William Batdorf
12-03-2018, 9:42 PM
Hello All,
I recently came into possession of two (2) Emmert Turtleback pattern maker vises, both of which are complete, undamaged and have not been abused. I received them from a retiring woodworker who was impressed that I recognized what they were in his shop and he wanted them to go to a good home. I am told they came from a casket making company in Berks County, Pennsylvania. I have completely disassembled one of the vises with the intent to media blast the cast surfaces while protecting the machined surfaces. Fortunately, there is no internal damage of any kind. I have polished all of the pins. I will hone the interior bores to restore the surface finish.
All of this brings me to my question...How to finish the cast parts. I've considered high quality paint (Sherwin Williams Metal Shop Finishes). Powder coating can be had very reasonably in my area. A gunsmith friend suggested CeraKote, a finish popular on custom gun parts (but not inexpensive for parts this large).
I want the finished project to be a very well restored "user" that I will mount on a traditional workbench in my shop. It should be durable enough to withstand routine shop use. It will never again see hard, uncaring use like it would have seen in a commercial shop. I think of Emmerts as a thoroughbred horse, now living life in tall green pastures. The fact that they were manufactured right here in Pennsylvania doesn't hurt, either.
Your thoughts, suggestions and experiences for a finish are welcome.
Best Regards.
I recently came into possession of two (2) Emmert Turtleback pattern maker vises, both of which are complete, undamaged and have not been abused. I received them from a retiring woodworker who was impressed that I recognized what they were in his shop and he wanted them to go to a good home. I am told they came from a casket making company in Berks County, Pennsylvania. I have completely disassembled one of the vises with the intent to media blast the cast surfaces while protecting the machined surfaces. Fortunately, there is no internal damage of any kind. I have polished all of the pins. I will hone the interior bores to restore the surface finish.
All of this brings me to my question...How to finish the cast parts. I've considered high quality paint (Sherwin Williams Metal Shop Finishes). Powder coating can be had very reasonably in my area. A gunsmith friend suggested CeraKote, a finish popular on custom gun parts (but not inexpensive for parts this large).
I want the finished project to be a very well restored "user" that I will mount on a traditional workbench in my shop. It should be durable enough to withstand routine shop use. It will never again see hard, uncaring use like it would have seen in a commercial shop. I think of Emmerts as a thoroughbred horse, now living life in tall green pastures. The fact that they were manufactured right here in Pennsylvania doesn't hurt, either.
Your thoughts, suggestions and experiences for a finish are welcome.
Best Regards.