Recent content by JohnGB

@t8hants That's probably for a slightly smaller model then, maybe something like the Parkinson's 15 or Record 52 series. Still, thanks for trying.

@t8hants Mine is a slightly different design, but from what I can tell, the measurements look roughtly the same. If your yoke has just over 1 inch holes for the guid rods, and a little over 20mm for the centre hole, with about 60mm between the guide rod holes (not centre to centre), then it...

You're right that the only strain on the yoke is when opened, which actually has me quite surprised that the yoke breaks so commonly. Maybe just the repeated stress of thousands of openings over time.

It's only 3 holes in the later versions, but this version needs one centre through hole, and two blind holes to hold the guide rods. But your general idea is what I would go for, only using 2 pieces of mild steel to effectively form the blind hole. Unfortunately, I don't have a pillar drill...

You have to love doing something seriously oversized. A fantastic project. How has it held up over the last decade or so?

@The_Yellow_Ardvark Thanks for the tip. I'll add it to things to ask at a local metal working place.

Record did that for later models, but the early models are absolutely identical to the Parkinson's 16 (other than the name and a little decoration on the front jaw). I'm even willing to bet that they used the Parkinson's patterns. Still, the slightly later models have a few things that...

@Orraloon Yes, they did that in later models, but then the guide bars had a step machined into them so that they would stay in place. Unfortunately the earlier models didn't have this step. From my research the Parkinson's Perfect 16 was the original model, which was then copied by Record (I...

The part (apparently a yoke), is definitely critical on the earlier models. Without it there, if I pull on the handle with the quick release in, the entire bar with the thread comes out with nothing stopping it. The idea is that the yoke would transfer (via a short travel compression spring)...

I have a Parkinson's 16 vice (essentially identical to the Record 53) that has a cracked cast iron part that (I have no idea if there's an official name for it) which connects the threaded rod to the two guide rods. I've circled the part in red in the attached photo. The chances of me finding...

As a followup to this, I have managed to find springs that work well as replacements. They just need a tiny bit of filing down to fit one end in, but otherwise they are perfect. There was a minimum order quantity, so I now have more than I need. If anyone needs one, just let me know.

I've recently acquired a Parkinson's Perfect 16 vise in great condition. The only issue is that it's missing a spring. I've tried but I can't seem to find any replacement springs to buy off the shelf, but I've found a few places that I can get what looks to be the right size and shape spring...