I was tidying up in Docs Den when there was a knock on the workshop door. My good friend Craig’s face appeared, and he bravely entered, politely not commenting on the confusion and chaos within.

“That’s a nice vice” he said, pointing to my Dad’s old engineer’s vice, made in Australia by Dawn, and brought to England when my Mother imported him in 1962. “I could do with a vice like that – I’ve only got a woodworking vice on my bench.”

I had also refurbished a small Record No.1 vice in 2020, for one of the previous IBTC graduates, an ideal size for her to use on her boat. It was one that I had happened to have just hanging around:

It was early December, and having been somewhat at a loss as to what to give Craig for Christmas, I now had more than the germ of an idea for a suitable gift!

I did some internet research. There are loads of cheap Chinese imports to choose from, but the quality is not great. Ebay had some pricey vintage vices, but none that looked that good. Suddenly, I remembered that I had a rusty old Record No.2 vice, tucked out of the way on the floor of the garage, just one of those things one can’t throw away, because they are bound to come in useful one day. I seem to have a lot of such things!

Digging out the vice from the garage, I found that it was indeed very rusty. I considered using Evaporust on it, but time was short.

I had previously toyed with the idea of de-rusting old tools using electrolysis. So, after some more internet research, I set to and made an electrolysis tank, using pieces of rebar as the sacrificial cathode. With a new fuse in its plug, the car battery charger I bought in my late teens for my first car was back in action, after over 40 years! With some washing soda added to the water in the bucket/tank, we were off. It took three days of electrolysis to clean off the rust, but it did a great job, with just enough time remaining for me to paint and reassemble the vice in time for a pre-Christmas brunch with our friends.

I think that has cleared my stock of excess/unused engineer vices, but I have a couple of woodworking vices ready for refurbishment when needed, AND an electrolysis tank to boot. Perhaps I should set up in business!!