Introduction: Bench Vice Refurb'.

This is my first Instructable, so please bear with me !

Step 1: Intitial Assessment

Saw this vice in the back workshop at my place of work. It was looking sorry for itself, just sitting there quietly rusting away!. I thought I would take it home and give it a new lease of life, seemed a shame to bin it.

Step 2: Dismantle & Clean.

Next was to dismantle it and inspect for any cracks, damage etc. There didn't appear to be any damage, everything worked. The only thing missing was the jaws. a thorough clean in hot soapy water followed by a scrub down with brake cleaner to get rid of the grease and dirt.

Step 3: Remove Old Paint.

I tried to remove the old paint with Nitromors, but to no avail. So, I decided to set about it with a selection of wire brushes. These got the old paint off in no time and I was pleasantly surprised with the result. Another clean off with brake cleaner in preparation for a fresh coat of paint.

Step 4: Masking Up

Time to mask off wherever you DON'T want the paint to go. I used some Frog tape I had left over from some previous decorating. Take your time at this stage, because the more care you take now saves a load of time trying to get paint off from where you don't want it to be.

Step 5: Primer

I had intended to paint straight onto the bare metal with some Hammerite but decided to prime it with a good quality primer. Belt and braces approach ! Leave this for a couple of days to dry and harden.

Step 6: First Coat of Paint

Hammerite paint was first choice at this point, it's worth paying a little extra for this. The hardest thing was deciding on a colour......went for dark green in the end. I didn't want black or the usual red. Wait a few days between coats, again so it can dry and more importantly harden. Used 3 coats in total.

Step 7: Almost There

Looking good so far. Ready for re-assembly. A little multi purpose grease on the moving parts before it's put back together should keep things moving.

Step 8: Metal Polish

A little Autosol polish on the shiny bits and it looks like new.

Step 9: The Reveal !

Very pleased with the end result. Just waiting for some new magnetic soft jaws I ordered from eBay. The vice now has it's new home on my bench I made from old pallets last year.