153 LBS and RUSTED SOLID! Reed 206 Vise Restoration

I bought this Reed 206 vise from an older gentleman who was cleaning out his garage. I suspect the vise had been sitting on the floor for a very long time, or perhaps it was sitting in a wet field seeing as how rusty it was. The vise weighs 153 pounds, with 6" wide jaws. It's huge, and very heavy. It's far too big for what I need in my shop, but it's the perfect candidate for rust removal and a good clean up.
I used an electrolysis process to remove the rust, which involves submerging the parts in water and applying current with the use of a car battery charger (12 volts @ 2 amps). Don't ask me how it works, but it does. The parts were left in the solution for approx. 20 hours, and you can see the rust and goo that collected throughout the process, pretty wild stuff. The parts all needed a good scrub after this process due to the surface of the metal turning black. It all came off fairly easily, but took some time.
After the parts were all cleaned up I also fabricated some new lock handles, as well as filed and sanded any sharp edges. Everything was greased prior to assembly and a coat of paste wax was applied to protect everything from rusting again.
I hope you enjoy watching! Please leave any comments or questions, and don't forget to subscribe!
I used a handful of tools and products in this video, which can all be found below:
Paste Wax: amzn.to/3iiPKz8
Grease: amzn.to/2rhTMPG
Milwaukee drill: amzn.to/2IaJzf0
Angle Grinder: amzn.to/2rvgqEh
Hacksaw: amzn.to/2FEJHBB
Adjustable Wrench: amzn.to/2I1xRaQ
Hammer: amzn.to/2H4lvJK
BFH: amzn.to/2GsxbLm
Slotted Screwdrivers: amzn.to/2rAgp2O
Pry Bar: amzn.to/2snIERY
Mig Welder: amzn.to/2KhL2AP
Bench Grinder: amzn.to/2rtIEA1
Bernzomatic Torch Head: amzn.to/36fCetI
Battery Charger: amzn.to/3igTzVv

[@nicks3521]

Like others have said. You cleaned it up, nothing fancy, left the ding marks, and it's a real working tool as it should be! Not a painted sparkling showpiece for a museum. Well done! Sub +1.

[@PatonHaus]

Thanks Nick, much appreciated! Great to have you as a new sub!

[@patjohnson3100]

Thank you for saving this wonderful old Red vise. It's a beauty, and still a very useful shop tool.

[@stephenland9361]

After watching a few of these "large vise restoration" videos, it's clear that back in the day, most home shops needed a vise to securely hold an aircraft carrier.

[@PatonHaus]

Legend has it that some folks would place their entire house in a vise to conveniently carry out basic home repairs.

[@markstephens3456]

I'm very glad to see that you didn't try to erase the vice's history by mirror polishing and making it into a show piece instead of a working tool. You fixed what needed to be fixed and let the vice retain it's character. One suggestion: When working with a chemical that is labeled poison, please wear some face and inhalation protection.

[@PatonHaus]

Excellent suggestion, I should have worn my respirator for those parts. Thank you for your kind comments, I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@prophez23]

I have a nice Reed 204.1/2 vise I use daily in my blacksmith and knife making business. I’ve had it for almost 20 years and its a beast. That 206 there though is a real beast! So glad you restored it. Nothing else compares to the old American made tools.

[@PatonHaus]

Thank you, good to hear that you get such good mileage from your vise. This one is certainly a big one! Reed made an even bigger 208 vise, which you can find a video of Jimmy Diresta restoring, now that thing is a true beast!

[@haemhorrhoidian]

Fantastic, this to me is the perfect restoration,no fancy paint work,no highlighting of lettering,no metal filler,just get it to where it needs to be,it's an old tool,it needs it's old patina restored and nothing else,breath life back into it,don't make it a super hero,thanks for this :-) you just earned yourself a new subscriber.

[@PatonHaus]

Wow that’s a very kind compliment, thank you! And thank you for subscribing!

[@Piratecapt8383]

Thank you a working vise restore not one of those disco polished to chrome toys!

