Rail may be a booger to weld though.

Rainbows said...

"Actually I might be able to get a sizeable amount of railway track. If that stuff has to take trains it should probably deal with this."

Now we are talking.

I have recently won a sculpture competition with a proposal which is largely made from railway track components. It is going through the solicitors and planning systems at the moment so who knows whether it will actually happen...

None of the large railway track maintenance companies have responded with much interest to my enquiries for four of the 9 metre lengths of the old bull head section rail and some sleepers and shoes…do you have a source?…it will be worth at least a small leg vice to you by way of finders fee!

Alan

Edited April 26, 201511 yr by Alan Evans
added Rainbow's quote as post got out of sequence

Rail may be a booger to weld though.

​I always fancied doing some joints with thermite, looks spectacular, pyromaniac's delight!

I remember reading a wonderful tale of a Mississipi paddle steamer shearing its main paddle axle, it drifted down stream and they managed to get to a bank where the engineer managed to realign the axle, formed a mould around it with mud from the river bank and thermited it back together, they were under way again in a few hours!

I have wanted to find an excuse to have a go ever since!

Alan

Edited April 26, 201511 yr by Alan Evans

4 of 9 metres? Not sure they have that much. I was thinking more 1 metre sections but possibly multiple thereof. I've done some volunteer work at churnet valley railway and they have some sections of track lying aorund. Keep meaning to ask but never get around to it. I remember seeing a short railing where they had made the top horizontal section out of some track welded to vertical bars. 

Find your local heritage railway and give them a email. Since they are smaller organizations they are more likely to take the time to reply even if its only to tell you to go away.

Edited April 26, 201511 yr by Rainbows

4 off 9M long, tricky to stick that on the Volvo? Especially at night?  Are you looking at a quiet siding? I think I saw one neat Beth's place!

can get lengths of bull head if you need it or other types and the shoes too.

the autojumbles I go to are on all year round and leg vices are quite common.

can get lengths of bull head if you need it or other types and the shoes too.

the autojumbles I go to are on all year round and leg vices are quite common.

​Hi iron dwarf, if you can help, brilliant!

Here is my shopping list...send me a PM

16 shoes,

Four 9 metre lengths bull head profile,

four sleepers

Alan

The vice is desighned to take the pounding, you just need a weighty base plate and beefy post to keep it from walking around when you start twisting on stuff. A couple of 3 bags of 'creat. Will add a couple of hundred pounds to thet rim. Place a plate and a pice of pipe as a socket on the edge of the rim so the rim is out of the way. Later you can put a another,shorter, bigger vice on the other side latter.

just got back from an event late last nite, will get a pic today if I can, rail may be in shorter pieces so will need a weld 5 or 6m maybe if that is ok

you have transport I presume as it will be heavy

Found a vice on ebay relatively near and it appears to be good condition but the seller said the screw is stripped. There is still some visible thread but it does look somewhat small.

Can a new screw be made? What sort of cost could I expect for such a job? 

​See if you can find a source over there for large screw/bolts stock with Acme Threads.  That might work for you.

Far better is a base you can stand on.  If you are standing on the base it is very difficult indeed to move the vise when you hunkering down on a large cross section long moment arm piece...  For my heavy work I have a 6.5" vise attached to a utility pole that is buried 5 feet into the subsoil and concreted in---it's one of the supports for the roofing trusses.  Stable vise but it does drive the sheet metal walls and roof when I'm being enthusiastic on it!

​See if you can find a source over there for large screw/bolts stock with Acme Threads.  That might work for you.

The wedge together scaffolding systems use them on their levelling jacks. They tend to be a bit sloppy but the nut could have the handles cut off and be welded to the vice box. The original vice male thread could be ground off so that it will slide through the jack's hollow thread and be welded at either end. Lots of second hand sellers on Ebay. The ones I have are Ø1.5".

Still think you are better off picking up a serviceable vice from the outset.

Alan

leadscews from milling machines or lathes would be much better, the nut is normally bronze but there are ways of fixing that permanently in the old screwbox rather than these large hollow and rather rough threads from quickform scaffolding

the old fashioned "house jacks" AKA bottle jacks before the hydraulics came around had large square form threads and fairly coarse and can be found fairly cheaply used.