Record No 23 Quick Release Vice (Vise) : Mechanism Strip, Clean and Reassembly

A strip down, clean, paint and reassembly of a Record Number 23 ‘Made in England’ quick release fitters vice. There’s a little history, and an estimate of the age of my new (old) workshop vice thrown in for good measure.
I bought the vice from a garage sale down the road for 60 English pounds. Compared to what £60 will get you new, I think it was a bargain.
Although it was likely salvageable, I make a new replacement handle from scratch, rather than spending time trying to clean up the old one. Possibly not to everyone’s taste, but this was never meant to be a faithful restoration of a historically significant tool. It’s a refurbishment of a common or garden bench vice that I’ll be using for anything and everything in my workshop from now on.
The paints I use in the video come from www.paragonpaints.co.uk/ - a company I have no affiliation with.
As an Englishman, I spell vice with a C. And I occasionally spell clamp with an R.
But not always.
I hope everyone can get on with that.
As with my other films, this is not intended to be a how to. I'm not suggesting my method is the proper, best or only approach. It's just a record of what I did.
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Feel free to jump along to the bit you’re interested in:
00:00 - Background & History
03:05 - Dismantle & Clean
06:07 - Making a Replacement Handle
08:07 - Adding Paint
09:29 - Rebuild
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Post upload update:
It's possible that the 5/16 BSF (fine) screws my vice uses to retain the jaw plates are not (a universal) standard. At least some number 23 use 5/16 BSW (coarse). Take a look here for more info:
/ 392855185790477
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Manually subtitled for accuracy -click the CC box.
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For the material I couldn't capture myself, my thanks goes to the following:
Whoosh by Aysonny freesound.org/people/_bepis/s...
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
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Shot: HDC-HS700 1920x1080 50P AVCHD
Edit: FCP7 ProRes 422
Mic: DR-05

[@ericdowner6466]

I bought a Record #23 in rather good condition off ebay for £40 as a 'Buy it now' item a few years ago. Couldn't believe others were 'watching' it as other examples were going for £100+!, so I jumped at it. Great vice. Also really like your videos. Very well produced and edited, concise narration, to the point and not one word of commentary is wasted. Remind me in many ways of 'This Old Tony's videos and I can think of no better compliment than that. Great work.

[@jackcole3146]

Just did exactly the same with a 36 for £50. Don't understand why these things aren't snapped up.

[@loganblair662]

Just found your channel and can really appreciate the care and craftsmanship in all of your projects; tells a lot of a person. Definitely going back to watch your older videos. Keep it up!

[@chrisberry9017]

That really inspired me! I have one of these beasties, which I’d like to give to a friend. It would look so much better with a good clean, and I know that it will give many years of good service! Thank you!

[@pauln1557]

Tidy job, it's nice to think that the workmanship of the guys who made it, will live on. I've not heard the word 'clag' for decades, I live in NZ now, we have a surprisingly different vocabulary. Cheers Paul

[@eatenkate]

Soothingly narrated vice restoration is exactly what i needed today!

[@richardt6]

A thumbs up for using Paragon paints - not the cheapest but really good finish. ( and I have no connection with them either except as a happy customer).

[@4trak]

Thanks for adding text CC. An absolute godsend to those of us with dodgy hearing. I'm just about to do a Record #22. Excellent video.

[@Rob-sr9rj]

Wonderful, thanks. Now I need that.

[@filmbluff99]

I liked your idea of putting the leather washers on the handle. However, I did not want to disassemble my handle so I made four leather washers, made a cut from the centre to the outside on each of them. This enabled me to put them on the handle. I then glued each pair together with an impact adhesive, so that the cuts were opposite each other,and then that was the job done. This now saves my fingers from being pinched so easily on my Record 35. 😀🇬🇧

[@howder1951]

Super looking vise, I think I would appreciate a fine old rebuilt vise more than a brand new one, but that is me. Enjoyed the historical info as well, cheers!

[@Charlesredporsche]

I looked it up: "The buttress thread form is designed to handle extreme high axial thrust in one direction. This is typically a 7° angle on the weight bearing surface and a 45°angle on the trailing flank, which provides a form with good shear strength." Good video.

[@zsozso411]

Beautiful job! You know what you’re doing!