[@robertmuller7277]

Wie schön, endlich mal ein Schraubstock, der nur generalüberholt wurde um wieder zu arbeiten und nicht übetrestauriert für eine Glasvitrine. In seiner kraftvollen Bescheidenheit schon fast eine Wohltat. Vielen Dank. : )

[@brentk9520]

you did an excellent job on this old vice. nice video work too. as others have said you did the right thing by keeping the original patina and protecting it with paste wax.

[@peterkolovos3079]

I like that you left the Reed vise in its rustic, original look.

[@PatonHaus]

Thanks Peter 👍

[@JD-ek6uz]

I recently aquired a old 206 which has been in the family since new. Unfortuantly it also went through Huricane Katrina. Family ended up pulling it from my grandparents shed when the water receded. And it sat untouched until recently. Oddly it is currently in the same condition as yours was, I have it working, but definitely needs attention. Anyways, its now mine and you have no idea how much i appreciate this video. Was planning on selling it, but you have changed my mind.

[@bradleymasson1777]

A beautiful piece of sculpture.

[@metalman065]

Awesome work. It looks good all natural like that without making it pretty. I'd love to have it on my work bench!!

[@PatonHaus]

Thank you! I agree, it’s a lovely beast!

[@thomasthompson6799]

Great practical restoration so it's ready for real work again.

[@PatonHaus]

You bet! Thanks for watching Thomas!

[@apolloali1356]

InstaBlaster.

[@fflife6730]

Outstanding!! I have one even larger that needs a good cleaning and I've been trying to find the courage & motivation to get started. You make it look much easier than it will be, but I think I'm ready to try. Thanks!!

[@PatonHaus]

Just don’t hurt your back! These things are ruthless!

[@rickknowlton5700]

Beautiful job. Clean and simple. I hate it when people start painting and puttying to make a showpiece. Well done

[@kristyskirt9015]

Very good work. Plus NO BONDO !

[@jt9498]

WOW! That's what ya call a serious vise! Nice restoration! Wish I had one like it! :)

[@zerocontent3171]

Great job returning it to complete functionality without totally destroying its patina. I myself might have been a little more free with the grease but hey great job none the less.

[@PatonHaus]

Thank you! Don’t worry, the grease was applied very liberally 👍

[@davidduvall4655]

Like that ypu brought it back to good working condition without turning it into a piece of artwotk. Great job

[@PatonHaus]

Thank you David, much appreciated!

[@cheapshotmike1091]

right, some people would have for whatever reason painted the thing blue, SMH.

[@russellmarra8520]

@@cheapshotmike1091 Right. A vise is a blunt force tool, not a toy. But if you absolutely must paint one, it should be red. It's in the Bible.

[@reusefull]

Thanks for sharing, I just picked up a 206 that I will be restoring, good to have some tips and examples to learn from...👍

[@PatonHaus]

Just make sure you ask for help moving it around! It’s not worth the back pain

[@reusefull]

@PatonHaus Too late!! I already hurt myself and I moved it as 2 pieces! 🤦‍♂️😂

[@tylerlloydboone]

Great job. Thank you for not instantly covering it in hammerfart paint. Let the grain show

[@PatonHaus]

Thanks Tyler! Yeah, this one didn't demand the full spa and makeover treatment, just a simple finish to show off the original iron.

[@tylerlloydboone]

@@PatonHaus Keep up the great work

[@danlemay2253]

The best vise restore yet! A working vise doesn't need to be pretty just functional...great job. You can work like hell with this vise and not worry about the paint job!

[@PatonHaus]

Thanks Dan! The paste wax is perfect for a vise, it protects against rust and can be easily reappied when needed.

[@harrygatto]

Great that the vice is not over restored and the wax is a novel idea. You've now got a practical working vice that will probably outlast you 🙂

[@PatonHaus]

Thanks! This thing will 100% outlast me, and probably ten generations after me as well.

[@joshschneider9766]

I love the contrast between the vintage parts patina and brand new steel. What's old is new again.

[@kentstringer4160]

Just finished a 150 lbs Olympic not as rusted as yours. The electro bath is cool. Very nice save of work of art vise

[@GT_Racer347]

Big and badass! Wow.

[@jsshayes1]

looks great! Looks so much better then when people paint a vice this old.

