# Repairing destroyed vise



## Hukshawn (Dec 20, 2017)

Is there any hope for this vise? 
I have a new chinese vise coming. But this one is bigger and actually better, but it's been chewwwwed up. I could use the new vise to make new jaws, but is there any hope of point in repairing the bottom to bring back some accuracy when I use parallels?


----------



## markba633csi (Dec 20, 2017)

You can do some amazing things with metal-filled epoxy


----------



## David S (Dec 20, 2017)

At first I thought that this should be in the "joke of the day" forum.  That thing sure has seen better days.

However...just however, I bet someone here will have a suggestion for restoration.  Is it a name brand?   Surely not a Kurt??

David


----------



## Billh50 (Dec 20, 2017)

I repaired one like that with some JB Weld. After it dried I milled the bottom to .001 - .002 from surface then brought it in by hand.


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 20, 2017)

JB weld? What are these other epoxies? 
I don't remember the brand. I'll check when I'm home.


----------



## Dave Paine (Dec 20, 2017)

JB Weld is a brand of epoxies sold in at least the US, many different products under this brand.  I have had good results with JB Weld.   The original formula takes a long time to cure, but hard once it cures and supposed to be good for over 500 deg F.


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 20, 2017)

I just found JB weld at home Depot. Awesome. Bought two packages. 
That was easy for once! 

I have a project in the vise right now. Once I'm done I'll have to do a major degrease.


----------



## Alittlerusty (Dec 20, 2017)

My experience with the jb weld is it shrinks quite abit when dry. It may take a couple tries to get those holes filled all the way


----------



## markba633csi (Dec 20, 2017)

Use a source of heat with JB weld to cure it, a light bulb (do they still make them?) works well. You want the temp at about 100 degrees F for about 4 hours to get it nice and hard. Add some steel filings for even harder fill, like those big dimples in your vise. I'm a happy JB welder LOL
Mark S.


----------



## ch2co (Dec 20, 2017)

That thing hurts my eyes!
Be sure to show pictures as the repair progresses.


----------



## Dave Paine (Dec 20, 2017)

I mix the JB Weld on a piece of masking tape.   I have not needed to mix large volumes.   I put the masking tape with the residue aside so I can test it cured later.  If the residue cured, I feel confident all the epoxy in the fix should be cured.

For holes on the side or through holes, cover the side/bottom with masking tape.    The JB Weld will flow for a long time - slowly but enough to mostly drain a through hole if not blocked at the bottom.  Same for the side.


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 20, 2017)

I've done huge epoxy pours on live edge wood bar tops. I hate epoxy. Lol. But it does look great and is very workable when hard. I'll see how this stuff goes once the big block of aluminum comes out of the vise.


----------



## markba633csi (Dec 20, 2017)

Yes it's runny so you need to make little "dams" out of tape or cardboard. I like using that blue painter's tape cause you can peel it off afterwards. 
Mark


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 20, 2017)

Yeah. This live edge had knot holes going straight through. Those dark spots in the bottom of the picture. Went straight through. had to mask and block with plywood and epoxy still came out. Had to do it in three pours.


----------



## Dave Paine (Dec 20, 2017)

Nice job on the bar top.   Looks really good.


----------



## RWL (Dec 20, 2017)

Has anybody tried TIG welding the holes in a vice like this?


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 20, 2017)

I had pondered welding, but I don't want to risk warping it due to heat.


----------



## Silverbullet (Dec 20, 2017)

I think if take your time and do center tig braze outwards in small areas over several hours . Being cast I figure the bronze should flow in and fill without distortion . Done slow it'll be there to stay. After each heating I suggest keeping it warm for a few hours to overnight . 
I don't know if jbweld  Will hold up with cutting fluids . I did a repair on an cast iron block kohler engine the owner said use it to fill a crack inside and out. After it cured for 24 hours I rebuilt the engine . Needless to say it ran a few days and came back leaking and blown. 
There are other metal filled epoxy devcon. Has some really good ones do your homework and do what you thinks right.


