Restoration: Massive Vise | 250kg (550lb) With 25cm (10inch) Jaws

This time I am restoring a real treasure! Very rare and massive vise found in north Italy.
It's huge! 25cm (10inch) wide jaws and weights just shy of 250kg (550lb). Mostly made of cast iron with exceptions of nuts, bolts and linkages that are all wrought iron.
As far as I know this beauty come from an italian foundry workshop that shut down a long time ago, possibly the "Lucchini" foundry of "Lovere". I did my best to track it down more precisely but haven't had any official confirmation about the provenience yet. Anyway, I think it's safe to say this vise is from the 19th century.
Being this such a rare piece I avoided to grind any part of it to preserve the condition as much as possible. Still wanted to get rid of all the oxidation and protect the finish so I used these processes:
To remove rust:
- Wire wheel on the angle grinder
- Muriatic acid (very harmful, be careful. Also, the fumes produced will make any steel around to rust badly)
Surface finish:
- Cold Blue
- Rust converter (for the parts that I wasn't able to derust completely)
Both finishes require oil or grease to be effective against rust.
I've used the rust converter on another leg vise that I left outside, uncovered since then and it has no sign of rust.
Index of operation and materials:
1:19 Removing rust with wire wheel on angle grinder
1:48 Cleaning with acetone to remove grease residue
1:57 Cleaning with 99% alcohol for extra safety
2:12 Cold Blue solution (bought)
2:32 Thin oil (came with the cold blue as a kit)
The process described above was repeated exactly the same for all other parts treated with cold blue.
3:24 Rust converter for these spot that I wasn't able to reach well
4:26 Bolts released with the help of penetrating oil and heat
4:50 Muriatic Acid removes rust and grease but can have an hard time with paint, can also be diluted with water but will take more time to clean.
5:14 Neutralizing the acid with solution of water and sodium bicarbonate
6:05 Final clean of all parts with brass wire wheel
6:23 Small parts can be dipped in cold blue if needed
7:38 Regular grease
Again, same processes for all other parts
12:00 Wooden base cleaned with brass wire wheel.
12:15 Bottom part sealed with spray finish (dries fast)
12:43 Top part finished with brush on poly and steel border treated with rust converter
13:59 Making the jaws out of mild steel. Drilling blind holes for M10 bolts (blackened off camera)
14:27 Tapping. Care with blind holes!
14:50 Removing mill scales with flap disk
Thanks a lot for watching, I hope you liked the video!
Suggestions and comments are welcome.
Leave a like and share to anyone who might be interested!
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[@BlackBeardProjects]

Let's play a game. Dislike the video if you have ever seen a vise as big as this one or like the video if you have never. Very curious to see results! As always be sure to check description for list of products and operations. Thank you!

[@user-gw2tc1qf9n]

ممتاز انت حلو

[@alzzla2730]

Black Beard Projects nice job 👍

[@dennisobrien3618]

I have a post leg vise that's stamped that it weighs 110 lbs. that I thought was pretty big. This beast dwarfs it. The bluing/rust converter combination was a good choice, I think.

[@jusb1066]

never seen one this big,i concede, though i have seen a blacksmiths anvil that was 1000kg,

[@rleeAZ]

Saw a larger one in a locomotive shop in Chicago. But only one. Once. Very cool tool you have there.

[@gutsngorrrr]

Lovely restoration, I'm so glad you didn't remove all its character, like so many other people doing restorations do. I love seeing all the casting marks and some proof of a hard life.

[@matejostransky7154]

Nos is it cast... It's die forged...

[@crystalsoulslayer]

Finally, a vise big enough for AvE.

[@coreyschmidt1647]

No chineeseium here!

[@mickholgate3347]

i don't reckon he'd put his in this vice, well not on vidyeyo!!

[@chibanix1347]

ABOM tool type

[@gonecoastal4]

I knew I would find an AvE reference down here.

[@xl000]

@@tritech mine barely fits length wise (28cm)

[@JustAnotherMaker]

That’s a beast! Love that you chose to cold blue and avoided paint.

[@jimmyeatshoe]

Awesome resto. He's a big boy!! Keeping the Character in tact is the best way forward for these historical pieces. Great video as always!

