Blacksmithing tools

[Lis2323]

Y'all had me looking for vises yesterday.

Take your time looking. Don't go getting your nuts in a vise ....





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Need Advice]

Talking about vises, this is one of my favorite Youtube channels. Good-looking vise, too. I'm torn between swivel-base and solid-base. I guess it all depends on where you're going to stick the vise. A lot of people think they're weaker because they have more moving parts, but I've seen more than a few fixed-base vises that were simply broken through the mounting lugs.

I'm a novice welder. I have never welded cast iron so forgive my ignorance, but is it possible to weld a fixed cast iron vise base to a piece of plate steel to give it more strength? If its possible i could drill holes in the plate instead of using the holes in the vise base. Maybe that would give it enough strength so it wouldn't break. What's the easiest stick electrode to weld cast iron with?

[N2 Welding]

Yeah it looks like poor joe did!

[whtbaron]

I'm a novice welder. I have never welded cast iron so forgive my ignorance, but is it possible to weld a fixed cast iron vise base to a piece of plate steel to give it more strength? If its possible i could drill holes in the plate instead of using the holes in the vise base. Maybe that would give it enough strength so it wouldn't break. What's the easiest stick electrode to weld cast iron with?

Stick electrode would probably be NiCad, but if you read the thread on anvil repairs, both that and brazed cracks have had less than stellar results. If the cast iron has seen enough force to break, chances are pretty good your repair will go the same way...

[whtbaron]

Y'all had me looking for vises yesterday.

Vices and vises are 2 different animals...

[Lis2323]

Vices and vises are 2 different animals...

Bestiality comes to mind.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Need Advice]

Stick electrode would probably be NiCad, but if you read the thread on anvil repairs, both that and brazed cracks have had less than stellar results. If the cast iron has seen enough force to break, chances are pretty good your repair will go the same way...

Thanks for the info. I saw this vise on another thread. It looks strong and like it would make a good blacksmith vise.

[Lis2323]

Stick electrode would probably be NiCad, but if you read the thread on anvil repairs, both that and brazed cracks have had less than stellar results. If the cast iron has seen enough force to break, chances are pretty good your repair will go the same way...

This Maple Leaf I picked up had a broken dynamic jaw. I brazed it up and remachined it and it seems okay but I’m somewhat hesitant to really wail on it.







Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Shootr]

Those spikes I got from the scrap pit at the mine - made one into a dolly. I used it when forming the beak for the eagle. plenty more to figure out what to do with.

[VaughnT]

Those things are gorgeous! Talk about almost perfectly shaped for all kinds of metalworking needs!

Mark Aspery's first book has a good description of how to forge some tools for shaping sheet metal. I'll see about taking some pictures.....

[Lis2323]

Stick electrode would probably be NiCad, but if you read the thread on anvil repairs, both that and brazed cracks have had less than stellar results. If the cast iron has seen enough force to break, chances are pretty good your repair will go the same way...

I have always had good results with NiCad. But I haven’t tried it on a vise repair……


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Need Advice]

I have always had good results with NiCad. But I haven’t tried it on a vise repair……


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think I'm going to avoid any vise with a cast base. I'll either go with the fabricated steel offset vice or a Blacksmith's post vice.

[Lis2323]

4-5" jaw post vises go for around $100 here if you are lucky.

Of course there's always the guy who asks $300 but you run into that everywhere.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Lis2323]

LOL.

Here's one near me today.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...4991903571436/



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Need Advice]

4-5" jaw post vises go for around $100 here if you are lucky.

Of course there's always the guy who asks $300 but you run into that everywhere.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ive seen them online for around $100 but i would have to pay shipping too which wouldn't be cheap. Someone recommended Craigslist and FB marketplace. If i go with the post vice I'll try that when i get the funds for the vice, maybe i can find one within driving distance.

[whtbaron]

I picked both of mine up cheap before the craze, but it's a different world out there today. Freight is going to be a killer on any heavy item... search out your local sources first. Keep an eye on farm auctions if there are any close to you, but that market has been a little silly too.

[Need Advice]

I picked both of mine up cheap before the craze, but it's a different world out there today. Freight is going to be a killer on any heavy item... search out your local sources first. Keep an eye on farm auctions if there are any close to you, but that market has been a little silly too.

Realistically I don't think I'll get a post vice for under $200 counting shipping, or if I find one within driving range they will want $200 for it. But maybe I'll get lucky.

[Need Advice]

I found this fabricated steel offset vice for $145 and free shipping. Its not as HD looking as the record vice from Australia but it might do.

