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269776 Paul Gardner <yoyopg@g...> 2020‑01‑24 Re: Emmerts Turtleback questions and WTB parts
Hello Paul,

I really wish you luck if finding those parts. I haven't really been
looking but I too have noticed a few of these mounting plates broken which
suggest they belong to that "rare and expensive" category of parts.  I'm
not sure how much metalworking equipment you have in your shop but I'd go
down the fabrication road and make a new one.  You have a great template
right in front of you.  The raw material would be relatively easy to find.
For the main bracket, if you have a metal bandsaw the shaping is really
straight forward but you could also get by with a hacksaw, a grinder with
cutting disc, a couple files, and a drill press.  For the hinge portion,
the shaping is also fairly straight forward but maybe a bit more of a
slog.  If I were doing it, I'd drill and tap both knuckles in addition to
welding them to the main plate - but I'm a belt and suspenders type of
person in this regard.

If you are concerned about the looks of it in addition to function, I can
certainly appreciate that.  There are a couple ways to get it looking more
like an authentic casting so you don't get "bumped" when you look at it.
After rounding the corners, you could pepper it with a needle scaler to the
desire effect.  A cheaper and more available solution you'd want to
experiment with first would be to lay a sheet of coarse emery cloth grit
side down on the steel and beat the cloth backing with a hammer.  The idea
is that this imparts the pattern of the grit onto the surface of the steel
leaving a rough finish that you can burnish via you preferred method (i.e.
steel wool).  I'd then heat the thing up till it goes dark blue and quench
it it some motor oil to darken the color.

I'd do the same with that shiny pan head screw except I'd strip the zinc
off it with some mild acid over the course of a day or three and give it
the same heat and oil plunge treatment.  Guaranteed to look better than it
does now.   Best of luck with the restoration!

Paul, in SF who has always had a fascination with these types of vises.

Recent Bios FAQ