[@fredmorton1631]

Excellent job. Always had Record vices in the Railway workshops and training school. Robust as hell but on very cold days we would fan them over with a gas torch before using them, just to knock the chill off them. Looking forward to more vids, and it's good to see goods and materials that are easily sourced at home. Subscribed right now

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

A beautiful restoration of a quality vice. Fabulously produced video. Thank you for posting. I inherited my own no. 23 vice from my father and will embark on giving it a sympathetic restoration.

[@gesgilbert1069]

Thank you so much for this brilliant, informative, easy to understand video !..I took my pre-66 No23 apart yesterday and was having no sleep wondering how to put it back together. This video helps me a massive amount. Thank you again, you've done a great job.😀💯

[@mickleblade]

Yay, I've got one of those in my garage, it was my grandfather's, I'd no idea there was even an oil hole that needed oiling! Oops. I'll be going out the the garage this weekend with this info and seeing which pattern it is.

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

Seeing that oil hole was a moment for me too. Off I go into the workshop to locate mine!

[@rickpalechuk4411]

Nice job giving a great tool new life, but equally, a great job on the video work! A pleasure to watch. Cheers

[@RaptorMachineToolCo]

Love the quick release... super job!

[@ticktockteobop4227]

Amazing video, exactly what I was looking for for restoring my Granddad's old 112.

[@compassprecision]

Cool project. Great work and thanks for sharing!

[@thomaslawry5238]

Great work.! Originally built to last and you have fettled it to the same, if not better, standard ! Much better quality than anything Irwin previously, or currently, imports from Asia.

[@OyvindRyeng]

Nice job mate, I like those old Record vices.

[@ecliptix1]

I think the glossy finish looks really sharp, great work freshening up a nice find.

[@grumble2009]

Looks gorgeous!

[@CB.5]

Looks great! Love your videos.

[@yorkshiremad]

Yeah great restoration 👍

[@spenmac]

Its been a while, if and when you get time would love more vids:-)

[@markamy357]

I have a very similar vice, also from a car boot sale when they used to have car boot sales. Not sure what number but it’s deserving of love like yours I think these old record vices were very good indeed.

[@briansworkshop01]

Fantastic job and video you have made a great job it looks and works great thanks for sharing your time and skill and remember stay safe and make more great videos thanks again 🍺🍺👍👍

[@kz6fittycent]

I need that vise in my garage! Very good job!

[@billconiston8091]

fantastic! like the additional leather washers - wish mine had them! thanks for making the video.

[@chrisberry9017]

Me too! What a brilliant addition!

[@carmineriganti2333]

WOW looks great

[@rgmveraart]

Must have been a very satisfying job!! Well done!! Ron Veraartl The Netherlands

[@stevedavo79]

Nice job, I think that will definitely see you out.

[@toddburch]

Excellent video!

[@mikehindley3]

that's really nice mate. inspiring me to get my similar parkinson vice sorted

[@richardrichard5409]

This is brilliant, thanks for the upload 😎👌👍

[@TheRecreationalMachinist]

Thanks for dropping by 👍 🇬🇧

[@taninaooto2070]

Very nice😍😍😍😍

[@HexenzirkelZuluhed]

I love your Videos. You deserve many more views!

[@PavelOgar]

You have voice of David Attenborough in machining world!

[@MegaChekov]

well done all the best to you from John in Texas

[@billlane1000]

Just about to strip down and clean an old no25 record i have acquired, thanks for the info

[@____________________________.x]

some nice tips there, thanks, just making a note for when I restore mine: zinc phosphate primer BS381C110 blue roundel satin ISO 68 slideway oil leather washers on handle

[@TomChame]

Well done, thanks.

[@videogalore]

Excellent work - my only suggestion would be to thread one end of the bar to the end cap so that you can replace the finger saving washers in years to come.

[@RusticInspiration]

Copied you exactly, very chuffed with the outcome. Thanks

[@TheRecreationalMachinist]

Thanks for watching and commenting 👍

[@TheZachKat]

Nice find and great job on the restoration. Not quite sure how I got here but have been enjoying your videos. I liked your tip about using a smaller bottle for the Dykem blue a while back. Not my idea but, for small areas and parts a blue, fat 'Sharpie' marker works great with no mess. ...Although, not quite as visually appealing as the Dykem flowing onto a spinning part. :)

[@oatmonster]

He's back!