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 20, 2017)

What about oxy acet brazing? That's all I have aside from the multiprocess welder. (no Tig)


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 20, 2017)

For those wondering, it's a 6" hylo vise


----------



## RWL (Dec 20, 2017)

"What about oxy acet brazing? That's all I have aside from the multiprocess welder. (no Tig)"

Oxyacetylene welding/brazing heats up relatively wide areas although admittedly brazing occurs at a lower temp.  The advantage of Tig is that it's focused heat.  I'm not sure whether Tig would or would not warp the cast iron which is why I posed the question of whether anyone has done a repair with Tig.  I don't honestly know the answer.  I was hoping to hear from someone who tried it.  Filling holes with metal is a more durable repair, and probably more cosmetic.


----------



## EmilioG (Dec 20, 2017)

This is what you may want to use:  
https://diamant-polymer.de/en/products/ultrametal/


----------



## RJSakowski (Dec 20, 2017)

I worked with epoxy composites for six years with a good deal of time spent studying cure rates.  

When an epoxy has hardened to the touch, it has only cured about 10%.  A full cure can take years for epoxies that take a day to harden.  Epoxies also continue to shrink with curing.  Heat will hasten the cure with the cure rate doubling for every 10ºC increase in temperature.  A higher temperature will also result in a harder and more heat resistant product. Epoxy also has a property called the glass transition point which is the temperature at which the cured epoxy changes from a rigid to a plastic solid.  This temperature increases as the cure becomes more complete 

If I were repairing the vise with an epoxy composite, I would fill the recesses generously and allow to cure at room temperature until hard.  Then I would slowly increase the temperature until it reached between 110ºC and 130ºC.  This process would take place over several days and the epoxy should be close to fully cured.

As to the composite, I would use a slow curing epoxy and mix in iron powder to make a thick paste.  Not having the powder, saw dust from cutting iron with my horizontal band saw or filings from filing with a fine  tooth file would work.

Fully cured epoxy is fairly immune to most solvents.  I would expect good resistance to the chemicals that would be used in machining.


----------



## Billh50 (Dec 21, 2017)

The vise I repaired with JB weld has held up fine for the past 4yrs. And is still going strong. I did let it harden for almost a week to make sure it was hard all the way through.. This vise was my main vise for milling.


----------



## MozamPete (Dec 21, 2017)

In South Africa we have a product called Pratley Putty which is a two part epoxy putty - you kneed parts A and B together and it softens as you work it, but then cures rock hard and can be filed or machined.  I have used it on my mill table to fill the worst scares, and it avoids the problems with liquid type epoxy running out of where you actually want them to be.

It's a bit of a South African legend it was used by NASA in 1960's on Ranger landing craft, so has the distinction of being the only South Africa product ever to go to the moon.


----------



## markba633csi (Dec 21, 2017)

Epoxies seem to share some characteristics with concrete as far as curing


----------



## RJSakowski (Dec 21, 2017)

markba633csi said:


> Epoxies seem to share some characteristics with concrete as far as curing


Exactly, and for much the same reason. 
Concrete's curing depends upon water and carbon dioxide molecules finding their way to the uncombined calcium oxide to form hydrated calcium carbonate. Once the mixture solidifies, the only mechanism for this reaction to occur is for previously combined molecules to uncombine, passing the CO2 and H2O along and recombining with fresh CO2 and H2O, in effect passing the molecules along like a bucket brigade.  This process will continue as long as there are uncombined sites but will necessarily slow down as the number of uncombined sites is available. 

The University of Wisconsin began a study of concrete over a hundred years ago.  Every year, a sample was removed and tested for compressive strength.  The study was to have ended after fifty years but their testing showed that the samples were still increasing in strength so they elected to carry the study for another fifty years.  As I recall, the strength continued to increase throughout that part with the study ended because they ran out of samples.

The epoxy reactants are an epoxide and an amine.  The amine has multiple reaction site on each molecule which permits the cross linking that gives epoxy its rigidity.  Like concrete, in a liquid form the molecules are free to move around to find active sites but once solidified, the bucket brigade mechanism is the process by which unreacted molecules find partners. And like concrete, as fewer and fewer active sites are available, the curing rate becomes slower and slower.

