Kaylee Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 I found a leg vise on craigslist, and it looks to be in pretty good condition with some exceptions. Overall it looks like it could be cleaned up fairly well and have some good life, and the guy selling it says it operates smooth so I'm assuming the threads are in decent condition, but I'll have a close look at the screw box and threads when I go see it in person. It's missing the spacer and wedge for the mounting bracket, as well as the spring, and it looks like the leg was cut short (by about 13-14 inches). If I were to get this, would it be recommended to leave the leg alone, forge weld new steel, forge weld genuine wrought iron, grind a new spike at the end, or what else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 Weld a mild steel peice on or please a post under it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Ivan Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 You're a bit far but normally I'd say bring it by my shop and we can forge weld a new leg on and forge all the parts you're missing. Fixing post vises is on of my favorite things to do! What size is the jaw? If it's beefy, the leg may have been cut down to use the vise at a better height for hot work. We love pictures here if you've got any! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Ling Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 1 hour ago, Kaylee said: and wedge for the mounting bracket, as well as the spring those are all replaceable by forging new ones, not exactly sure about the spacer, I have never made one. with the leg pretty much gone, that my be a good thing if you plan on doing lots of striking with sledges because it is lower, just like how a striking anvil is typically lower. one of my leg vices is a bit tall and I would have preferred it to be about 4 inches shorter, especially for filing/grinding. Littleblacksmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 3, 2016 Share Posted May 3, 2016 We fixed up a vise leg as a project at a local smithing group meeting. It had a green stick fracture and we forged out some wrought iron into a strap and spiraled it around the bad spot and then forge welded it up. It was a lot of fun. I'd go with real WI. PM me if you can't find any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaylee Posted May 4, 2016 Author Share Posted May 4, 2016 It's a 4" little guy... currently weighing in at 33 pounds, the spring, spacer/wedge, and the part of the leg that was cut off would be just about 2 pounds. The screw threads and screw box are pristine, and the jaws have the cross hatching in such good condition, I doubt that it got much use. The bottom of the leg was clearly cut off, I can see the hack saw marks easily. @Crazy Ivan I figured that forge welding the leg piece from real wrought iron would be period accurate, look the best, and be consistent strength with the rest of the vise. If I can't find any wrought iron, I will definitely let you know, @ThomasPowers, thank you. Oh, and I'll get pictures tomorrow in good light. Here are the pictures that were posted on Craigslist. Oh, and @littleblacksmith I figured those smaller pieces would be very easy to hammer out, and putting them to use on the vise will be very close to instant gratification. Thank you everyone for your input here. My gut told me that I could forge a new leg piece and the missing parts, it's very nice to have my suspicions confirmed. I'm guessing that forge welding the new piece would be best achieved with scarf welding? (It's cut off at a 90 degree angle, or very close to) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted May 4, 2016 Share Posted May 4, 2016 How did it get like that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Pirate envy (I'v seen postvises that had the lower part of the limb cast in concrete in the floor and were chopped by a new owner so they could be sold off; ones chopped short to be welded to a specific stand, one ran over by a bulldozer when they bulldozed the old shop where the leg was so mangled that I could understand someone trimming it so it would fit in a trunk; etc and so on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaylee Posted May 5, 2016 Author Share Posted May 5, 2016 It got like that because someone used a hack saw to cut the leg off short. The guy I got it from had it since '74 or '75, back in South Dakota. He said it looked exactly then like it does now, and it just sat inside, in his garage I think. After close inspection of the screw box, they definitely look machined (not forge brazed), and the letters I can make out are minimal on the top, just an "o", and "ittsbu" below it, probably Pittsburg. I'm guessing it's an Iron City vise based on that. The original weight 35 is fairly clear as well, but I don't see any other markings at this time. I'll definitely have to clean it up a bit more with a wire brush and "Elbow Grease" brand TLC. Being buried in concrete and cut off to be sold makes sense. The guy I got it from said it came from a ranch in South Dakota... he bought it because it looked a lot like the one his dad had way back at the farm, so he thought it was cool, but after it sitting around for 40 years doing nothing, he thought it was time to give it a new home... and he was extremely happy to be giving it a home where it'll be used and cared for, not just in someone's collection getting dusty and rusty. Said I was making him love it more and more as we talked. In a half hour talking with him, I got to learn a lot of history on this vise and his family, and he was very glad to have an interested ear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 very nice screw in great condition! You might turn the screwbox up and fill it with cheap non detergent oil and let is set a week and then drain it---I like to run a big bottle brush on a drill up the screwbox then and then refill, shake and let it drain for another week just to remove any hardened gunk in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaylee Posted May 5, 2016 Author Share Posted May 5, 2016 Awesome, thanks for the idea! Like motor oil or a light machine oil? I have a bit of light machine oil, but probably would have to get more to completely fill the screw box. Any cleaning up of the collar that you'd recommend beyond a wire brush or degreaser/rag? