Non marking vise jaws. what to use?

[WhyMe]

my vise has serrated jaws. I wish to use it for adjusting and installing pistol sights. Of course i prefer the slide not to have teeth marks on them, so what does GJ recommend for non marking jaws?

 

[Davefr]

These:

Lowes stocks them.

 

[zkling]

I use a variety of things. Mostly rubber that I salvaged from things I found in the trash. My favorite is a piece of 1/4" thick orange rubber stripping that came off the edge of a floor buffing machine. They have a lip on top and fit perfectly on my small vise jaws. They are soft enough to not marr the work, but just firm enough to keep the work piece in place.

I can get a pic if you want.

 

[thundermug]

If you've got some old garden hose laying around, slice it up the side. It may be large enough to fit over the jaws. Or try old bike tire. Quick and dirty.

 

[Vvmvbb]

Do you have any aluminum L stock lying around by any chance?
Or you might be able to get some oak L stock at HD.

 

[Ed ke6bnl]

lead sheet works great does not slip

 

[Steevo]

These:

Lowes stocks them.

Those are cool. I assume the metallic dots are magnets?

 

[ken w.]

I use leather vise pads I got from Brownell's . It's basically a piece of thick leather that you that you bend in between the 2 jaws. Smooth vise jaws will also leave a mark on your gun. You should always use a softer pad.

 

[Davefr]

Those are cool. I assume the metallic dots are magnets?

Yes.

 

[larry_g]

Vise Jaws
The link above is to a MSC catalog page. That page and the next show some different styles available. The copper ones you can make out of a section of copper pipe. The canvas, leather, and wood ones you can also make.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Ign]

Copper.

 

[Colin Len]

I just asked this a little bit ago and found pretty much exactly what I was lookin' for: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=208432

 

[Ed ke6bnl]

what is really nice if you have a good size chunk of al. and a mill is to put the al jaws on the vice and close it and run a rabbit type cut in the al. to hold parts for drilling.

 

[rlitman]

I have a set of copper jaws for my big vise. I have a smaller vise with dedicated aluminum jaws. I have sheets of lead put aside for gripping threaded parts (I'll use aluminum with threaded steel most of the time, unless I need to crank down on the handle).

But I wouldn't touch a gun slide with anything other than rubber, leather, those plastic jaws, or my woodworking vise with wood jaws (hint hint).

 

[Outlawmws]

I use leather vise pads I got from Brownell's . It's basically a piece of thick leather that you that you bend in between the 2 jaws. Smooth vise jaws will also leave a mark on your gun. You should always use a softer pad.

This ^^^ and the bolded part of this VVVV

I have a set of copper jaws for my big vise. I have a smaller vise with dedicated aluminum jaws. I have sheets of lead put aside for gripping threaded parts (I'll use aluminum with threaded steel most of the time, unless I need to crank down on the handle).

But I wouldn't touch a gun slide with anything other than rubber, leather, those plastic jaws, or my woodworking vise with wood jaws (hint hint).

For threaded parts with external threads, I've started cutting a nut on one side on the point and threading it on and gripping on that. After a while you have it for all threads...

ps: I also use lead jaw covers, but not on finished gun parts, internal non exposed, is OK.

 

[rlitman]

For threaded parts with external threads, I've started cutting a nut on one side on the point and threading it on and gripping on that. After a while you have it for all threads...

Hey, I like that one. I may need to set aside an assortment of square nuts I have sitting around for this.

Yeah, lead will leave silver marks on bluing.

 

[Outlawmws]

Hey, I like that one. I may need to set aside an assortment of square nuts I have sitting around for this.

Yeah, lead will leave silver marks on bluing.

Well, if you use square then don't do the cut on the points, I'm using hex huts.

 

[EOC_Jason]

my vise has serrated jaws. I wish to use it for adjusting and installing pistol sights. Of course i prefer the slide not to have teeth marks on them, so what does GJ recommend for non marking jaws?

My friend whom is a riflesmith uses these from Brownells. You have to notch it for your vise slide. He uses them on a daily basis and even after several years they still look practically new. He's gripping tapered barrels and odd shaped receivers all day long.

 

[absolutelybillsmood]

Old Radiator Hose, its big enough to loop over the top

 

[theknurl]

semi truck mud flaps make great rubber soft jaws also the 1/4" Birch plywood just cut them to fit the slide