Restoring a 100 YEAR OLD Charles Parker Bench Vise!

In this episode I restore a 100 year old Charles Parker bench vise I bought from an iron worker. *Yes I know its spelled VISE....low sleep!*

[@bowalker3319]

You...have...no...idea how lucky you are! On my Parker, everything was a struggle but those jaw pins did not want to come out. I broke a Sterrett and it almost broke my will. You have a great piece and in wonderful shape. Enjoy it!

[@GoldmansGarage]

Super clean. Great vise and wow what amazing condition it was in to begin with. Great job good for another 100 years of work

[@1972GT160]

Nice vice , i grew up in Meriden CT , its pronounced mary den . That vice will be that last one you'll need

[@jacobfowler4426]

had the same experience with the red rustoleum. Prepped the metal with acetone, 2 coats of primer and was tacky and semi wet even after about a day and a half of drying. It might have been the humidity. But I did end up hitting it with a clear top coat and that made it a lot harder and more durable.

[@doctorping5326]

The swivel pin gets removed from the bottom. Great vise, well done.

[@Kyle-ev4fk]

Looks nice, but you said the vice worked fine the way it was. I would have just bolted the vice to the table and went wheelin in the Jeep.

[@jayres6372]

Nice job. Happen to be working on a parker vice myself.

[@ronk6117]

I have a 49x that is getting restored looks like 1906 on the side.

[@ronancahill2487]

Well done.

[@AliAli-zv5ot]

👍👍👍

[@marvinnewcomb3341]

My father-in-Law has a Parker 948 VISE dated 1930 that he wants to sell.. It has 8 inch jaws and extends to 31 inches. We think it came from a railroad yard. What do you think it would be worth?

[@andybrooks4070]

I got a 383 1/2 from my grandpas house however the place where your vise says "383 1/2" mine has the pat date "pat. 1930" and the 383 1/2 is actually on the movable end but on the same side, basically just below the jaw on the left side, I love it, just today I picked up its big brother the 384 1/2 which is 20 pounds heavier, im very excited to have them both, the last number and the 1/2 represents the jaw width, so 3 1/2 inch jaw and 4 1/2 inch jaw for mine, I have not taken apart the new vise yet but it is pretty darn clean, I just hope the pin isnt as stuck as my 383 was because dag gum it was on there good

[@Bigfoot14000]

Nice work. I have a Parker 272, 5 inch jaws. Very similar to yours. The swivel jaw is stuck, and I've been wondering how to free it. Looks like removing the pin on the side might be necessary. Any special trick to that? Incidentally, the bolt you had to replace on the swivel base is about a 1-3/16 hex. I have a wrench of that size, thanks to my grandpa's old Blackhawk tool set, but don't have a vise big enough to hold the Parker stationary to remove the bolt. LOL.

[@trailandco]

Thats a tough one. I think your best bet would be to get a socket the right size and try to use an impact gun

[@robertmcdonald4668]

Looks good, but you put the pin in from the wrong side. It might fall into the base if it works loose over the years.

[@trailandco]

Thats a good point, I just put it in the same direction it came out

[@earlborchardt4358]

The jaw retainers that you referred to as "old school" and rolled up sheet metal are neither. In more enlightened circles they are called roll pins and are still used to this day.

[@poindexter1387]

Jaw pins should be removed from the bottom to the top. Pins are also tapered. Just a fyi.......👍

[@marcuscicero9587]

wondering if baking the painted parts would assist in the drying. maybe 200 deg F

[@trailandco]

I had the same thought. I decided against it. The paint did eventually harden up nicely however

[@mmusolino]

Restoring a #87 Charles Parker Vise. Any advice regarding the best way to remove the 13/16 bolt that is rusted from sitting outside for 30 years. Tried 1/2 inch impact wrench with penetrating spray, and a breaker bar after heating up. No success. Thanks so much!

[@trailandco]

My vice was actually missing this bolt completely. But whenever the impact fails me, heat ALWAYS does the trick. Needs more heat!

[@Vagabondpilot]

What’s the ball for on the back? I just inherited a Parker 271 with a similar part

[@trailandco]

It allows the jaw to rotate when removed

[@marcuscicero9587]

nice patio brick. don't be throwin steel on it you Cretan, throw some plywood down first. thanks for the vid

[@trailandco]

Its too late, my jeep has already leaked all over it!

[@B5Blue1968]

@@trailandco I restored a Parker 974 vise this summer. Parker didn't put dates on their vises so you can only really narrow them down to a very broad range. The cylindrical handle (where the handle slides back and forth) is from the 30's to when they went out of business. If it had a bulb shaped handle it would be 30's and earlier. Since it says Meriden CT. on it, your vise was made between the early 30's to 1957, Parker was bought by Union Manufacturing in 1957 and they moved production to New Britain, CT and changed the markings, so yours would be no newer than than 1957 or no older than the early 30's, nonetheless they are great vises! There are very heavy, mine weighs 65 Lbs. It's a shoulder bolt that goes thru the base to the vise. My pins that held the jaws in were solid, these jaws are very unique as you may see, multiple angles on them. One very unique feature is in the handle there is a 5/16 flat head set screw, with a spring a small brass disk, so you can tighten the handle in any position. You have the wrench (that loosens the bolt to allow the vise to swivel) they are usually missing, i have seen those wrenches on eBay for 60.00 to 80.00. Great job on the restoration, turned out good!

[@joe1569]

I so wanted to like this video. I restored a Parker 954. Unfortunately, your camera work is awful. Too shakey, far too much movement, and for God's sake lose the selfie stick. But the vise came out vicely ! Great find.

[@trailandco]

I don't own a selfie stick but thank you for the comment the engagement helps the channel