Some Soft Jaws

[Zrexxer]

I've never had a pair of these, but the Wilton 1760 I've got has such sharply knurled jaws that it will mark even hard steel. An eBay seller I've dealt with before had these Wilton copper jaws for a good price, and I pulled the trigger.

The first thing I noticed that I thought was neat is that they're marked Schiller Park, Ill., so they must be really old NOS.

I guess I thought they'd be ductile enough that I could wrap the straps around the jaws by hand, but they took a good bit of tapping and fitting with an 8 oz ball pein to get them on. They're definitely not dead soft pure copper, they're alloyed to be fairly hard. So I guess they're staying on, for awhile!

 

[zeug]

Nice. I have the same vise. Does the seller have any more? Could you PM me his eBay ID?

Thanks,

Kent

 

[WhoWhatNow]

Nice. I have the same vise. Does the seller have any more? Could you PM me his eBay ID?

Thanks,

Kent

If you'er sharing I would like his eBay ID too. Thanks!

 

[Zrexxer]

The seller's ID is maureenjobob. Last time I looked they still had some at $19.95 B-I-N.

 

[91bronc300]

You can also use extruded brass angle to make your own soft jaws, but that's a dang fine price for genuine Wilton soft jaws.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-PAIR-OF-G...438360565?pt=Clamps_Vises&hash=item5ae7f095f5

 

[Weekend_warrior]

Thanks. I have a cam that I need to tighten the sprocket bolts on. Tha will work perfect!

 

[CRTDI]

Wow!.....That's a good price. I wish he had some for a Wilton 1765. (6.5" jaws)

 

[Catalyze]

Nicely done Zrex! I have a pair of Wiltons on my Athol 624 1/2 and like you they were fitted (with a rubber mallet). They aren't going anywhere soon.
Craig

 

[Rickenbackerman]

I just glued some magnetic tape to a couple pieces of angle aluminum for my 5" Bullet. The magnets go on top of the jaws and they stay on there pretty well. And the price? Free! I had the stuff laying around...

 

[BD1]

I use a couple of aluminum angles .

 

[franzdom]

I needed 4.5" and they are hard to find at a deal, but I ordered about 6 weeks ago from mro center and they were only $32 shipped, it was by far the best deal I could find. They showed up today and are really nice. They are marked Wilton Chicago.
Mine are pretty well fitted but I couldn't get them to lock on the 450S At least they are going staying in position nicely.

 

[Catalyze]

I have a pair of 4 1/2" Wilton protectors on my Athol vise. They are a great heavy duty item. I used a rubber mallet to bend mine to shape. I have clamped lots of polished parts in them with no problems.
Craig

 

[Provincial]

I have some 1/16" thick dead soft aluminum sheet that I have made soft jaws from. This is thin enough that they don't last a real long time, but they are easy to make. They grip well and do an excellent job of keeping the jaws from marking my work.

I make them by cutting a rectangle an inch wider than the jaws and tall enough to cover the jaw faces plus an inch to go over the top of the jaw. I cut away the corner so I can bend over both sides and the top to fit the jaw. I form them in place one at a time. I find that they are just a little different so I mark them front and rear. If not abused, they last for years.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

Looking for something like this for a 5" wilton 1750,

Can't find anything. Also looking for 4 1/2" as well!

Thanks,
-Nigel

 

[PT Doc]

Get larger ones and cut then down to width. It is copper after all so removing should be ready even Roth a hack saw.

 

[franzdom]

 

[RCStocker]

Some heading just crack me up.
"Soft Jaws" LOL
Get grandpa to take out his teeth and have him hold the parts in his mouth while you work on the project. LOL


I have made mine. I get soft nylon, plactic, or hard rubber and aluminum and mill my jaw holders . If you are holding round objects you can drill horizontal or vertical holes and the cut the pice down the middle before you mill it. I sewed up som leather ones and have made some out of thin brass or aluminum. They are easy to lay out, cut out and instal.

