Posted 5 years ago
ChaseCan
(35 items)
Restored G. Boley C60 Bench Vise.
Color: Candy Blue / White
Vise #157
G. Boley and Company opened in Germany in 1870 and produced lathes, vises and other tools for watch and clock makers. Their tools are renowned for being of the highest quality and precision. They moved onto designing and producing CNC lathes decades ago.
G. Boley was aquired by Citizens of Japan and though still in Germany has been renamed. It is a division of Citizens that still designs CNC lathes.
The exact date of production of this particular vise is currently unknown. It has been suggested due to the numbering and markings this was produced pre 1900.
Due to its long life in doing the restoration I left some of the scaring/marks left by those watch clock jewelry makers and repair people that used it over the past century or so.
You can see more pics, read about the restoration, and more on the history of G. Boley on my blog at the before link:
http://ccanade.blogspot.com/2019/06/g-boley-c60-bench-vise-restored.html
Beautiful
Thank you for saying so Bruce. :-)
Cheers...
Great job, that's a precision vice definitely.
I wonder if I could ask what materiel the jaws are made of? Most of my vises have brass jaws but one has hard rubber and another steel. I sold off all the big ones because I am to old to lift them anymore.....a result of the golden years. The golden years get pretty rusty.
@ Toyrebel - Thank you! Yeah, you can definitely "feel" and see the quality when moving the jaw on this vise. It's smooth as silk.
@ fhrjr2 - I don't know the exact metal composition of the jaws. They're steel of some sort. The DIN is 5115. If that's referring to all the dynamic parts including the jaws I don't know for sure. There's not a whole lot of info online specifically about the vises they predicted or other watch maker tools. Most info is on the lathes they produced.
I'm considering making a couple astronaut jaws for it. Or jaw caps. One set would be poly, another felt. I hadn't considered a brass set though that's an option.
My thought is to utilize the two detents in the side of each jaw to clip the jaw caps on and hold them in place. Spring metal should work fine for the idea. Maybe add a couple magnets in the center of the cap like they do on most today. I don't know for sure yet. :-)
I need to find the rotating base for it. It's an optional part they offered for the C60 and C100 vises. I've only seen one online for sale but it was attached to the vise, which I don't need obviously. Plus.. they wanted more than I was willing to spend for one I'd have to restore. One will turn up someday.
Another note on the jaws, G. Boley and Companies most noted competing company, Boley, (and) Boley and Leinen, who still make the Leinen vise in a 60mm. I believe, though I'm not 100% positive, that their 60mm jaw and jaw caps will fit this vise. Same with the C100 and possibly other G. Boley vises.
Understand, there was a long history between the three companies.. and those at the top.
Of course, they're are other companies that copied the G. Boley vises too. You see a variety of C60/C100 and other G. Boley vise "copies" that pop up. Many miss labeled as manufactured by G. Boley, when they are not.
I found the history pretty interesting. A lot of drama and twists between the players. Lol