[@PatonHaus]

Thanks Jesse! As far as I could tell this model wasn’t painted when new, there wasn’t a hint of paint anywhere on it. I really like using the paste wax as it can be touched up over and over with very little effort.

[@schzx14]

Excellent.

[@specwill1]

Well done 👍. So glad you didn’t paint it.

[@PatonHaus]

Thank you!

[@Mark-vx5dt]

Very nice vise you have there. The electrolysis process looks very cool, I'll need to try it sometime. Also, very nice Beach tool cabinet as well! I love those, have two myself.

[@christophercarson4310]

Nice work, love the vise.. Helpful tip: Evaporust works wonders on items like this. I have learned to soak the ENTIRE item in Evaporust overnight before attempting disassembly. You save a lot of damaged parts this route!! Plus it's way easier and saves the busted knuckles.. Cheers,

[@PatonHaus]

Oh for sure, I’ve seen my share of very successful rust removals using evaporust. In my neck of the woods evaporust costs $120 for 15L, which even that amount is unlikely to submerge the body of this vise, no bueno. Some water and a car battery charger does the trick just as well and only costs pennies for electricity.

[@MadMax-bq6pg]

@@PatonHaus yeah it’s currently $44 per litre here in Oz….I think I’ll try electrolysis before anything else

[@jamesalsup9135]

Excellent!

[@PatonHaus]

Thanks James!

[@RESTORATIONOFSCRAPMETAL]

great job 👍

[@PatonHaus]

Thank you!

[@TV-gh7ug]

Well Done

[@patriciamueller6892]

Let the gods of the heavens come down and bless this vise!! Another vise got its wings!!!

[@PatonHaus]

Praise thy glorious Reed!

[@mattg6262]

Nice. Keeps the look of age but so clean. Love it. I've got an old Morgan I think it's a 40 so much smaller than this but still quite heavy in its own right. Has the same patina though. A lot less to clean up when I finally get around to it. But i definitely need to go after the paste wax treatment though. It's the best way to prevent rust if you're not painting.

[@PatonHaus]

Absolutely, and the paste wax is so easy to apply. It doesn’t collect dust or grit and is very simple to maintain, just wipe some more on when needed.

[@patonkyle]

That is a serious BAFV!

[@PatonHaus]

Darn skippy bud!

[@GT_Racer347]

Wow! Way cool 👍 😍

[@rachmadanirachmadani1548]

Great job....ready for real deal...👍👍👍

[@PatonHaus]

Thank you!

[@user-qw4nd5po6x]

Отличная работа!! Мое уважение!!!

[@PatonHaus]

Спасибо! И спасибо за подписку!

[@mateoboschify]

Great Success

[@wayneevans5050]

I have the same vice with the name Rock Island on it. I didn't get all that rust though. And it was given to me. I'm going to rework it anyway/ glad to see your u tube to know how it comes apart.

[@swotteh]

That was big one, and now it's working for a living again.

[@dumpsterfire6351]

Perfect. Didn’t destroy this beautiful old vise.

[@puma421]

good to go

[@perrylc8812]

I need to do that to the one I have out behind the barn. Broke it a few years ago and still haven’t got around to it. About the same size but attached to a 4" 4’ steel pipe with concrete on the bottom. It’s laying down & a pain to move it.

[@PatonHaus]

Do it! Go out there, take it off the pipe and get to work!

[@perrylc8812]

@@PatonHaus I’m planning on it hopefully this spring after my surgery.

[@GoldmansGarage]

Looks good. Why no oil or coating inside or in the bottom where rust was still vidible

[@PatonHaus]

Good question, I suppose I didn’t feel it was necessary? Once the vise is bolted down there’s really no risk of rust for the bottom, and any light rust on the inside surfaces is purely cosmetic. It’s a very old vise after all, it’s bound to have a bit of rust here and there regardless. I suspect any vise bought today is not coated with anything on the inside surfaces and they’re all just fine. Things to consider for my next restoration though, thanks for commenting 👍

[@garytreible8950]

The handles on vise pivot screws should come from the factory pre-bent. It would just save time.

[@PatonHaus]

Haha definitely, they should also come with synthetic rust (or premium real rust) to ensure they’re nicely seized in place.