[Lis2323]

I found this fabricated steel offset vice for $145 and free shipping. Its not as HD looking as the record vice from Australia but it might do.

Are those jaw inserts relying wholly on the bolts and no shelf support?

It's hard to tell from pic.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Need Advice]

Are those jaw inserts relying wholly on the bolts and no shelf support?

It's hard to tell from pic.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I zoomed in on another image. It seems to have welded shelf support. Below it the website. Look at the first image and zoom in. You have hover over the image to activate zoom.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/192008758847

[Need Advice]

I think i may have been wrong about the Australian offset vice being more HD than this one. I think they are both made by the same manufacturer in Australia but this one is imported.

[VaughnT]

I kinda like that offset idea, but I don't know that I'd use it for much because it's.... offset.

Directly over the screw where it's strongest is also where you have the least amount of depth. There might be more than it looks like, though. It's the strongest part of the vise and where you want to do the majority of your work whether that's peening over rivets or bending bars. If you did that kind of work off the side, you're putting a ton of torsional force into the whole contraption.

Of course, being welded up from plates of mild steel, it'll certainly be stronger than similarly-sized cast iron bodies.

For post vises, I don't really mind paying up to something like $300 if thing is in good condition. It's why the seller is trying to pass off something that's chewed to bits, missing all the parts, and still wants top dollar that I really get mad about it. If the vise is in good shape, has the mounting plate, spring and gib keys, a couple hundred spent will be spread out over a lifetime of use. And I'd still keep my eyes peeled for a big ol' machinist vise just because they are so very handy. Any decent gentleman knows that you cannot have too many tools.

[Need Advice]

I kinda like that offset idea, but I don't know that I'd use it for much because it's.... offset.

Directly over the screw where it's strongest is also where you have the least amount of depth. There might be more than it looks like, though. It's the strongest part of the vise and where you want to do the majority of your work whether that's peening over rivets or bending bars. If you did that kind of work off the side, you're putting a ton of torsional force into the whole contraption.

Of course, being welded up from plates of mild steel, it'll certainly be stronger than similarly-sized cast iron bodies.

For post vises, I don't really mind paying up to something like $300 if thing is in good condition. It's why the seller is trying to pass off something that's chewed to bits, missing all the parts, and still wants top dollar that I really get mad about it. If the vise is in good shape, has the mounting plate, spring and gib keys, a couple hundred spent will be spread out over a lifetime of use. And I'd still keep my eyes peeled for a big ol' machinist vise just because they are so very handy. Any decent gentleman knows that you cannot have too many tools.

Yes, thats why buying locally would be better than mail order, at least you can see what you're buying. What are gib keys used for in a post vise?

[VaughnT]

The gib keys are those two little bits of metal that hold the mounting bracket to the vertical leg. They are also the first pieces lost unless they are jammed in with rust and grime. Once they go, it's only a matter of time before you lose the mounting bracket and spring.

To find a complete vise that's in good condition, the threads not worn down and the jaws still clean and sharp, well, that's absolutely worth a good bit of money, in my opinion. It's nice when you can find them for cheap, sure, but it's not the end of the world if you can get one for $200. It's like a lot of the tools we buy -- the closer to new in condition, the closer to new in price you should expect to pay. That's only fair, I think. I wouldn't pay top dollar for an old anvil that's seen a ton of abuse, but if I found one that was almost as good as new, I wouldn't mind paying a price that's similar to what I'd pay for a quality new anvil from Fontanini, Holland, or Nimba.

[Need Advice]

The gib keys are those two little bits of metal that hold the mounting bracket to the vertical leg. They are also the first pieces lost unless they are jammed in with rust and grime. Once they go, it's only a matter of time before you lose the mounting bracket and spring.

To find a complete vise that's in good condition, the threads not worn down and the jaws still clean and sharp, well, that's absolutely worth a good bit of money, in my opinion. It's nice when you can find them for cheap, sure, but it's not the end of the world if you can get one for $200. It's like a lot of the tools we buy -- the closer to new in condition, the closer to new in price you should expect to pay. That's only fair, I think. I wouldn't pay top dollar for an old anvil that's seen a ton of abuse, but if I found one that was almost as good as new, I wouldn't mind paying a price that's similar to what I'd pay for a quality new anvil from Fontanini, Holland, or Nimba.

Thanks. if i do buy a leg vice at least i know what to look for now. I notice they make new leg vises but they are made out of either cast iron or cast steel. That sounds like a waste of money. That offset vice sounds better all the time.