Every Man Needs His Vice

[bikespace]

Hi all,

I know there's some big engineer types on here, so thought I'd ask a little advice.

I've been stuck for a while trying to do a few jobs because my bench vice wasn't up to much.

Well I had a look around, and eventually bought a 'fairly cheap' vice off Ebay. A Record No.23 for those of you with no life :-)

New these seem to be between

[copemech]

Maybe #24 was better?

[bikespace]

Maybe #24 was better?

Can always rely on you Cope, just not always in the best way

[spud]

BS, mate now lets be serious what the F**K was you DOING to break that vice?....being you the wrong side of 16 stone

Edited August 20, 2008 by spud

[kinell]

PIE Power!

[ikb]

Looks just like my vice!!! Mine must be about 30 years old and not cracked yet!!!

[bikespace]

Looks just like my vice!!! Mine must be about 30 years old and not cracked yet!!!

Doesn't look quite like yours then

I gotta be honest, I think most of it was my own fault, OK all of it. I know damned well that if you need to get something nipped up real tight it's got to be central. The size of this vice I sort of put less importance on it, but with a bit of a twist in the wrong direction, even this cast stuff is breakable in dumb hands. The bit I was working on was nipped in the edge. Ah well, another lesson learnt. How many more can there be

[bikespace]

BS, mate now lets be serious what the F**K was you DOING to break that vice?....being you the wrong side of 16 stone

Which is the wrong side?

Ah - I dunno, feeling a bit stooopid now. I can almost see my craft teacher of nearly 30 years ago shaking his head at me. Mr Hendry - I'm sorry OK

[bikespace]

On a brighter note, I think I have another one exactly the same on the way (exactly apart from the big feckin crack).

And, I've been told that if I put the old one in a big Jiffy bag with 20 milk bottle tops and a fifty pound note, some bloke in China will turn it in to a Xispa for me.

[phb]

On a brighter note, I think I have another one exactly the same on the way (exactly apart from the big feckin crack).

And, I've been told that if I put the old one in a big Jiffy bag with 20 milk bottle tops and a fifty pound note, some bloke in China will turn it in to a Xispa for me.

Nah just the 20 milk bottle tops should be enough and then you might get some change

[mattylad]

It is worth spending the money and buying a steel vice, you will never break it.

Yours must be a cast iron and as you have seen two break in the same place it could be a problem with the casting cooling and creating internal stress.

I have paid about 70 pounds for a used one when the local college stut its vocational training down.

[peterb]

Hi bikespace,

We all cracked up with cope's "maybe number 24 was better"

I have broken 3 vices, 2 of them are Records, number 3. A friend has used a large, old Chinese vice for many years, also cast iron, subjected it to all sorts of abuse, tightening the handle with a scaffold pole and it's still ok.

You can weld your old one up, heat it all up in an oven for a few hours to drive out the moisture, and when still hot, with the crack vee'd out for welding, use an arc welder with a nickel rod at high current for max penetration. There is no carbon in the nickel rod and this prevents the weld from becoming brittle. You can get cast iron rods but I have never worked with these. Or just get another one, the steel one sounds good. Also, in the old metalwork shops in schools in the UK that used to have forges, there should be a drop leg vice, made from real wrought iron these were made to put up with lots of hammering.

Bye, PeterB.