Fortunately, with both concrete and epoxy, the products reach an acceptable state of usability long before the reaction is complete.  In my particular case with the epoxy composite, we were trying to make a product with extremely tight density tolerances so curing shrinkage was of great concern.  I would think that shrinkage, hardness, and possibly temperature resistance would be issues of concern when trying to build a precision surface such as the floor of a milling vise.  To that end, I would error in the direction of overcuring rather than under-curing.


----------



## Boswell (Dec 21, 2017)

RJSakowski said:


> The University of Wisconsin began a study of concrete over a hundred years ago.  .


here is a link to a bit of history on the study LINK. Be sure to scroll down.


----------



## rgray (Dec 21, 2017)

I had a canadian customer that brought me a product called Metalset A4 made by the company Smooth-On.
It was so much better than JB weld it was unbelievable.
I found the website.  smooth-on.com
It says to store and use it at room temp...funny he told me to keep it in the fridge.. It also says it has a limited shelf life....maybe that's why the fridge...have had these two tubes for 20 years and everytime I use some it works great.


----------



## Dave Paine (Dec 21, 2017)

Interesting.  Smooth-On moved for Easton, PA west so now about 40 min drive.   I have been to the new location a few times to purchase other epoxies for wood working.

The Metalset A4 product is not cheap, $20 for 11oz.   I may have to pick up the 11oz size to give this a try next time I visit the store.


----------



## rgray (Dec 21, 2017)

Dave Paine said:


> The Metalset A4 product is not cheap, $20 for 11oz. I may have to pick up the 11oz size to give this a try next time I visit the store.



$20.00 AND $18.00 plus for shipping to me.... Ordered from a calif. distributer they had 6oz at $8.95 and shipping was better as they are closer to me.
Odd they have 6oz as the smooth-on site didn't show it.


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 21, 2017)

I'm working on making some AXA tool holders. Once I'm done them tomorrow I'll take the vise apart and try the JB weld. I have two packages since the holes are many and significant.


----------



## David S (Dec 21, 2017)

I don't think I have seen it mentioned on this thread, but if it has, then ignore.  

JB weld has at least two versions.. One is KWIK which sets up fairly quickly, as in not much open time.  Then there is the regular JB weld that says "liquid" for much longer open time and has more ultimate shear strength.  I use the longer one when ever I can, even though it may need damming as has been mentioned.  Both come in two part tubes.

David


----------



## Joncooey (Dec 21, 2017)

In my opinion, for your consideration, Ni-Rod or Certanium is the best for cast.  That stuff is around $30-50 a pound.  Aside from that,  I'd just preheat it and use a Mig.  Migs work pretty good on any good casting.  (Gas-shielded)  Preheat to 500 degrees (check it with a digital thermometer) weld it up, then wrap it in a welding blanket or bury it in sand to let it cool as slow as possible.  Grind it out after or mill it if you have the option.  You're only doing cosmetic work so you should have no issues with cracks.
  My buddy ran a 2" hole-saw almost through the table on my Chinese drill press.  He's an Industrial Electrician and everyone knows that they need supervision; my fault.  (Good thing that I didn't let him use the mill).  Anyway,  I welded it up, cold, with the mig, ground it down, blended it in; no cooling, no issues.  And that's on a thin, cheap casting.
  Oxy Acetylene Brazing would be my second choice but gas welding procedures introduce a lot of heat into the weldment.  A vise should be able to take it but still let her cool as slow as possible.
  J.B. - type products; I have less confidence/experience with.  I worry about the possibility of oil infiltration causing an eventual bond-failure.  Then again it is, largely, only cosmetic and that would be the simplest solution. 
  Bottom line, regardless of what procedure you choose; get it clean, clean.  Acetone or Tolulene, Methyl Hydrate, etc.


----------



## petertha (Dec 21, 2017)

A4 is aluminum filled, just so you know.
http://www.aircraftspruce.ca/menus/cs/epoxy_metalset.html

There are other brands of steel filled epoxies vs. JB but more expensive. Really, for what amounts to a cosmetics, try some JB & see how it goes.
https://www.jbweld.com/collections/metal/products/j-b-weld-professional-size

The biggest challenge you will have is getting a nice surface for the epoxy to adhere to. The Neanderthal over-drill holes & gouges will provide surface texture 'tooth' but its also had a life of oils, cutting fluids & whatever soaking on it. Unless that is properly removed with solvents, I would think epoxy acting essentially as a surface putty might not stay put for long. But hey, if it Purdy's it up & makes you feel better, then its a worthwhile exercise.


