PeteH Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Is anyone selling replacement springs any more ? Couple years ago, there was a guy on FleaBay selling them at a reasonable price... there weren't anything fancy, a relatively low-carbon steel I think, but he claimed they worked. Reason: I have a nice old vise which is missing the spring - someone put a coilspring around the screw long before I got it, and it works, but it would be nice to have it look right as well as work right. I could make one out of an old leafspring, but that would take time, which I don't have right now. Thanks... peteH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pug}{maN Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blacksmith-Farrier-Leg-Post-Vise-1-1-4-Replace-Spring-/270954589423?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f1626ecef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Pete it needs to be fitted to your vise so it would be hard to buy ready made. It's a very simple project though and even mild steel will work just fine. No heat treatment is necessary. I would consider it a twenty minute project here. it could certainly be done in half that time though. One inch or one and a half inch by 1/8 inch mild steel strap is easy to get and will serve well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Mild steel, normalized, and you can adjust the arc cold! (actually I could do the whole thing cold for a usable but inelegant one...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 Thanks, guys... looks like I'll do this one myself. The coilspring works, just looks crummy. Glad to hear that mild will have enough bounce for the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pulsepushthepopulace Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Tractor supply company sells leaf springs. lowest leaf spring (3) leaf bundle starts around $34, which is a good price in comparison to what the local junkyards (LKQ) are letting them go for, which is right around $30 a leaf spring... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r smith Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 All my vices have 3/16" or 1/4" thick springs, 1/8" is probably to thin for all but the smallest vices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Select a piece of 1/4 x Y mild steel where Y is the approximate width of the post. The length is approximately the available distance from the screw box to the top of the pivot. Bend about 1/4 - 3/8 inch over into a hard 90 at one end, fish tail the other end some and fit the fishtail to the moving jaw. The features are on the same side of the bar. Bend the bar into a curve cold with the features to the inside. You can hammer into the hardy or step of the anvil (or on some hard dirt) to get the curve. You can also use the vise and a wrench to bend the curve. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 A scrapyard is far cheaper than an automobile junk yard. At a scrapyard they are selling vs the scrap price of the metal. An auto junkyard is selling against the price of a new part for a car. Never paid more than US$5 for a single leaf of a leaf spring and that was for a whopping big one at a scrapyard. If you don't have a decent scrap yard near you check out the local auto mechanics they will often give you one if you ask nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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