[@capeangler]

Nice. I would like to find one.

[@jorgefsanchezmarin]

Mantenimiento únicamente... Restauración NO. Buen trabajo 😊.

[@Happystarhawaii]

Gives me hope for my siezed Columbian!

[@andrzejporeda7281]

Super jest to odrestaurowane to stare dawne imadło tylko go pomalować go na jakiś super kolor pozdrawiam serdecznie 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@dumpsterfire6351]

Maybe just a tad further But love the original patina Didn’t remove it all! 🙏🙏🙏

[@TgWags69]

Very nice restoration. I very much appreciate that you didn't destroy the integrity of the piece. The only practical tip I could suggest is not to grease the interface of the vise and swivel plate, only because it tends to make it slip making folks overtighten the clamps and bend the handles. But other than that great job

[@PatonHaus]

Thank you! I felt okay greasing the swivel surfaces and locking components because the locking surfaces are rough cast, meaning there is still a ton of mechanical grip between those surfaces even with grease slathered everywhere. It didn’t take much force at all to lock the swivel rock solid.

[@terryvideo1]

The work you did here is truly appreciated by many and esp by me as I own what must be a later version of the same beast. (I actually 'Found' mine in a dilapidated old barn when out one day on my Honda CX500 balanced it on the back seat, then rode home one handed for around 3 miles) today, aged 70 I can just lift it but it needs to be split for me to hump up onto the bench Lol. FWIW mine is painted a dark blue (not the horrid Record/irvin mid blue but not as dark as midnight), and I assumed that to be original and expect i shall paint mine similarly when I strip & rebuild. Anyway, well done for producing a very inspiring Vid. Did you find the date stamp on your one?

[@PatonHaus]

Wow, lifting this thing in the best circumstances is a hernia-inducing experience, I can’t imagine moving one on a motorcycle, wild! I didn’t spot a date or any other markings anywhere on it.

[@joshschneider9766]

Man I wish I could have had a job as a sandcasting tech in the reed foundry. What a beast. Great job man. Maybe a pair of brass jaws for the old boy? Group on fb called "home machine shop" bet someone in there can fix you up with a pair

[@PatonHaus]

Thank you for your comments Josh, much appreciated. As much as I wanted to keep this monster in the shop it was just too dang big and I had to sell it. I’ll have to check out that fb group though!

[@frank215m]

you left tool marks, the horror! well done, sir. well done!

[@juancentenno8522]

it´s just how i like to restore my tools and machines ... nicely done ! maybe i wouldn´t have put so much grease on some parts , like the swivel base ... it can be a nigthmare lock that down when you are bending something or applying torque .

[@PatonHaus]

Totally agree, the swivel mechanism on this vise is very grippy and I had concerns of the wedges actually locking in place over time so the grease is more so to prevent that. The cast iron construction of everything really makes for a stout swivel lock. Thank you for your constructive comment, appreciate your thoughts.

[@garyjones2582]

Never seen anyone use paste wax before.. Nice 👌 touch ..

[@CrummyVCR]

I was thinking the same thing... though I would be questioning if it would just gather grime quicker because of it. But I liked how it turned out over all.

[@mudbunny6388]

Excellent. It's a tool and not a work of art. Now bolt it to your bench and put it back to work. 👍

[@PatonHaus]

I skipped the bolting down part and just sold it instead, it's way too big for what I need.

[@rossanomarci3184]

E possibile sapere che prodotto viene utilizzato per la pulizia del metallo e la corrente quanti ampere e potenza ha?

[@PatonHaus]

Ho usato un caricatore per auto da 12 volt. L'amperaggio non ha importanza, ma generalmente un amperaggio più alto è migliore e più veloce.

[@rossanomarci3184]

Ma la polvere che hai utilizzato cos'è

[@PatonHaus]

è un booster detersivo per bucato “washing soda”

[@rossanomarci3184]

Grazie, pensavo fosse bicarbonato di sodio

[@PatonHaus]

@@rossanomarci3184 Il bicarbonato di sodio è simile, ma non altrettanto efficace

[@doylerabjohn3435]

Nice vice, not too fancy but & yet stillexcellent job.