[@HandToolRescue]

I need all of this.

[@skyhound4373]

Including his subscriber count? Lol I'm sorry Hand Tool Rescue I had to do it. I am subscribed to you both and love you equally as my favorite KZbinrs. Can I have a free wrench for the sick burn?

[@marco.ruggiero.]

Haha, you tried ! Or like italians fellow like to say '' EH, VOLEVIH ''

[@ZouheirHamzaoui]

i knew it !

[@HandToolRescue]

@@skyhound4373 Hahaha. I'm actually quitting KZbin after 500k subs.

[@skyhound4373]

@@HandToolRescue Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Please dont. I'll edit your videos for you!

[@timberdish]

Now that's a big vise! Great job getting it back to ship-shape & shine.

[@budilov]

excellent work! It is a pleasure to watch you work!

[@JackScurlock]

When I was Master of the Nordanger, we had a 14" throw vice that weighed 890 pounds and was built into the engine room before the main engine was installed. You did a great job on this one. Thank you for posting it. Captjack

[@JackScurlock]

@Randall Swanson In constant use..captjack

[@MakeNCreate]

Killer vise! Awesome work mate!

[@Axbear]

Nice work. Thanks for keeping your benchtop clean.

[@jlcortez00]

Man i can watch this stuff all day

[@carlottafolli452]

thats like the T REX of vices, a beautiful old tool and a great restoration.

[@clarklindquist8137]

This has to be amongst the best restoration videos I've seen. Great job

[@oldsbuilt8740]

Awesome Resto! I respect that you made it do what it was meant to do, simply. No paint, no polish... function over form. Just as the original manufacturer intended.

[@michaeltubbs4606]

That's a beautiful monster! Thank you for preserving it!

[@robertmanley7556]

WOW now that is a vise ! A truley rare find ! Great job ! Loved it ! A true piece of gold polished back to life !

[@BenCDawson]

I like that you kept the scratches and only removed the rust/grease, this was a very well done restoration! Thanks for all the great videos, keep up the good work :)

[@andy26111]

i sit in silent awe,having witnessed the mightiest vice i have ever seen!

[@ultrapureblood1311]

The perfect vise for watch repairs. Good golly that's a big vise. Great job.

[@drstrangefart]

That is hands down the second most beautiful vise I've ever seen. I WANT it even though it would mean I wouldn't have enough room to use my forges or my anvils.

[@herbertbielefelder341]

This is probably the best vise I've ever seen. What a magnificent piece, it looks like a 120mm mortar !

[@steveredenbaugh9058]

Saw bigger ones at an Auction at the Ship Yards in Oakland Ca. they sold EVERYTHING. Massive Lathes, Engines, Pistons from ships, chains, welders , forges all kinds of tools small and HUGE!! even Tug Boats.. Incredibly Cheap.. but you had to find a way to transport purchased items and had a time line to get them out... I think it was about a week maybe more for the larger items. I spend a whole day there wishing I had a place to put things... was there to buy a Shipping Container for my Boss at the time.... Great Job on that Vice!!!

[@CanadairCL44]

I have never seen a vice as large as this one! It is also nice to see you use grease on rotating metal to metal components. So many people don't bother.

[@harley1969chuco]

That vice is a work of Art , beautiful , Thanks for Sharing I love it

[@anthonykent7983]

Awesomeness in a massive vice. that was a lot of surface area to clean and treat! And no not seen an actual vice that size!!! Thanks bro Anthony Kent

[@diegoseraph9225]

I love the respect of the "old tool". Great job!

[@mymechanics]

Looks like a watchmaker vise to me ...for the biggest clock in the world.

[@cia9315]

Big ben perhaps?

[@mikehill4551]

That's the find of a lifetime. What a gem!

[@romahoffman8178]

This guy inspires me to fix random rusty ass stuff!!

[@shedmanx3640]

This guy and others like him HAVE inspired me to restore random stuff. Works better than any medication when the depression is bad. Time flies and before you know it, you have a finished, restored item.

[@markwatters6875]

Vice stand looks more like a heavy mortar component from the military. Keep up the great work preserving all tools and machinery.

