Wilton Vise damage...questions

[pieceofwork]

Not sure where to post this so Mods please move it needed. Was cleaning my recently purchased Wilton 400s, while removing the pins I accidentally chipped part of the casting. In looking at it, it seems that the pin holes are drilled right at the edge. I'm wondering if it was made like that, or modified (i.e. the end of the 'bullet' was cut off due to damage.)

Regardless, I'm looking for suggestions as to:
A. Just reinstall as there is sufficient holding power as is.
B. JB weld the chipped hole and drill a new pin hole.
C. Have someone fill (TIG?) and re-drill.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Ross/Kzoo]

Wilton is a quality vise but I can't see the purpose of tha tpin hole. Please fill me in.

 

[Craptain]

Is that a scratch or a crack from the broken hole in the first picture? If it is a crack then it has to be welded. If not it should be welded but JB Weld will probably suffice.

 

[BJ42LX]

Wilton is a quality vise but I can't see the purpose of tha tpin hole. Please fill me in.

There are two pins - one on each side.

The pins hold the mainscrew nut in place when loosening the vise. Without the pins the nut could move out the back of the vise when unwinding the dynamic jaw.

 

[pieceofwork]

Is that a scratch or a crack from the broken hole in the first picture? If it is a crack then it has to be welded. If not it should be welded but JB Weld will probably suffice.

It's just a scratch. I've looked it over really good for cracks, or signs of fatigue and it's solid, other than this issue with the holes for the pins.

 

[giovanni8]

Will the insert nut rotate 90 degrees to allow up to drill to & bottom orientation? If not, fill in the busted chunk with weld- TIG is good if you can. otherwise MIG or (shudder) arc weld it - redrill and bolt back up. I actually have one like this, broke in the same place, just too lazy to do the repair. I used brass shear pins once as a replacement, to prevent this exact same situation. Weird how Wilton could let this slip past their engineering & QC depts. Normally the stuff is pretty well engineered.

 

[bad_idea]

Is that body cast or forged? If it is forged, just weld it up and re-drill the hole. A location would be good, perhaps one of us is nearby and could weld it up for you if you don't have the capability. For what it is and the loads applied to it, MIG, TIG, or stick would be just fine. Again, this is assuming it is forged, not cast. Cast is a whole other animal, requiring a special filler material and proper preheat and post-heat.

 

[pieceofwork]

Will the insert nut rotate 90 degrees to allow up to drill to & bottom orientation? If not, fill in the busted chunk with weld- TIG is good if you can. otherwise MIG or (shudder) arc weld it - redrill and bolt back up. I actually have one like this, broke in the same place, just too lazy to do the repair. I used brass shear pins once as a replacement, to prevent this exact same situation. Weird how Wilton could let this slip past their engineering & QC depts. Normally the stuff is pretty well engineered.

I'm pretty sure you can't rotate it due to where the key surface is faced on the insert. I did a test fit tonight, the broken piece still has about 70%~80% contact area and the pin is really tight (it's not moving). Between this and the other side holding it....and the fact that I don't know why I'd ever need to remove this again...I'm on the fence but leaning towards JB Weld. It's not structual or under any stress. I'd need to find someone to TIG. I have a MIG but am pretty inexperienced and could see this 'hole' getting much larger and worse if I burned through it. And it's a 110v Lincoln 135sp...pretty low power too, probably not big enough to get proper penetration/fusion. I've looked the vise over extensively - it's not been modified or repaired in any way - just left the factory like that. Again other than to repair the threaded insert I don't know why it ever needs to be removed. Popping out the dust cap from the rear allows access to clean/lube everything. I didn't realize this when I started cleaning it up - I was just following some other threads on 'restoration'...but even for painting, no need to drive the pins and remove anything.

 

[wrenchguy]

i believe those breaks r a result of the vice being dropped on the leadscrew/handle end.

 

[pieceofwork]

i believe those breaks r a result of the vice being dropped on the leadscrew/handle end.

Mine broke due to my own carelessness in removing the pins. But, there wasn't a lot of material - looks like the holes/pins were placed extremely close the the back edge.
A press would have worked better than a hammer and drift pin. But as I've said above there isn't any reason to remove them or the end nut (unless the nut is damaged)...lesson learned.

 

[Kevin54]

i believe those breaks r a result of the vice being dropped on the leadscrew/handle end.

He stated above that the bullet was cut off due to damage.

 

[rlitman]

He stated above that the bullet was cut off due to damage.

No, he asked if that was possible.

I'm with the people who wonder if it is possible to rotate the end and re-drill.
Then fill in the holes with jb-weld.

That vise is cast nodular iron. It is NOT compatible with welding or brazing.

 

[Gary S]

A good tool's worst enemy can be the owner who just can't leave it alone when it is working.

 

[pieceofwork]

A good tool's worst enemy can be the owner who just can't leave it alone when it is working.

Agreed, I should have been just wiped down with Wd-40, and left alone but since it was an eBay purchase I was looking for pre-exsisting damage - not sure why as it worked fine. Too much interweb reading I guess

The good news is I didn't do anything with the broken area, just re-assembled and it's fine. Once the 25 yrs of grime was removed it does look like the casting might have been sanded down towards the back. Or not, I don't really know. Hell, it's a vise that **** get clamped in and pounded on, and it works.

 

[bad_idea]

Hell, it's a vise that **** get clamped in and pounded on, and it works.

Best statement on this forum in a while! Too much tool polishing and not enough tool abusing/using.