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Thank you for the reply. Who would you consider to sell quality bi-directional belts?

I've purchased belts from a couple of different places and all of them seem to have a raised/thicker section where at the seam that causes a "bump" when you're grinding. I understand why there is a seam I'm wondering if there are degrees of noticeable seems. It's like a mini speed bump every time the seam goes by when I'm grinding something. Is this a trait of every brand of abrasive belts or are there options out there that don't have as thick of a seam.

Thanks Frosty and arftist. I have been trying to bend the 1/4” pieces hot and I have been using the horn about 50% of the time. With my “technique”, flat spots and inconsistent spirals are the norm. I cant wait to try y’all’s way. Hopefully I can get this figured out.

Do you have any tips on removing the swivel jaw pin from a Reed 405 vise? I got one at an auction and I can't get that pin out.

The scrolls I'm working on currently are only 1/4" square bar. I'm making some plant hangers for a friend. I don't have pictures of the scrolls at the moment.

I'm pretty new to blacksmithing (about 7 months) and I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to make decent looking, semi-consistent scrolls for a while. If I'm trying to make 3 scrolls, one might look ok but, the other two look like they were made by a one armed blind person. Nothing has been harder for me to grasp so far. I have watched a bunch of videos and they all make it look really easy. Clearly, I am missing some fundamental step or steps. If any of you could pass on some wisdom regarding scroll work I would be very appreciative.

Thank you Daswulf. That is what I needed.

I've cleaned up one old post vise and now I'm working on another one. What do you guys put on your vises to keep them from rusting right away? I've seen people use boiled linseed oil but I've read that it can get gummy after a while.

I recently bought a 4" post vise that was missing a spring and mounting bracket. It was originally built with a tenon style mounting bracket. I'm going to make a bracket and spring for it. I'm sure I can figure it out on my own but, I would like to minimize the chances of me messing it up and having to start over or making something that won't hold up for very long. Anyone have tips, pictures and/or instructions on making a tenon style mount for a post vise? I've been searching the internet for a few days trying to find pictures or instructions on how to make the mount but, there is surprisingly little information about this type of mount. I would love a video or instructions if anyone has them but I would settle for pictures of working tenon mounts so I can at least see how it was made.

Almost like fold up fork lift forks. That's not a bad idea. Especially with the fold up feature. I'm going to look at that tonight to see if it's a possibility.

It didn't occur to me that being made in a factory could mean that it was still hand forged. Sorry about forgetting the location. I bought it in Greensboro, North Carolina.

It is concrete and I can drill it but, I am hesitant to drill it since it's a new floor and I'm not 100% sure of how I'm going to layout my shop.

I recent got my first post vise and I have no idea how old it is or who might have made it. I've been trying to learn as much as I can about it but, I'm finding out that a lot of different people/companies made them and never put any identifying marks on them. I thought it would be worth a shot to ask here. It looks (to my untrained eye) to be hand forged so that makes me wonder if it was made around the mid to late 19th century. I also wonder if the screw and screw box might not be the original parts. I wonder about the screw box because the "duck tail" looking part on the back of each jaw looks like someone with skill made them but, the screw box looks like it was made by someone with a little less skill. When I got the vise apart I noticed that 4 of the pieces had 3 dots on them. So far, those are the only markings on the vise. When I got the screw box cleaned up some, I saw that it appears to have been brazed/welded with bronze or brass. You can see it in multiple places where it looks like it had seams that have been brazed/welded. Another thing that I haven't been able to figure out is the slot on one side of the pivot pin hole. I don't know if it was put there intentionally by whoever made it or if it was something someone else did by accident or after the fact. If I need to post more or different pictures to show different parts of the vise, let me know.

lol! Yeah, that's a terrible setup. I couldn't get my post vise mounted fast enough.

I have thought about this. I would need to figure out a good way to increase the size of the base that I have. I wonder if a fold up/down "standing" plate would be worth a try? I'm having a hard time visualizing your setup. Do you have any pictures?

I made a vise stand for my post vise recently. I don't want to bolt the vise stand to the floor because I like the ability to roll the vise outside to work on something or roll it out of the way if I'm not using it. Lately, I have been working on trying to twist square bar and making picket baskets. The problem is that the vise stand will walk a little or rotate if the force being used is anything but straight down. I worked on removing any raised areas on the bottom and that helped a decent amount but, it still moves too much. It's frustrating and a little nerve-wracking trying to chasing your vise while working with red hot metal. I have attached a couple of images of my vise and stand.