was my uncles and never had a chance to use it as he passed away in the late 90's only thing missing was the dog, so I made one from hard maple.


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## ScottyDBQ (Jul 5, 2008)

No question that is a HEAVY vise, but not as heavy as it was before you got rid of the rust. Great job on the restoration. You may need outriggers on your bench to stabilize that if it's ever loaded to capacity.


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## Capecarver (Dec 26, 2010)

Very handsome piece and a great restoration.
I do some iron work and have never used that process.
What did you mean by "washing soda"?


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

@Capecarver

Steve: Arm and Hammer Washing Soda - it's a laundry detergent.

I'm sure you can find all kinds of instructions on the internet for the process, but basically, I use about 1 or 2 tablespoons per gallon of water and make sure the piece I'm working on is totally submerged.

Place the piece you want to de-rust in the water, place a scrap piece of metal in the water as well. Connect a battery charger in this fashion: Negative to the piece you're working on and positive to the scrap metal. I attached some copper wire to the vise and the positive lead to the copper. Turn on the charger and let it stew. The washing soda acts as a conductor in the water. Then the rust flows from the work piece to the scrap piece. Don't let the two pieces touch each other. You can do more than one piece at a time as long as all the pieces are connect to the charger. I've done various parts of a hand plane at the same time.

My method of remembering which lead goes where is simple: *N*egative to *N*ice (work piece) and *P*ositive to *P*iece of sh**e (scrap metal)- look up the process on the net for all the warnings, etc., etc.


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## Knothead47 (Feb 10, 2010)

There is a big difference between vice and vise. Have had experiences with both in the past. The former ended when I got married in 1972. >


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## woodknots (Mar 7, 2012)

John - I get the humour (that's the Canadian spelling) but, from the English Oxford Dictionary:

_*vice*3
(US vise)
noun

A metal tool with movable jaws which are used to hold an object firmly in place while work is done on it, typically attached to a workbench._


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

vchiarelli said:


> _*vice*_


better than bad habits...


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## JFPNCM (Dec 13, 2009)

Some would say that "vice" is frequently accompanied by "movable jaws that hold the work in place".>


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## jj777746 (Jan 17, 2015)

Not going anywhere near this one thanks Jon.lol


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