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I Forge Iron

old and rusty vise


Stephen Jones

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I might have a chance at what looks to be a pretty old leg vice. The jaws are not quite square over lapping by about 1/4 inch and the spring is lying beside it.  I recon its about 3-3 1/2 foot long. The jaws move freely and the threads appear intact.

Are these hard to repair and whats an old vice worth?

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The screw box is the big issue, as it is the hardest lart to fix, so if it is good its probbably a good canidate. Worn pivit pins and holes, and bent brakets can be fixed. As can missing mounting brackets, price depends on where you are, jaw with and weight. New ones are $500+ shipping from Europe. Most of us have "old ones" as they are a heck of a lot cheaper than "new" ones. 

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I recently bought a restored one on ebay and had it shipped to my parents as it was cheaper than getting it to here. So I really dont know what i bought yet. This one looks usable but Ive never tried to restore one before and im waiting on the guy getting back to me with a price.

 

Edited by Stephen Jones
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As long as the screw and screwbox are OK; everything else is generally pretty easy to repair by modern and/or traditional methods.  I tend to go for ones that are missing mounting brackets and springs as they are cheaper and those items are an enjoyable Saturday morning forging job.

 

Can't speak as to prices over where you are at, here my last half dozen postvises have ranged from US$75 to $30

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I think my most difficult rebuild was when I plugged, (heat shrunk and riveted) the pivot hole on the moving jaw and re-drilled it to align the jaws vertically on an old "industrial" vise that had seen a lot of heavy hitting.

​I had to realign the jaws on a massive 8" vise. I aligned it the way I wanted it to be then tack welded it to prevent movement then ran an oversized endmill through the egg shaped holes. The result; a larger well aligned bore with much more wear area and a bigger than original pin. Not much good without a milling machine. 

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