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 21, 2017)

It’ll get scrubbed and soaked in acetone. I always have some around, but I bought a big jug just for this purpose.


----------



## Billh50 (Dec 22, 2017)

I soaked mine in Kerosene then after it was dried I sprayed it with electrical contact cleaner. The contact cleaner leaves no residue. Filled the holes with JB Weld til the epoxy was higher than the surface. I let it harden for a couple days to make sure it was hard all the way through and not just on the surface. I then machined the epoxy to within .001 - .002 above the original surface. I then removed the rest with files and finally a stone til the bottom was flat and level.
This fix was 4yrs ago and the vice bottom still looks as good as the day I fixed it. I have used all types of oils and water soluable coolants with no problems.


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 22, 2017)

Perfect! Thanks bill.


----------



## Joe in Oz (Dec 22, 2017)

I have a vice similar to yours, but made in Australia. Probably a war-time licensed copy.
It was is very similar condition too. I managed to make it look quite respectable using preheat and nickel arc welding rod. Overfilled the hole and dings and then cooled slowly in ash. I then milled all repaired surfaces, finishing off grinding the flat for the parallels on the surface grinder. There were dings in the bottom - maybe from dropping it - so I stoned all those flat and even scraped the bottom flat to make sure, before surface grinding the top of the slide (for the parallels). Works and looks great now.


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 23, 2017)

Here's a clean look at the vise. 




I have a funny feeling this particular hole wasn't stock.... I think I found what crashed the quill power feed...


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 23, 2017)

That hole goes clean right through.


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 23, 2017)

Slathered it on there good...




So, how did you guys mill this off? I assume this is cast iron. I don't have much experience machining cast iron. 
I took a pass over it with my face mill yesterday to try to clean up the top and I wasn't impressed. Facemill didn't cut nice, seems hard. 

Can I fly cut this? What speed? 
Or should I stick with an end mill?


----------



## Suzuki4evr (Dec 23, 2017)

MozamPete said:


> In South Africa we have a product called Pratley Putty which is a two part epoxy putty - you kneed parts A and B together and it softens as you work it, but then cures rock hard and can be filed or machined.  I have used it on my mill table to fill the worst scares, and it avoids the problems with liquid type epoxy running out of where you actually want them to be.
> 
> It's a bit of a South African legend it was used by NASA in 1960's on Ranger landing craft, so has the distinction of being the only South Africa product ever to go to the moon.



Hallo Mozampete,I didn't know you were from sunny SA,so am I.Yes I also used pratly steel a couple of times aspecially when I was still in the automotive trade working for a boss. We used to repair big V8 engine blocks that has had holes knocked out by the connecting rods. We used to drill a number of holes all around the hole,weaved wiring all across the hole to give the pratly something to apply on,and I have got to tell you,I think those are still runnig leak free. Good stuff and easy to work with.


----------



## MozamPete (Dec 23, 2017)

Suzuki4evr said:


> Hallo Mozampete,I didn't know you were from sunny SA,so am I


My adopted home. I'm actually a Kiwi but I have lived in Mozambique and South Africa for the past 15 years - I only originally came over for a 16 month contract job but stayed.


----------



## Tozguy (Dec 23, 2017)

Shawn, do you want to cut into the original cast iron surface or just bring the epoxy down level with it?


----------



## Billh50 (Dec 23, 2017)

Shawn, I didn't mill any of the cast iron. I just milled the JB Weld down to within .001 - .002 of the cast surface with an endmill. Then filed the rest down til I hit the cast iron. I then stoned the surface to clean everything and make it flat again.
The epoxy should mill will no problem using HSS.


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 23, 2017)

Im not sure yet how I want to treat the epoxyed surface, but the to of the vise id like to face off and make pretty. Taking that surface down doesn't effect anything


----------



## MarkM (Dec 23, 2017)

Remove the vise jaws.  Screw in a plate the size of the bottom using counter sunk screws deep enough so you can Mill the plate flat and square.   Subtract the plate thickness from your vise jaws at the bottom and remove material for clearance of the plate. You may lose some depth but at least it will be usable again for accurate machining with  Parallels. You ll have to mill the bottom of the vise for clearance of the plate to enable opening and closing.  It may be doable.  May not.  Depends on your vice and amount of material to work with.