[@noneofthat2469]

Really impressive restoration job. The person who created this, (no doubt long gone) would be so chuffed if he saw the care you put into this. Magnificent.

[@MOUNTAINEAGLES]

You do good work on this mini vice!

[@masterblaster3712]

New to the channel ive watched a lot of your videos passing three hours at a time without realizing it keep up the work man

[@user-sl3il5sz2s]

Such a vise is fascinating. This is really cool. Screw thread is slightly damaged. It seems that one tetrahedral nut has been lost and replaced with a hex. The surface under the lips of a vice is not leveled. It is very good that I did anti-corrosion treatment. Well done! KZbin videos usually don’t do it for the sheen of bare steel.

[@bostedtap8399]

Very impressive and inventive design. Thoughtful and detailed restoration. Best regards from the UK.

[@kh23797]

Love this, Black Beard! And your copious notes are a boon, too. I kept thinking, 'hey, what about some jaws?' and was really pleased when you made a couple of new ones at the end. Even today, a huge vice like that could be really useful on a big construction site. We call 'muriatic acid' hydrochloric acid in the UK, and in fact I thought muriatic was an obsolete usage (which shows how little I know) ... Seems I'm totally hooked on restoration video therapy!

[@jerryjohnsonii4181]

Awesome job restoring this massive vise. I would love to have one of those vises in my workshop. Very Cool !!!!!!!!!

[@rickpalechuk4411]

Wow! Nice piece. Love the oiled finish. Cheers

[@bertalicea2397]

Awesome restoration, keep up the good work!👍

[@johnshook8324]

This is probably the 4th or 5th time I have watched this video and am still(!!!!!) finding things that amaze me !!!

[@NOFX0890]

Unreal resto. Great job mate

[@PhilVandelay]

Beautiful piece, I like that you didn't just paint it over, it has so much more charme like this. That wooden base would have made a great rustic coffee table too :)

[@TheHelmarocKing1]

Wow! Absolute unit!

[@plunder1956]

An amazing old vice and a curious design. I also thought the base plate suggested it was once fitted in a ship. Imagine the stories that old beast could tell us. Thanks for sharing.

[@BlackBeardProjects]

Nope, nothing unfortunately.

[@johndoe1765]

LOVE IT AND BEAUTIFUL JOB THANK YOU FOR THE VIDEO.

[@yyyihateyou]

Wow ! That 1 BIG vice ! Awsome ! I know your going to do an amazing job on it !

[@marco.ruggiero.]

What a beautiful beautiful piece of machinery art.

[@wolfganglieberum9534]

That's exactly the real way of restoring: removing rust only with wirebrush without grinding and painting and saving the old scares on the surface👍😀! Many greetings from Göttingen/Germany🇩🇪

[@simonherrington1183]

Another great project. I love this one. I need one of these 👍

[@marcosamoroso4418]

You did an excellent job. I've never seen one of those before. A beautiful monster. I have a leg vise of English origin from the time of the railroad implantation here in Brazil 1864 - 1910, but it is much smaller.

[@budwoodman1716]

Great video !! Everything you did was spot on and if it were me doing it, I would hope to do everything you did. I think the only other thing I might have done is to install a few well placed hardwood 'Dutchmen' across those cracks in the wooden base, just to provide some additional stability to the area.

[@spazoid2125]

this is a great video i love that its all in 4K thank you

[@markjeffels3327]

I think i'm in love! Amazing vise!!!

[@michaelpugh4894]

Wow that is a monster vise. Nice tear down and clean up. Beautiful restoration.

[@cnrart.claudiorodriguez9978]

UNA MARAVILLA DE RESTAURACION,,,,,,felicitaciones, saludos desde buenos aires

[@BrothersMake]

What a huge undertaking! Very impressive dude

[@paulquinn4704]

Fantastic, more like a preservation than restoration , as said before great to see its life & scars remain in tact, love it.

[@eCitizen1]

It looks like one-of-a-kind. Awesome find!

[@oliverworks5469]

Awesome work Black Beard!

[@brianfalls5894]

That vise is a monster!!!! WOW!!!

