milomilo Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 I saw one similar to this one here some time ago and thought I really need one myself. Took several months going to auctions to finally find a vise in decent condition. The vise was missing the bushing in the handle end so I made one from a piece of 1" pipe and brazed 2 pieces of keyway on each side to keep the bushing from turning in the vise. I used a 4' piece of railroad rail upside for the horizontal anvil surface. I will be drilling some 1/2" holes for mounting some hardies in order to be able to bend round bar or flat bar. The hardies will be removable to keep the top surface flat when needed. I used 1" pipe for the legs and some 1 1/2" angle for leg supports. I cut the railroad rail to length on my Keller power hack saw. Only took 18 minutes for each cut. Love watching that saw work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Is it stamped IRON CITY within a six pointed star on the movable leg? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Bushing in the handle? I think you invented something that don't exist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 Bushing in the handle? I think you invented something that don't exist. I agree! It's not supposed to have a bushing there,with one it may bind when you try to open it to its largest opening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milomilo Posted February 25, 2013 Author Share Posted February 25, 2013 Is it stamped IRON CITY within a six pointed star on the movable leg? There was no ID anywhere on the vise. I have saw others with no ID either. Must be a common thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milomilo Posted February 25, 2013 Author Share Posted February 25, 2013 Bushing in the handle? I think you invented something that don't exist. The hole in the handle end of the vise is much larger than the diameter on the acme screw. The handle would flop up and down while trying to tighten the vise. The hole in the handle end of the vise was somewhat elliptical which is why I added the keystock to kepp the bushing from spinning. There is no binding when fully opened due to the bushing. The spring bar does need re-arching as it had no tension when the vise is only opened around the 3" mark. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted February 25, 2013 Share Posted February 25, 2013 The hole in the handle end of the vise is much larger than the diameter on the acme screw. The handle would flop up and down while trying to tighten the vise. The hole in the handle end of the vise was somewhat elliptical which is why I added the keystock to kepp the bushing from spinning. There is no binding when fully opened due to the bushing. The spring bar does need re-arching as it had no tension when the vise is only opened around the 3" mark. Your vise does not have an Acme screw. It has a square thread, acme thread is a later invention meant for power transmission on machine tools. They use square thread because it puts no bursting pressure on the screw box. Screw boxes were often cast iron and would fail if a sloped thread were used this is why they used a square thread. The hole in the front jaw is supposed to be large this allows the screw to float so the vice jaws can clamp a wide ranges of sizes. The screw flops around because you don't have enough tension on the spring. It could be that the spring needs to be rebent or remade. I see at some point some one added a coil spring to assist. You need to forge a new spring http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/28479-how-i-forged-a-new-spring-for-my-leg-vise/. Its a simple task really put down the mig it wont help you here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milomilo Posted February 26, 2013 Author Share Posted February 26, 2013 This coming spring I pan to re-arch the spring. My 30 ton press will get it bent to the right arch easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 This coming spring I pan to re-arch the spring. My 30 ton press will get it bent to the right arch easily. Be careful you don't crack it. It may have been stressed many times and work hardned a doing it hot will insure you have no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 26, 2013 Share Posted February 26, 2013 I'd take it apart and clean and grease the pivot area first and then don't overtighten the pivot bolt and see if it moves easier. Note that because you are in a chilly area you might want to skip grease or oil and use a graphite lube engineered for cold weather use, I used plain old low carbon strap stock to make a new spring for my 6.5" vise and so didn't have to worry about heat treat beyond normalization Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milomilo Posted February 27, 2013 Author Share Posted February 27, 2013 I'd take it apart and clean and grease the pivot area first and then don't overtighten the pivot bolt and see if it moves easier. Note that because you are in a chilly area you might want to skip grease or oil and use a graphite lube engineered for cold weather use, I used plain old low carbon strap stock to make a new spring for my 6.5" vise and so didn't have to worry about heat treat beyond normalization Par tof the problem is the existing hinge joint where the outer vise jaw pivots. I shot some Fluid Film in there and it did make it move easier. I will be disassembling the vise this spring and cleaning and lubing things up as well as a new coat of paint. That alone may fix the problem, but it does seem the spring does need re-arching. I will know for sure after it is disassembled. 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.