 

[autopts]

The seller's ID is maureenjobob. Last time I looked they still had some at $19.95 B-I-N.

I've bought from Maureen for a while now. If you have any Wilton machinist or tradesman from 4"-6" they work great. On the 400S especially, they are so big they give alot of portection to the jaw towers. They are easy to hack saw down to fit. Sometimes the legs have to be trimmed.

 

[PCO6]

i don't know if this will help any one with Wilton or other vices but the ones that are made for Record vices work well. They have hard rubber faces and can be put on or taken off in a few seconds. I bought them at Acklands-Grainger in Ontario. I think that is Grainger in the U.S. They come in several widths and the cost was about $30.

 

[Brad54]

I took a couple pieces of 2-inch x 1/4-inch aluminum angle, cut to length and clamped them into my big Reed vise.
Once they were clamped good and tight, I moved the back end of the angle down tight against the casting using a 3-pound mall... didn't wail on it, just used some nice solid, controlled thumps.
Once they were contoured, I took my letter stamp set and marked them "Front Jaw" and "Rear Jaw"

They hold themselves in place while positioning the work, and they're easily removable.
Unfortunately, VERY early in their life, one of my friends (who is convinced he's a shop guy and has a million disassembled cars, motorcycles, engines, go-carts, air compressors and everything else imaginable to prove it) needed to hold a bolt in the vise so he could hack-saw it, and rather than remove the jaws he just clamped the head of the bolt into them and started wailing away on it. It gouged the **** out of my aluminum jaws.

-Brad

 

[autopts]

I've never had a pair of these, but the Wilton 1760 I've got has such sharply knurled jaws that it will mark even hard steel.

For you guys out there with 1760's, maybe you've noticed that replacement jaws are expensive. You can buy the jaws that fit a 746 and they are steel with a finer knurling pattern and for 1/3 the price if you shop around. These are what they look like on a 1760. Part # 21500-03

 

[cheechi]

I have some 1/16" thick dead soft aluminum sheet that I have made soft jaws from. This is thin enough that they don't last a real long time, but they are easy to make. They grip well and do an excellent job of keeping the jaws from marking my work.

I make them by cutting a rectangle an inch wider than the jaws and tall enough to cover the jaw faces plus an inch to go over the top of the jaw. I cut away the corner so I can bend over both sides and the top to fit the jaw. I form them in place one at a time. I find that they are just a little different so I mark them front and rear. If not abused, they last for years.

I had never seen vise jaw covers like that for sale, this is pretty much how every one I've seen had been made.

We have also used copper pipe cut in half, yours probably don't have the crimped hump that these do. the copper pipe starts rounded so when you have the jaws made you have less sharp edges to wear down.

 

[jamesemery728]

I make my own from some sheet copper. If you don't beat the daylights out of them they will last for years.

 

[EOC_Jason]

I got some of those Lisle Aluminum jaws pads. They are pretty nifty when trying to hold something round or don't want to f-up your jaws. I think they were like $11 on Amazon? They have magnets on the top that hold them in place enough to where they won't fall.

Thanks for the link and tip about cutting down those wilton's. Next time that person lists them I might get a pair for my larger vise out in the shop.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

Can some one go into a little detail of how soft the Wilton Copper Jaws are. I want some, but reading this thread, I found they are an alloy.

If I were to clamp, say, a vise handle in it during a resto, would it be soft enough not to mar it? Better yet, what have you put into the copper and had damaged?

Thanks!

 

[EOC_Jason]

It is fairly soft copper, I have lots of impressions of shapes in mine from harder steel parts.

If you want to clamp a vise handle, I would get those aluminum or other plastic jaws that have the V grooves cut into them to hold round objects better.

Or when in doubt you can wrap the object with some cardstock / several pieces of paper before clamping on it.

 

[jpickar]

I made mine out of a section of copper pluming pipe.
John