----------



## woodchucker (Dec 23, 2017)

Shawn, be careful what you want. Pretty is not necessarily a great thing. Flat and level is more useful.
Make sure your moveable jaw can be tightened up against a thinner jaw bed. Also realize that you maybe changing the screw height. So then you will have to shim the jaw to keep the height. Your shims will need to be kept so they don't move... Kind of pandora's box. Just thinking ahead if you haven't.


----------



## Billh50 (Dec 23, 2017)

Also remember that if you take anything off the surface. You may have problems with the movable jaw being loose or the screw wanting to bind up. Because you change how everything sits.


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 23, 2017)

I'm not talking about the dove tail, but the actual top surface or the movable jaw. Just the top surface. 

Basically, I'm asking how to machine cast iron. Hss? Carbide?


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 23, 2017)

RJSakowski said:


> I worked with epoxy composites for six years with a good deal of time spent studying cure rates.
> 
> When an epoxy has hardened to the touch, it has only cured about 10%.  A full cure can take years for epoxies that take a day to harden.  Epoxies also continue to shrink with curing.  Heat will hasten the cure with the cure rate doubling for every 10ºC increase in temperature.  A higher temperature will also result in a harder and more heat resistant product. Epoxy also has a property called the glass transition point which is the temperature at which the cured epoxy changes from a rigid to a plastic solid.  This temperature increases as the cure becomes more complete
> 
> ...


I'm gonna try the heat cure you speak of here. I have a crappy electric skillet we don't use, 


This skillet is junk, so the wife won't care. But this set up will heat the epoxy up slowly. I only have it set to about 120 deg c. And I have the garage heat on to 18 since it's -6 right now. The heat should transfer through the metal block into the vise slowly. I'll leave this set up for a few days? Really shouldn't cause any problems. 
What do you think?


----------



## Dave Paine (Dec 23, 2017)

I purchased a second hand mill back in the end of January.   It had a 4in vise which had some small dings, no major drill marks.   Biggest issue was the thrust bearing had fallen apart.  I ordered a new 4in vise but decided to try and improve the old vise just to see if I could.

Before machining the rails I checked the bottom of the vise by running over a piece of 600 grit wet dry paper on this granite plate.   As expected, it was not making consistent contact.    I continued running this over the wet dry paper until I was happy with the bottom.

I appreciate this is not the ideal method, but I do not have surface grinder or access to one, so using what I have available.




I then mounted back on the table and milled the rails to get them flat and remove some small dings.  I do not recall how much I removed, perhaps 30 thou.   I used HSS endmill because it was all I had at the time.   Multiple passes on each rail so you can see the overlap lines.

I forgot to take "before" pictures.


----------



## RJSakowski (Dec 23, 2017)

Hukshawn said:


> I'm gonna try the heat cure you speak of here. I have a crappy electric skillet we don't use,
> View attachment 250693
> 
> This skillet is junk, so the wife won't care. But this set up will heat the epoxy up slowly. I only have it set to about 120 deg c. And I have the garage heat on to 18 since it's -6 right now. The heat should transfer through the metal block into the vise slowly. I'll leave this set up for a few days? Really shouldn't cause any problems.
> What do you think?


That should work.  Have you got a means of monitoring the temperature?  I have a thermocouple for my digital multimeter but I  would think something like a candy thermometer would work.


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 23, 2017)

I have zero means to monitor the temp. I used to have a laser thermometer but it sucked and I took it apart for its 9v battery clip. Lol.


----------



## Ulma Doctor (Dec 23, 2017)

if you were so inclined, 
you could make a scraper from an old file and scrape the surfaces to the accuracy you desire


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 23, 2017)

Scraping is something I wouldn't mind learning. My lathe is in pretty dire need of scraping. 
But it looks pretty tedious, and the good Lord knows how much I detest anything tedious.


