This post will cover the teardown and restore of this 150 year old vise. Dating to around 1870, this No 23 is one of Parker’s earlier models – back when the model numbers were still simple! According to the catalogue, the vise is 48lbs with 4 1/4″ jaws and was available in 1875 for $11, equivalent to about $330 in 2026.
Teardown:
Unfortunately, I didn’t take a lot of good photos before I tore it down, but you can see here that the vise was complete, including both upper and lower swivel plates, the swivel lock nut and wrench, collar, and importantly no major damage. Not bad for something 150 years old! Upon teardown, it even had the tension spring in the handle.
Clean up:
Following the cleaning process that has been covered before: a bath in purple power to loosen grease and paint, a dip in the electrolysis bath to remove the rust, a quick buffing, then a coating of BLO. Just like with my Parker 973 1/2 I kept the bare metal look.
The swivel lock wrench and nut are a pretty unique combo and very rare to find in something this old. I found it to be pretty awkward to use to lock the vise and you need room under the bench to maneuver it. I can understand why Parker experimented with various swivel locking approaches over the years. You’ll see the evolution of the swivel lock in a few of the vises here.
Final Assembly:
Overall, this is an historic vise and in pretty good shape. I think its a bit too hard to use as a daily driver, but it looks great as a statement piece in someone’s collection. There are some wonderful details on this vise you just don’t see anymore like the patent dates on the spindle, lock collar, static jaw and even the lock wrench. I’m in awe of how long a well treated vise will last, and pleased with how this one came out.
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