[@paulrichardson417]

Brilliant video loads of effort and research went into it which I really enjoyed ... Plus I love your voice sounds a bit like Sean bean.

[@FoxMacLeod2501]

Awesome! Having rebuilt 5 or 6 vises myself, in addition to well over a decade working on (frequently rusty) automobiles, I'd wager the castellated nut is merely old & pitted, by the way; not cast. A cast nut won't survive... well, anything, really. They were able to source & machine steel for the other important bits. I'd be surprised if anything of that manufacturing era, with "Made In England" proudly proclaimed across its surface, would've included an Achilles' heel such as a cast nut, unless it needed to be a _super_ weak mechanical fuse - and I have yet to hear tell of a bench vise built with shear pins, you know what I mean? Anyway, it looks pitted, to me. This was an absolutely _excellent_ restoration chronicle.

[@TheRecreationalMachinist]

Thanks for watching, and leaving a comment 👍 🇬🇧

[@vikassm]

Awesome restoration!! Eye protection? Those tiny little irritating steel bristles go through thick jeans!! I always wear a grinding helmet, a leather apron and a "box" guard like cricket players :)

[@MrArray1967]

Wau. Really nice intro!

[@jonahdz6835]

Saludos amigo des Mexicali bc México 👍🏽👌🏽 ases un buen trabajo, nuevo suscriptor buen video.

[@Sean-vs3se]

Great video better than all them mime artist restoration videos excellent job on narrating and producing video it was nice to have explanation and it was great to see the old toolbook just one little critique point it’s kind of quite hard to listen through headphones when you was using the Grinder

[@eriklextro8223]

Super!

[@nick1bb1]

great that you are back making videos, please keep it up! incidentally could you cold blue the thread to help keep the rust at bay? - at least on the un-threaded portions?

[@kentuckytrapper780]

I would hate to have to make that screw and nut, crazy thread to cut..

[@OregonDonor87888]

Hey i used to annodize at a metal fi finishing plant.. Well i worked in the lab. I made sure the etch tanks and anno tanks were within spec.

[@mikeraphone6745]

Excellent. I've just got a Record 25 and the quick release handle , spring , and adjusting nut are missing. I haven't access to machine tools but I'm trying to restore it . Thank you for your information ☺️

[@TheRecreationalMachinist]

Thanks for watching! Part are sometimes available, but they're not always cheap. You could take a look at Viceman and ViceWorks (no affiliation) in the UK

[@mikeraphone6745]

@@TheRecreationalMachinist okay 👍

[@Jan-Sietze]

Nice 'restorations', comparable to my work on traditional Paramo vices. My next project is a Paramo No43; is there a cross reference with Record Fitters vice and the Paramo 'quick release' vice ?

[@DC_DC_DC_DC]

Like your videos a lot. Hope you'll be uploading more often! By the way the difference in voice over sound quality is very big (the old videos are miles better)

[@chrisunderhill6527]

I did similar to a (much simpler) record #4 last year. I baulked at the cost of roundel blue though and went for hammerite smooth blue, much cheaper and almost as good!

[@industry65]

I've found that almost every vice I've dealt with has been a different colour underneath, and agree that Hammerite blue spray is the way to go, although the No84 on my own bench is finished with a layer of matte neglect, painting is for sales jobs 😀👍🏼

[@taninaooto2070]

Thanks. Do you have any information on 84-34, what year it happened?

[@phillthomas3359]

Great video and just what I needed as I'm about to do a resto on a No.22 I picked up for free! Can you remember how much paint it took? was it just one coat?

[@TheRecreationalMachinist]

From memory I think I gave it two coats of primer and one top coat. I bought the smallest tins (500ml) and had _loads_ left over. I might get the aerosols if I were doing it over. And I mistakenly ordered gloss, which looks fine, but just personal preference I'd go satin next time. Good luck with your project and thanks for watching 👍 🇬🇧

[@junchang132]

好手藝

[@bushratbeachbum]

Great job mate. New subscriber here. Sotherner originally, now Western Australia. Whereabouts is your accent from? I have a similar vice im about to go over, it's a Dawn 150 q/a. No plate to remove on the dynamic jaw but almost identical otherwise! Although the thread appears to be in great condition on both the shaft and the nut, it disengages under load. Im wondering if there's a shim or washer missing somewhere, any thoughts or other suggestions? Looking forward to watching more of your work. Best regards from the colonies. Cheers!