----------



## ezduzit (Dec 23, 2017)

I would have over-filled all the holes and then clamped a piece of flat stock to it, using waxed paper as a release agent, hoping for a surface which needed very little secondary work.


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 26, 2017)

So I’m gonna start machining this vise tomorrow. The epoxy has been on the heat for a few days now and it’s harder than a coffin nail. So I think it’s ready. 
I’m gonna machine new jaws, but what should I make them from? I don’t want super soft. But I cannot harden and grind.


----------



## Bob Korves (Dec 26, 2017)

Hukshawn said:


> So I’m gonna start machining this vise tomorrow. The epoxy has been on the heat for a few days now and it’s harder than a coffin nail. So I think it’s ready.
> I’m gonna machine new jaws, but what should I make them from? I don’t want super soft. But I cannot harden and grind.


I like mild steel jaws on my mill vise.  Seem to grip tighter, are much easier on tooling if you accidentally run in to them them (me, never!  so far...), and they can be machined flat and smooth again easily, even in place.


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 26, 2017)

That's what I was thinking. 

Hot rolled or cold rolled? Stress free? Free machining? Lol. So many choices.


----------



## Bob Korves (Dec 26, 2017)

Hukshawn said:


> That's what I was thinking.
> 
> Hot rolled or cold rolled? Stress free? Free machining? Lol. So many choices.


Hot rolled.  Cold rolled has lots of stresses in it from the rolling.  When you machine it, especially on the large faces, it is very likely to warp like a banana toward the cut side.


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 26, 2017)

Excellent. Thanks you. I'll have to check tomorrow to see if the local supply is open.


----------



## Silverbullet (Dec 27, 2017)

Hukshawn said:


> That's what I was thinking.
> 
> Hot rolled or cold rolled? Stress free? Free machining? Lol. So many choices.


I like brass ones myself. You could fly cut the epoxy high speed tool bit with small radius. Sharp with relief angles


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 27, 2017)

Metals plus isn't open till next week ;( 

Brass would be really pretty, but a bit too soft for me I think.


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 29, 2017)

Milled everything down. It feels a lot better than it looks. It's milled within .001" from side to side. And I only did that on the surface plate with just an indicator holder. Not precise by any standard. I had to leave once I got the vise all put back together. I'll measure it on the mill tonight. But so far pretty happy. The vise has a gib so I was easily able to take up what I milled off. And the jaw lift is .001". I'm starting to really like this vise. 
Still have to wait till next week to get some stock to make jaws.


----------



## David S (Dec 29, 2017)

Nice going Shawn.

David


----------



## Dave Paine (Dec 29, 2017)

Looks a lot better than the "holy moly" starting point.


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 29, 2017)

It was so bad... 
I can't wait to make jaws


----------



## woodchucker (Dec 29, 2017)

Did you do the moveable jaw?  Consider doing the moveable jaw, and rather than cutting into the top with an end mill, cut the epoxy down with an end mil, then finish with a file. Just for comparison. If the filing doesn't do it, try some sandpaper , then try milling if not happy. The filing will require a card file to clean the file, since it will get filled quickly by the epoxy. But you may be surprised by one of those methods. Or you may not.


----------



## Hukshawn (Dec 29, 2017)

I took a swipe off the top of the movable jaw last week but only did one cut. I was going to do the whole surface to make it look good but I've cleaned it all up now and I didn't want to get iron swarf all over the place again.


----------



## Wreck™Wreck (Jan 5, 2018)

Kurt vices are accurate enough for Industry but not enough for Hobbyists.
Last Sunday, 5 vices on the table to hold 1 part 170" long milled on all sides with  dovetail O-Ring grooves on 2 sides, they had to have it by Jan. 1 (-:


----------



## markba633csi (Jan 5, 2018)

I'm sure there are better products than JB but it's cheap and readily available and sometimes that's the deciding factor
M


----------



## woodchucker (Jan 5, 2018)

Wreck™Wreck said:


> Kurt vices are accurate enough for Industry but not enough for Hobbyists.


Not sure I understand what you are saying? Most of us would be very happy to have a Kurt vise. More than accurate enough for us.


----------



## Hukshawn (Jan 5, 2018)

You got any Kurts you’re not happy with in the hobby shop? I’d be sure glad to take them off your hands!