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Looking at the close up, there are some grinding or filing marks on the sweep to the back of the moving jaw...and a bit of a rough line on the bottom edge...you might give that area a clean up with a wire brush and/or vinegar and see if it is a weld repair or original manufacturing telltale. No particular problem if it is a repair, it can always be done again if it ever needs it. Just worth being aware of. As far as Thomas' good advice to clean out the gunk in the screw box, I always did mine. But used either diesel, petrol or Janitol / Jizer engine degreasers whatever I had available. I never had time to leave it a week! Young man in a hurry back then... I have just remembered that I bent and ground up a bit of Ø10mm (Ø3/8") spring steel (mild would work fine) to make a thread chaser. A small chisel which fitted the thread groove at right angles to the shaft which I wound into the screw box to clean out the crud crust and then rinsed out with one the liquids. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Diesel would be great; I said a week cause "Saturday to Saturday" is a good time for a lot of folks working overly full time... The more aggressive the fluid the shorter the time and the less "brushing" it takes. I like oil as it leaves it lubed to start, though some folks prefer to grease theirs after cleaning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Yes I greased afterwards. I made up a fairly dry mix of grease with a load of flake graphite in it...the grease was there to prevent the graphite from blowing away almost. The thinking was to not have too sticky a mix to hold grinding grit in the threads. Seems to have worked...they have not worn out yet. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaylee Posted May 5, 2016 Author Share Posted May 5, 2016 Ooh, that means the kerosene I have laying around in a 5 gallon jug with no other use would actually do good for this project. Sounds like it's time to get a bucket and soak some greasy parts, and I'll actually have a use for the stuff! If I crack the jug open and it's bad, I can also just siphon off some diesel from my furnace's tank (I love oil furnaces and their heat!) I think I'll go that route since it's something I already have instead of buying some oil. I have enough oil to lubricate it, but not enough for a soak. Again thank you Thomas and Alan! Your words of wisdom and ideas are very much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 I don't think kerosene can go so bad it won't work as a grease cutter---unless it has evaporated to sludge itself. Neatest Vise mod I've seen here was the fellow who installed a zerk on the end of the screwbox and would grease the screw forcing crud *out* of the screwbox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 3 hours ago, ThomasPowers said: I don't think kerosene can go so bad it won't work as a grease cutter---unless it has evaporated to sludge itself. Neatest Vise mod I've seen here was the fellow who installed a zerk on the end of the screwbox and would grease the screw forcing crud *out* of the screwbox That is an elegant solution. I have been spending the last few days sitting on my little BobCat mini digger, hoiking out the footing trenches for the new studio walls. All the pivot pins on the BobCat have a grease nipple on one end and a hole up to the middle so the grease is delivered in the centre of the journal and pushes any gritty stuff out with new grease. Sound principal. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaylee Posted May 5, 2016 Author Share Posted May 5, 2016 I'm not sure if I want to drill into this vise for a zerk fitting, but that is indeed an elegant solution! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted May 6, 2016 Share Posted May 6, 2016 I bought some Japanese made pillow blocks once and they had beautiful brass grease nipples. I tried to find a supplier so I could use them in my gate hinges. I ended up with a company in Bolton (Notlob for Monty Python fans) at an emporium rejoicing in the name of The Nipple Shop! I could not get the normal push on nipples in brass, but they did have them in Stainless Steel so I have a stock of those. They did have the large hexagonal slide on industrial type in brass so I stocked up on those as well. Now...I am sure any self-respecting leg vice would be only too proud to have such a grease point! Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaylee Posted May 6, 2016 Author Share Posted May 6, 2016 Is that an offer in case I change my mind, Alan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted May 6, 2016 Share Posted May 6, 2016 It wasn't but it could be! It was more an aesthetic observation and point of order...Design philosophy...musing on quality... Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaylee Posted May 6, 2016 Author Share Posted May 6, 2016 To be clear, I wasn't looking for a handout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allessence Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 Nice vise for sure.. Congrats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted May 7, 2016 Share Posted May 7, 2016 14 hours ago, Kaylee said: To be clear, I wasn't looking for a handout. Well I am sure you would be able to source one locally for a lot less than the postage from here....but if you are ever passing this way you would be very welcome to drop in for a coffee and take one away as a memento! Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.