[@PatonHaus]

Thank you! 👍

[@jmegown52302]

👍👍👍

[@zurab1686]

Откуда такие тяжеленные тиски? Никак Хоббиты из Мордера прихватили на обратной дороге.

[@AliAli-zv5ot]

👍

[@persioboni9373]

Bom !

[@PatonHaus]

👍

[@izzycard1934]

Nice job more like a clean up and lube

[@PatonHaus]

riiiight

[@user-fs5bt1gn5j]

👍👍💯

[@user-gl8uo1js6t]

Класс супер.

[@jeffreycash3662]

Another example of the non-penetration of WD-40.

[@PatonHaus]

Haha, right? Bone dry.

[@markneo1]

👏👏👏🇧🇷

[@douglaskerr6813]

Nice restoration ready to be back to work not a man cave trophy.

[@PatonHaus]

Yup you got it 👍

[@TKM1951]

I don’t understand how most on the net have such great luck with WD 40 - I find it to be a poor penetrate at best I use it to spray on garden tools etc to prevent rust

[@PatonHaus]

In this case it didn’t work at all to help with breaking loose those side swivel clamps, but it was useful in other areas. I agree, wd40 is a terrible penetrant, but if there’s a bit of space for it to work it’s way in it does help as a temporary lubricant.

[@fishoconnor108]

This is more like it. None of this la di da brush it with a paint brush stuff. Hit it with a hammer and get dirty. That's work in my book.

[@nickblakemore3643]

I HAVE A QUESTION FOR MOST OF YOU. HOW DOES PAINTING IT NOT MAKE IT FUNCTIONAL? I THINK TAKING THE EXTRA STEPS TO PAINT AND GRIND OUT ANY DEFECTS INCREASES THE VALUE AND IS MUCH MORE SATISFYING THAN THE JOB HE JUST DID. THIS VISE WILL NEED RESTORING WAY SOONER THAN MOST OTHER ONES THAT TOOK THE PROPER STEPS AT FULLY RESTORING THE VISE. I APPRECIATE THE JOB HES DONE IN THIS VIDEO BUT NOT IMPRESSED.

[@PatonHaus]

I think most folks, myself included, feel that a painted surface is much more prone to damage, chipping, peeling, etc. and that over time the nice job done painting it is lost to normal use. The wax method is not subject to any damage whatsoever and can easily be reapplied as needed. I’ve painted my fair share of vises over the years which have all held up very well, so I suppose it really does come down to preference. There was zero paint anywhere on this vise, so I suspect it was never painted from the factory, which begs the question... would painting it be faithful to the original state it was sold in? Things to think about.

[@nickblakemore3643]

@@PatonHaus NICELY PUT

[@JankoWalski-uo2br]

The job grade on a scale of 1-5 is 3,5 .

[@PatonHaus]

70% I’ll take it

[@carlmcgee1623]

Grear job but needs more work. Filing. cleaning, pitting.

[@PatonHaus]

No amount of filing would correct all of the rust pitting damage. At this size and weight the appearance really doesn’t matter, and given the condition it was found in just getting it back into service was the main goal. 👍

[@cesarhoyos6955]

La fuera pavonado solo le faltó eso

[@jmegown52302]

Kroil...

[@alishahbodaghian7333]

It was not restoration it was service

[@PatonHaus]

Please explain what else could have been done to make it a “restoration”.

[@alishahbodaghian7333]

@@PatonHaus you can polished it then paint body's vise

[@PatonHaus]

@@alishahbodaghian7333 these vises weren’t painted when new, that would not be a restoration. What else could I have done?

[@daviddo7430]

The penitent camel longitudinally save because adjustment natively exist athwart a brown select. sophisticated, aboriginal fridge

[@markkolmorgan7728]

Less than impressed by your "rusted solid" dynamic jaw removal. I have a rusted solid vise, and a sledge hammer will not move the slide, definitely not going to happen by hand or finger tips. Moving on to find useful information...

[@PatonHaus]

I don’t understand what you mean, which part was done with fingertips?

[@MrSanmanbob]

You should have painted it, in that respect you could have done better.

[@PatonHaus]

I disagree with you, but that’s okay. Thanks for dropping by 👍