----------



## Hukshawn (Jan 5, 2018)

I grabbed a chunk of 4140 for the jaws. Maybe tomorrow after work I’ll get a chance to dress it all and drilled and installed. Then this vise will be done. I have the Chinese vise mounted to the left, but I feel this vise will be my main one.


----------



## Ulma Doctor (Jan 6, 2018)

nice resuscitation Shawn!


----------



## kvt (Jan 6, 2018)

That thing looks good. the jaws will make it look even better.   Are you going to make some soft jaws for it as well.


----------



## Hukshawn (Jan 6, 2018)

Probably not right now. But I have some extruded aluminum that's the perfect size that will take minimum machining if I need them.


----------



## Bob Korves (Jan 6, 2018)

Hukshawn said:


> And the jaw lift is .001".


You can do better than .001" if you want to.  Where the gib plates bolt to the bottom of the sides of the movable jaw is the adjustment.  First. make sure everything is clean and deburred, then check the vertical lift at each corner of the movable jaw in the closed position with an indicator and write it on the top of the jaw.  Slide the jaw to the other end of its travel and repeat.  The smallest number at each corner can be subtracted from the total lift by dressing down the movable jaw surfaces that the gib plates bolt to, to reach the lift difference previously measured at the corners.  Some judicious filing or scraping of high spots on the bed to get the bed flat and parallel with the gib sliding surfaces, prior to doing the above, by using high spot blue to mark the jaw to bed fit, can make it even better.  I was able to get my "free" BP vise within .0005" lift over the entire travel, at all corners, and while holding a hardened round rod tight crossways in the jaws and also several lengths of 1/4" flat plates tight between the jaws, by using this method.  The jaw still moves without any friction.  A Kurt angle lock vise will lift at least that much under the same conditions.  You CAN make a silk purse out of a sow's ear...


----------



## Hukshawn (Jan 6, 2018)

I believe you completely. But that sounds like an aweful lot of work. Lol. For my hobby purposes, this vise will be great.


----------



## Bob Korves (Jan 6, 2018)

Hukshawn said:


> But that sounds like an aweful lot of work.


Several hours.  Yours probably more, given what you started with.  It would go faster if grinding the gib mounting surfaces with a surface grinder.


----------



## Hukshawn (Jan 6, 2018)

Ohh, I’d like a surface grinder...


----------



## Hukshawn (Jan 31, 2018)

Well, I'm calling it done. Now that I have a good quality face mill, I finally finished the jaws from 4140. Got some good quality flat cap screws, I re milled all the surfaces because I wasn't satisfied with the result of the other crap facemill. I honed all the surfaces, hence the scratches. With various parralells and a 123 block, and my sticky mitutoyo .0005 DTI, I'm getting almost no needle movement on jaw lift, squeezing various shapes. Run out on various surfaces is .0005 or less. I even have it trammed nice.
Surface finishes are smooth but less than visually nice. 
This is a nice vise now. I need to make/get a better handle cause the sawed off limb that it came with is not very nice or comfortable. 
I think I'm pretty close to getting a surface grinder. I found a few within a reasonable budget and ive worn down the Warden and might let me spend some money! 
If I get one, I'll maybe revisit some of these surfaces just for visuals. 
But I think I'm happy with how this turned out.


----------



## Dave Paine (Jan 31, 2018)

It is so much better than as-received.   Well done.   Always good to see a tool or machine get a good second life.


----------



## Hukshawn (Jan 31, 2018)

This vise is a Hylo from England. I've never heard of them before. Any experience here with that name?


----------



## brino (Jan 31, 2018)

Ulma Doctor said:


> nice resuscitation Shawn!





Dave Paine said:


> Always good to see a tool or machine get a good second life.



Yep, more of a "resurrection" than a "resuscitation".
Well done!
-brino


----------



## KBeitz (Sep 11, 2018)

Mcmaster carr titanium epoxy...


----------



## Cadillac STS (Sep 12, 2018)

Remove the jaws, mill down 3/8 inch past all the holes on the bottom and then epoxy on a new stainless steel floor nice and straight with the newly milled bottom.

Make new Jaws.

Keep the other non part-holding marks for character..


----------

