zampilot Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 I have a 5" jaw unknown maker leg vise with a bent leg, maybe an inch or so out of straight. Need I worry about heating it to non-magnetic in a propane forge and pounding it straight? I dont have a half-round hardy to use so I'll wing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CurlyGeorge Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 I had a 4" vice that also had a bent leg. I used a large hand hammer and, with some help from a friend, held it on my anvil and straightened it cold. It didn't take a lot. But it worked out just fine. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Legs should be mild or even real wrought iron. IIRC there are some out there done in ductile though. Did you spark test it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monstermetal Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Yep, if it was cast it would be broke, not bent. So I would heat it and beat it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zampilot Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 OK, heat and beat. Hopefully the last hello of minus 10 is tonight, I'll have to waste some propane to warm the anvil tomorrow but I can handle the move and hammer. I pick up my new outside anvil in the next day or two: a 5x5x10" chunk of 4140, I'll sink it in my oak stump in a month or two and commence to 'work harden' it. I'm really stoked to get to heatin' n beatin' on some of the small pile of unknown scrap, RR spikes and old files. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BM454 Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 If you have a sawmill located near by, you can stop in and ask them if they have rail road cross-tie ends. They work great for beating on just about anything like that. Also work great for blocking up things if needed. I use them often on heavy equipment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zampilot Posted February 10, 2011 Author Share Posted February 10, 2011 Legs should be mild or even real wrought iron. IIRC there are some out there done in ductile though. Did you spark test it? Well that did'nt take but 5 minutes. Not much spark flying on a test, maybe it is WI. Heated it up to orange, laid it across the anvil and tapped it a few times with my hammer, now it's straight as before! It's a restoration project, the spring and mount are missing, there's a coil spring tacked on (in the wrong place to work well) and some angle iron welded to it. All that comes off! It's supposed to be in the mid-thirties this weekend so outside work will be OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhblacksmith Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 If you have, or have access to, a small press that would do a real nice job of straightening the leg cold. It doesn't take much to bend them as they are designed for a vertical load, not horizontal stress. 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.