Record and Paramo vices

I'd have to look it up but IIRC Paramo was started and run by former employee's of Record. That made basically the same vice as Record but by more primitive means.

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX

Thanks, Wayne. They do look identical. I reckon the Record steel jaws will fit my dad's vice.

While I'm on the subject of vices, I'm thinking of getting a big vice myself for the heavier metalwork jobs. I doubt I'll be able to afford one new, so I'll be looking for a used vice. A local machinery dealer has a Record 6" on his website at the moment:

It's about half way down the page. Now I know Record make several different types of vice, from the ones designed for assembly work through to those suitable for really heavy metalwork. Does anyone know if this is the heavy duty type or not, and is the price fair?

Thanks for the advice,

Chris

Looks like a heavy duty design with lightening of the castings. So I'd rate it a medium duty.

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX

Okay, I think I'll wait for a genuine heavy duty vice as I don't need one in a hurry. Any idea what I should be looking to pay for one in good used condition? I'd probably go for a 6", but maybe a 4" if it's really solid.

Best wishes,

Chris

Hmm. You're really wanting a heavy duty vise then. A good 6" vise is serious business. If you'll scroll on down to the second from the last pic on this page you'll see my 6" vise. It qualifies for heavy duty but I can't think of any bench I'd want to mount it on. It's currently mounted on a piece 3/4" plate braced with 1 1/2"x 3" tube all of which is welded to a piece of 6" pipe which is buried 5' in the ground and cemented. The other end of the pipe is tied to the roof of the shop. It weighs in the neighborhood of 150lbs.

Price for a vise like this new is currently around $1400. Used I see them for $300-400 and consider them a steal at $100.

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX

That certainly is a hefty vice you've got there. Perhaps I don't need a heavy duty 6", but in the past I've often bought something, then a few months later thought "Damn, I wish I'd bought a bigger/better one" and this can be annoying. When I get round to a shop clearout/reorganisation I'm planning to build a bench for metalwork out of some pallet racking, and I want a vice to mount on there. I don't need it for blacksmithing, so I'm not going to beat the hell out of it with a huge hammer, but I want something that will grip firm and I don't have to worry about being too gentle with. That 6" seems like a fair deal at £35 ($60 ish), but maybe a 4" or 5" is more suitable. Thanks for the advice - I'll think it over.

By the way, that is a damn nice shop you've got. One day I'd like to build a shop like that...

Chris

That certainly is a hefty vice you've got there. Perhaps I don't need a heavy duty 6", but in the past I've often bought something, then a few months later thought "Damn, I wish I'd bought a bigger/better one" and this can be annoying. When I get round to a shop clearout/reorganisation I'm planning to build a bench for metalwork out of some pallet racking, and I want a vice to mount on there. I don't need it for blacksmithing, so I'm not going to beat the hell out of it with a huge hammer, but I want something that will grip firm and I don't have to worry about being too gentle with. That 6" seems like a fair deal at £35 ($60 ish), but maybe a 4" or 5" is more suitable. Thanks for the advice - I'll think it over.

By the way, that is a damn nice shop you've got. One day I'd like to build a shop like that...

Chris

I doubt you need one that heavy. For many jobs it's to big. I do use it a lot but then I do a lot of big jobs.

Thanks. It just took me 15 years to get it done. :-)

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX

Do you work in there full time - I mean, is it your day job? That's no hobby shop, right? Looks superb anyway...

Chris

Full time is a pretty good description. It's my slave master would be a better description. I don't have a sign out front and probably never will. I can't hide well enough to keep people away.

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX

That's how the best businesses work. If I was near you I might send you some work :-).

Chris

Yea, Even some of us New Mexicans stop in and bother him now and then. :-) ...lew...

Done ? ? ? . Yea sure , we all believe that one . Next week you will be adding a bigger/faster/more powerful whatchamacallit . ;-) Ken Cutt

.

To give you a point of reference, I've just nipped out and weighed the Record No 24 vice that is waiting to be installed in my new workshop. 75lb for a 'medium duty' 4" fitters vice. The 6" No 25 is small in the way that a pocket battleship was small :-). If I were you I would go and visit the shop, because the price seems quite reasonable for the vice. If you don't like it, keep an eye on Ebay as they come up quite regularly eg:-

(no connection with the above) Mark Rand RTFM

:-)

To true. :-)

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX

On the subject of vices, I found this picture online rather interesting:

No explanation given. How do you do this to a vice? Beat it with a sledgehammer?!?

Chris

I can't get the URL to work but I imagine it's got the jaw or beam broke (the most common failure of vises that have been over done).

The simple answer is that the vise was abused in some form. Usually by over tightening, trying to bend something cold that's to strong for the vise, beating on it, or any of many other abuses that vises get. I've got two vises in the floor of my shop right now that need repair. One has the beam broke and the other has the screw broke (really rare failure there).

Wayne Cook Shamrock, TX

Looks like it was overtightened. Also, look at the right upper corner of the break - it's on an inside corner, and has a different color / texture than the break itself. I'd bet that that's where the break started. Inside corners being what they are, and all. Someone just cranked on the sucker until it was tighter than it needed to be, is all.

Dave "making wild guesses based on insufficient evidence since forever" Hinz