# Fixed A C-clamp Tonight



## jmhoying (Jun 4, 2015)

I had picked up a box of C-Clamp at an auction and one (a Cincinnati Tool 5") was missing the pad on the end of the screw.  The end of the screw had a ball end, so I drilled out a 2" long x 1" rod to have some clearance around the ball (drilled to a depth to leave about 3/16" in the bottom of the pad) .  I then turned the rod around in the lathe and shaped it as shown in the photo and parted it off.  I just used a hacksaw to cut some slots in the top of the pad.   I tightened the C-Clamp onto a vise and tapped the ears on the top of the pad to lock it in place.  Good as new!

Jack
Fort Loramie, Ohio


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## brav65 (Jun 5, 2015)

Nice work Jack. It's great to see stuff most people would throw out get used.


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## Franko (Jun 5, 2015)

Great fix, Jack.


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## JR49 (Jun 5, 2015)

Jack, thanks for a great idea, I bet I have at least 4 clamps with missing pads. They won't be for long! Happy machining, JR49


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## 4GSR (Jun 6, 2015)

I cheated and bought some shoes from Mc Master Carr a few years back to fix some c-clamps I wound with.  I think I would have been better off making them as you did.
Nice job!


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## FOMOGO (Jun 6, 2015)

Nice job. Always satisfying to cave a good tool. Mike


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## chips&more (Jun 6, 2015)

I knew you could do it!


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## Mark in Indiana (Jun 7, 2015)

Very good! Pretty easy after the first one. I don't even bother to replace my Craftsman clamps anymore. I just fix them.

I like how you locked it on the spindle end.


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## Mark in Indiana (Jun 8, 2015)

Hi Friends,

I liked the method that Jim did for retaining the spindle foot. I thought that I would share my feet as well:
Below are a couple of spindle foot pictures for c-clamp or vise clamp repairs that I made a around 30 years ago, when I was learning to use a lathe. Not the best foot that I've made, but the best pictures that I could get.

Why I made them: The company that I was working for at the time would throw away Wilton 400 series c-clamps that lost the spindle feet. I decided to rescue them so they would be home to my new tool collection. Being a night shift Industrial Electrician, I had plenty of government job time. Out of 20 of my c-clamps, I have 8 of these.

They are easy to make if you have access to a lathe and some 1.25" cold rolled, round stock. Here's what I did:

1. After chucking the round stock in the lathe, make the cuts so the small end of the spindle foot (where the spindle ball end goes) are on the end of the round stock.

2. Using the tailstock of the lathe, drill a hole in the end of the round stock that would be the same depth as the measurement of the ball end of the c-clamp spindle + half of the stem between the threads & ball end. You want to use a starter bit and a drill bit that is slightly larger than the ball end.

3. Cut a small groove, inside the hole, about 1.25" from the beginning of the hole. It may be easier to use a small cutoff tool for this.

4. Using the cutoff tool on your lathe, cut the spindle foot off the round stock. Around .250" from the angle cut will be good. Likely, there will be a tip at the center of your new spindle foot flat end. It's easy to file it off.

5. Place an appropriate sized snap ring above the spindle ball end. You can also use a small cut of spring stock (as seen in the first picture).

6. Insert the ball end in the spindle foot hole, and put the snap ring in the groove inside the hole.

I would say it's easier to buy replacement spindle feet from Mcmaster-Carr. However, you can't get all sizes, they aren't as robust and they're fun to make.




Happy Trails!
Attached Thumbnails

__________________


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## KBeitz (Jul 3, 2018)

I pick up LARGE clamps at the junkyard all the time that missing the pad.
It does not take long to learn on how to make them. I also find bent clamps.
I cut them in half and weld a flat bar across the bottom to make a welders
clamp.


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