Dawn Cast Steel 6SQ Standard Pattern Quick Release Vice Refurbishment

Today I’m refurbishing an Australian-made Dawn 6SQ cast steel (as opposed to the cast semi-steel/cast iron) quick action engineer’s bench vice. More info on the company here.

Here's a vintage Australian-made Dawn cast steel bench vice restoration, model 6SQ

Being cast steel this vice would have come from the factory in blue, some of which will be evident once the red paint is removed. The vice owner requested it be re-painted in red.

Unlike the plain screw vices, the quick action vices have the screw tethered to the dynamic jaw at the back:

Evidently the quick release handle broke at some point:

The shaft behind the handle also didn’t come from factory this way:

After undoing the retainer block we can take it out:

Well. Once the nuts and spanner have been removed from the threaded end:

This is the bottom of the half nut:

The split pin in the end of the screw comes out next, followed by the washers:

Now we can see the top part of the half nut which can now be removed:

Jaws and half nut cleaned up – the phosphor bronze of the half nut is very obvious now:

No.4 marked on it:

Removing the paint – blue visible underneath:

The cast steel texture is notably different to the typical cast iron – more subtle wrinkles:

Painting day:

The owner had acquired replacement parts for the QR handle:

Cleaned up:

Reinstallation:

Flat bar and screw go in the end now, on the left in the photo:

Half nut needs to be greased and installed now, and the retaining block reinstalled:

You can add tension to the QR handle by cranking the nut behind the handle with an open ended spanner – this adjusts the amount of spring tension on the handle. If you don’t do this at all on reinstallation the handle will probably not spring back particularly enthusiastically. Note how the nut has an end with ratchet-like teeth to help make this happen easily.