Hi all, while since I posted on here. Anyway, bought a vice at a car boot for a £5er. I did'nt realise anything was wrong with it, I thought it was just seized closed and would be more like a penetrating oil job. Got it home and a smack with a hammer soon loosened the screw, then the one jaw fell out. Seems this vice has had a rough time some day and someone has broken the step off that holds the jaw in place. My repair thought is to drill and tap, screw a row of high tensile steel (probably 6mm) bolts in to form a new step, grind to level and shape. Wondering if someone here has any better idea for repairing? I don't really feel like going to the trouble of preheating and welding.
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Bill Edwards
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That sounds like a good method of repair, though if you are a bodger you can get away with just welding it without doing anything special (not that I'm a bodger 
). If you grind in a bit first you can even do it neatly!
). If you grind in a bit first you can even do it neatly!
MattF
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Unless you're planning on belting the crap out of anything whilst it's held in the jaws, I'd just screw the jaw insert back on and leave it. The step isn't really needed for anything. Just stops the insert pushing downwards if you're pounding away, which is likely what broke it to start with.
Even with that minor damage, a Woden B3 for a fiver is a tidy deal.
The screws are 1/4" BSW for the inserts, btw.
Even with that minor damage, a Woden B3 for a fiver is a tidy deal.
The screws are 1/4" BSW for the inserts, btw.Thank you fellas, what do you mean Bill, just severely welding the jaw to vice casting as a bodge job?
Yes Matt, that's why I bought it, I thought well worth a fiver. I don't really need it, will be handy some day maybe. I am often whacking or punching bolts etc in the vice and I imagine I would sheer the 2 screws if the jaw had no support. Thank you for telling me they are ww thread.
Yes Matt, that's why I bought it, I thought well worth a fiver. I don't really need it, will be handy some day maybe. I am often whacking or punching bolts etc in the vice and I imagine I would sheer the 2 screws if the jaw had no support. Thank you for telling me they are ww thread.
the snooper
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i think I would weld it, you will only have to do it once and I would imagine it to be stronger then drill holes in it, which will weaken the vice, I had a vice that had snapped right across the part where woden is on yours, that was welded and lasted years the only reason it snapped again was a small section had been missed and it caused a weak spot, the cast broke but not on the weld, it stayed intact
MattF
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The other possible way of doing it, if you want support, is to make a L shape insert, then fit it with the L inverted so it's resting on the top of the jaw and preventing downwards movement in that manner. Depends which is easiest for you out of welding or making a shaped insert. A similar type of method was used on some of the old American vices, (not that I've spent way too much time reading that thread 
).
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Thanks Matt, yes that's another way to consider.
Thanks Paul, good to see you again, yes I once did a snapped vice just like your saying, welded it with o/a. I really can't afford to have o/a now a days.
So, do you mean to weld the jaw to the casting or to build the step up with weld? To build up, I suppose I could do a few runs with cast iron arc rods and build on top of that with 6013s.
Thanks Paul, good to see you again, yes I once did a snapped vice just like your saying, welded it with o/a. I really can't afford to have o/a now a days.
So, do you mean to weld the jaw to the casting or to build the step up with weld? To build up, I suppose I could do a few runs with cast iron arc rods and build on top of that with 6013s.
Bill Edwards
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I've welded the jaw straight onto the vice with ordinary 6013 rods with success. As you don't have a ledge I'd run the weld the full width of the vice as that weld will take the strain that would otherwise be taken by the ledge. Normally I just do an inch or so at each end and a blob in the middle, it doesn't take much to achieve the same or better than the original screws. Make sure you have the vice clamped tightly shut as you do it as that's where it will be in normal use, doing this should mean the weld won't be stressed except when you are hitting something.
The correct method must be to drill and tap to bolt it on, but welding does work in my experience.
The correct method must be to drill and tap to bolt it on, but welding does work in my experience.
the snooper
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yeah I did mean to build up the section for the jaw to sit on, should have said in the first place
do you have a workshop all set up now ? its been a while since you movedThanks Bill, yes i would probably do as you say if I was stuck for a vice, but this is a spare one so a spare time job. I think I have a few cast iron arc rods so I will start to build up with them to give it the idea of what I'm about then just use the cheaper 6013s, grind to shape and fit new screws, bit of paint and might even try to sell for a bit of profit, lol.
My son in law has a decent sized garage Paul which was full of other peoples furniture and ornaments, he just had a little bench and vice in it for making up his fishing tackle. So I built him a wooden garden shed to do his jobs in in exchange for the use of his garage. Lately I have been installing electric supply and fitting it out to suit myself. I will post pics of the vice but may be a little while and I have some welding jobs on. Cheers Brian (",).
My son in law has a decent sized garage Paul which was full of other peoples furniture and ornaments, he just had a little bench and vice in it for making up his fishing tackle. So I built him a wooden garden shed to do his jobs in in exchange for the use of his garage. Lately I have been installing electric supply and fitting it out to suit myself. I will post pics of the vice but may be a little while and I have some welding jobs on. Cheers Brian (",).
Spent some time repairing the vice today, Couple of runs of cast iron arc rods first, then built up with 6013's, heaps of sparks and spatter while running 6013s on top of high % nickel welds, many new holes burned through t-shirt 
. Ground to shape and that'll do me. Was hoping the welding heat would have eased broken screws, wrong, had to drill them and re-thread. Removed screw from front jaw and found that the thread is 8 x 1.25mm not 1/4" BSW as Matt said but these screws may have been changed from original. (Unsure about uploading photo's, hope they turn out in order)
. Ground to shape and that'll do me. Was hoping the welding heat would have eased broken screws, wrong, had to drill them and re-thread. Removed screw from front jaw and found that the thread is 8 x 1.25mm not 1/4" BSW as Matt said but these screws may have been changed from original. (Unsure about uploading photo's, hope they turn out in order) 