[@MakeEverything]

What a monster!!! Great job!!!

[@olliefs9298]

Awww man how good is this vice... i haven't even seen 5seconds into the video yet....

[@MadebyLaurent]

Never seen a vice like this one. Very cool!

[@user-gw2tc1qf9n]

الله يطول بعمرك 😍😘👐

[@defender_of_wonder]

Brilliant craftsmanship!👍🏻❤️😊

[@stanleyjaxen8759]

wow epic vice great job you saved the history

[@BEASTMASTERZ_TV]

You saved it. Now it’ll last another 100 years 🤙🏽

[@bluestarindustrialarts7712]

Wow. What a find! Good work as usual.

[@ISupportTheCurr3ntThing]

Needs more description throughout the video. Like when you put the clear liquid on the square nuts and turned black. Had no clue what was going on. Still very cool vise and video. Thanks for sharing.

[@JR-eq3qh]

Your work and your videos are ducking brilliant

[@greatitbroke]

Beautiful vice. nice job restoring it for sure.

[@lightning4871]

As always great job!

[@janeoverload]

a very nice vise, and a good job restoring it, keep it up.

[@diedredunham7383]

That's so cool looking. I wouldn't have a use for it, but I'd play with it. LOL I wanted to tell you THANK YOU for muting the sound on some of the really loud things you do to things. It makes it easier to watch and lisson!!

[@Sludgepump]

Wow, what a find! Beautiful restoration job. I'd love to have this... Giveaway??!!??? Hahahaha!

[@tonyday7233]

Lovely vise, when i was in the jewellery trade many years ago we used a vise like this for fixing ladies watches and other fine work. Beautiful restoration. Tony, Australia.

[@martinwolf5957]

Awesome I love it. 👍 👍 👍 Great job. Wauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu 👍 👍 👍 Thanks ❗❗❗Martin

[@virusMiki]

Che dire.....sempre lavori ottimi!! Ingombrante come attrezzo😱

[@pierluigibongiorno4564]

Excellent restoration!!! Congratulations

[@mconfluence]

I would really like to see a video of your shop with all those cool old heavy duty tools that you restore!

[@oneshotme]

Great job cleaning it up and was very glad to see you made a set of jaws for its little small but good nonetheless Enjoyed it and gave it a thumbs up

[@Mikhandmaker]

Well done!

[@glennbarthelemy2443]

I love the fact that you didn’t use any paint again great job bro ⚒🔩👍

[@bobjoncas2814]

..I think i saw one in a watch repair shop...lol...nice resto..

[@garyjones7198]

I'd hate to run into that guy in a dark alley that wore that watch...lol

[@bobjoncas2814]

@@garyjones7198 ...lmao

[@DirtandRust]

Man that's a Cool Old Vice ..never seen one that huge!! Nice Job!! Thumbs up

[@sundarAKintelart]

All said and done, wonderful...

[@horstszibulski19]

What a giant! 8-D That pin on the baseplate looks like the whole thing could be swivel around on something even bigger... Nice work, nice id, thx! :-)

[@TheVwgolfmk1]

Excellent job, looks fantastic.

[@sjp52047]

That had to be for some heavy industrial use years ago. Very good restoration. Regards, Solomon

[@johnmccanntruth]

That thing is massive! Very cool find.

[@silverbullet7434]

Now that's a vise , never saw one like it. It's collapsible or has other attachments to it. Lucky to have that beauty. Thanks for sharing.

[@beltxabeltxa]

Amazing piece you got there

[@kenparnell4297]

Half assed restoration is better than no restoration. Kudos on saving it from becoming a boat anchor.

[@393strokedcoupe]

Wow, what a beauty!

[@pauld9530]

thats beast of a vice. good work

[@Zirlikus]

Absolutely fantastic.

[@2gena68]

Вот это вещь, я такие тиски вижу первый раз в своей жизни. Вы молодец что эти тиски восстановили. Удачи Вам.

[@WaveCyclesCreative]

I must know more about this vice! I must have one! 😍

[@handyhippie6548]

that has got to be the biggest vise i have ever seen. i have some large bench vises, and a couple of post vises for blacksmithing, but that one takes the cake.