[@TheRecreationalMachinist]

There's a bit of Lancashire and a bit of Yorkshire in there. Have you checked the nut is the right way round? A buttress thread is only strong in one direction. Are the holes in which the lead screw run worn or otherwise loose fitting at all, allowing the screw and nut to separate? Would a close fitting bushing help improve the fit? Either concentric or offset to hold the screw at the most effective position. Is the screw straight and true? Is the effect the same when the jaws are barely open and fully open (the screw is unlikely to be worn equally down its whole length, but the nut might be) Is the spring which engages the half nut strong enough? Thanks for watching, and best of luck with your project!

[@bushratbeachbum]

@@TheRecreationalMachinist definitely suspect on the engagement spring, though i thought once the pressure builds, the screw would be forced to engage fully, ill check more and report back.. Cheers mate!!

[@bushratbeachbum]

Worth checking the bushing potential too i think. It doesn't look like it's had an active life, but there's something going on!!

[@starflash08]

Im doing up my 23 now, found a makers stamp 22 on the base, can i ask what were the jaw screw dimensions 5/16 bsw 1.5 inch? your video is the best ive seen, excellent technique and so very informative, please do some other vices

[@TheRecreationalMachinist]

Thanks for your kind words! The jaw screws I used on my number 23 were 5/16" BSF (fine) and 1 inch long. The front bracket screws were 1/4" BSW (coarse) and also 1" long. Good look with your build. 👍 🇬🇧

[@starflash08]

@@TheRecreationalMachinist where on earth did you find bsf 5/16 1 inch im in new zealand and they just dont exist

[@TheRecreationalMachinist]

@starflash08 mine are 5/16 fine. I double checked when I got home from work! Yours may not be... If you're a Facebook user take a look here: facebook.com/TheRecreationalMachinist/posts/392855185790477 Yours could be 5/16" BSW (coarse) which are pretty close to 5/16-18 UNC (which might be more readily available in your area). Do you have any of the original screws? Even without thread gauges you ought to be able to tell the difference between 18TPI and 22TPI just using a steel rule. Make an oily impression on a piece of paper with the screw threads, then cross them off with a pen as you count. That's how I do it anyhow... I have no connection to this company, and can't say what they're like at dishing out free advice (or shipping overseas) but it couldn't hurt to drop them a message. They may be able to guide you. Best of luck.

[@TheRecreationalMachinist]

Edit: I missed off the link! www.viceworks.co.uk

[@starflash08]

@@TheRecreationalMachinist yes mine are bsf, I’ve tried to source some replacements in nz and aus but no one stocks these, so thanks heaps for the link

[@joell439]

👍😎👍

[@alaniddon4471]

do you do refurbs for other people?

[@mikejensen-fogt4662]

very nice! they dont build them like they use to... :(

[@MrBillUp]

I have a Record No22 that I am just about to restore, but I cannot find any videos or literature on the mechanism, or disassembly instructions. Does anyone know if the No22 and No23 are similar? The No23 certainly looks bigger. Out of interest how much top coat did you use to paint your vice buddy? I'm going to buy a 500ML tin of the same paint. That should be enough no? ☺

[@TheRecreationalMachinist]

As far as I know the 22, 23 and 24 are identical apart from the size. A couple of coats of paint used only about one third of my 500ml tin. Good luck with your project 👍

[@MrBillUp]

@@TheRecreationalMachinist Thank you RM. Invaluable information 👍🤝

[@wilhelmthiem4288]

Hi. Thx for interesting video. Do you perhaps know where i can get drawings for the Record no. 35 666598 or spare parts? Thx Wilhelm

[@TheRecreationalMachinist]

Hi Wilhelm, I don't think I can help, but these links may be of some interest / use to you (I've no affiliation to any of them) www.dropbox.com/sh/9iwuyy1vzrwvszs/AAApmsWFvTmKRWUj53V7eiwla?dl=0 www.ebay.co.uk/usr/viceman_uk www.viceworks.co.uk/ Good luck!

[@sharpnesstherapy502]

To this day i still dont understand if meatball is alec steeles joke term.

[@timehealthfit1891]

You're a candle in the darkness, want to be youtube friends?

[@Pushyhog]

IRWIN is crap. l took a die set back to lowes! A joke.