Hi Colin
As someone who dabbles with metal and wood, all I can say is superb.
To have achieved the finish on the jaws is very impressive, you must have spent some time polishing the file marks out of the jaws, (something I did not do very well on my vise) very well done.
I can see a little of the J vise in the design and that is no bad thing, it is a cracking vise.
I have assumed that there is a height adjusted screw set into the curved aluninium or steel bar on the end of the jaws, how the heck did you manage this so well?
If you incorporate an O ring between the main shaft tension handle and the main body of the vise, you should be able to micro adjust the level of friction required to rotate the main shaft to a point where the jaws will stay in place when you rotate the rear handle to see both sides of a fly.
Having mad a very rough vise that lasted for over 10 years (based on a little of the Dynaking Sidewinder and the Renzetti Master but much rougher
), I know how much work has gone into this project, huge respect.
Like most things in life, we really only strive to be happy with what ever we make (flies, tools, painting etc, almost anything really).
I do not think I ever really reach the point where I am happy with something I make very often but the journey is a learning curve and that is what is really rewarding.
As a first attempt with hand tools, outstanding is the only real way to describe this.
Use it for a while to learn from it and you will either be happy with it for some time before trying to improve specific points you may or may not want to change.
Live with it, enjoy using it and smile everytime you use it in the knowledge that you took a box full of metal and other bits and turned out a cracking fly tying vise.
All the best
Kev.
P.S. your paintings are amazing too.