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How to fit a vice handle
nick205 - 11/10/18 at 08:48 AM

Morning all,

I have a metal vice. It works well at holding things, but the metal tightening/loosening bar is missing from the front. I currently use an old wheel nut tool from my donor Sierra to tighten/loosen - OK, but I'd like a proper bar.

Can I fit a new one and if so where do you get them from and how do you fit them?

The vice looks like this, but with the round bad missing from the front.

tilly819 - 11/10/18 at 08:59 AM

I believe the ends are typically swaged in the factory. Not something that is easily done in the home shop on a bar that size.

You might be better getting a length of round bar of the right diameter, cutting a thread on both ends and putting some nuts on the ends. If you want ball ends then you could turn some up on a lathe then screw them on in place of the nuts.
Another option is to make some sleeves that can be pressed onto both ends of the handle or collars that can be grub screwed or welded on.

Lots of options. There are some quite snazzy ways to do it if you look around.

Hope this helps,

Tilly

cliftyhanger - 11/10/18 at 09:06 AM

I would fit a long cap-head bolt and a nyloc on the end. Simple.

nick205 - 11/10/18 at 09:09 AM

Having looked at other vice handle I did think the ball ends might be swaged in the factory.

I've found a couple of vice handles on eBay, but they look to have the ball ends already on them so I wouldn't be able to fit them.

Now looking at plain round bar and M12 bolts (have some M12 nuts), which I ma be able to use as you suggest.

Ultimately I don't want to pay out for a new vice when the one I have works well apart from the missing handle.

For info I inherited the vice from my father in law when he moved house a few years back. He's a nice chap, but has no recollection of why the handle is missing!

Bluemoon - 11/10/18 at 09:23 AM

quote:
Originally posted by nick205
Having looked at other vice handle I did think the ball ends might be swaged in the factory.

I've found a couple of vice handles on eBay, but they look to have the ball ends already on them so I wouldn't be able to fit them.

Now looking at plain round bar and M12 bolts (have some M12 nuts), which I ma be able to use as you suggest.

Ultimately I don't want to pay out for a new vice when the one I have works well apart from the missing handle.

For info I inherited the vice from my father in law when he moved house a few years back. He's a nice chap, but has no recollection of why the handle is missing!


You could use M12 Dome head nuts..

I suspect the swage failed and lost handle...

jossey - 11/10/18 at 09:36 AM

Metal bar with nuts welded on the ends would work better than threaded bar as it will stick when sliding.

nick205 - 11/10/18 at 09:38 AM

Bluemoon,

I suspect you're right! Father in law (whilst a nice chap) isn't the most mechanically minded of people so if/when it failed he probably just lived without it.

A dome headed M12 nut's not a bad idea and I had some plain M12 nuts at home to use as a lock nut below it.

nick205 - 11/10/18 at 09:45 AM

quote:
Originally posted by jossey
Metal bar with nuts welded on the ends would work better than threaded bar as it will stick when sliding.



Noted - Ø12mm round bar with a nut MIG welded on either end may well be the solution.

jps - 11/10/18 at 10:52 AM

quote:
Originally posted by nick205
but they look to have the ball ends already on them so I wouldn't be able to fit them.


How would *anyone* fit them?!

rusty nuts - 11/10/18 at 11:00 AM

Ive seen cheap vices with the tightening bar reduced in size then threaded , probably about a 10 mm thread , the " balls " just screw on although I would use thread lock or similar

nick205 - 11/10/18 at 11:29 AM

quote:
Originally posted by jps
quote:
Originally posted by nick205
but they look to have the ball ends already on them so I wouldn't be able to fit them.


How would *anyone* fit them?!



It makes you wonder - thought maybe there's a black magic way I didn't know about

nick205 - 11/10/18 at 11:30 AM

quote:
Originally posted by rusty nuts
Ive seen cheap vices with the tightening bar reduced in size then threaded , probably about a 10 mm thread , the " balls " just screw on although I would use thread lock or similar



That's pretty much what I have in mind to fit a handle back on mine.

nick205 - 11/10/18 at 12:07 PM

I asked the eBay seller how to fit the handle.

He replied very quick and explained that one end is threaded/removable for fitting.

Might be an idea for him to show the end off the bar in the ebay photos so it's more obvious how it's fitted.

Problem solved and part purchased.

No doubt there'll be another task passed my way by the time the weekend arrives!

[Edited on 11/10/18 by nick205]

nick205 - 11/10/18 at 02:07 PM

Here's the handle I bought...

pekwah1 - 11/10/18 at 08:26 PM

If you’ve got a welder, couldn’t you just stick through a straight bar and blob some welds on the ends?

adithorp - 11/10/18 at 09:46 PM

Our Record vices at work have one end thats screwed on.

02GF74 - 12/10/18 at 01:43 AM

quote:
Originally posted by adithorp
Our Record vices at work have one end thats screwed on.
.

Yes, has to be like that, there is no way a swaged end could fail, I can't imagine what you would need to do, attack it with a file or grinder 3 but why?

nick205 - 12/10/18 at 07:26 AM

quote:
Originally posted by 02GF74
quote:
Originally posted by adithorp
Our Record vices at work have one end thats screwed on.
.

Yes, has to be like that, there is no way a swaged end could fail, I can't imagine what you would need to do, attack it with a file or grinder 3 but why?



I too don't see how a properly swaged end could fail without some serious human/machine effort. As you suggest a grinder or maybe even a hacksaw. Sure you might be using a grinder or hacksaw on a work piece held in the vice, but why you'd be doing such a thing to the handle itself (knowing it's going to wreck the vice) is beyond me!

Some You Tube searching shows people fitting a ball end then welding it in place. Feasible approach, but then prevents you from dismantling the handle in future should you have bent it etc.

Thread with a bit of thread lock seems more sensible to me.

[Edited on 12/10/18 by nick205]

[Edited on 12/10/18 by nick205]

ste - 12/10/18 at 01:10 PM

My snapon vice has rubber noggins on the ends of the handle, peel one off and you can remove the handle

https://store.snapon.com/Forged-Bench-Vises-Vise-Forged-Swivel-Base-5-Blue-Point--P637201.aspx

jossey - 12/10/18 at 02:06 PM

What about a crazy idea and weld a socket on the end of it so you can use a impact wrench or a socket bar

OMG I love my brain.

nick205 - 22/10/18 at 01:28 PM

Above vice handle just arrived and one of the ball ends is screwed on to the shaft.

Should be simple to fit when I get home tonight

rusty nuts - 22/10/18 at 02:44 PM

Put some threadlock on it, we had a vice with screwed on ends at work , one kept coming loose and getting lost.

nick205 - 23/10/18 at 10:13 AM

quote:
Originally posted by rusty nuts
Put some threadlock on it, we had a vice with screwed on ends at work , one kept coming loose and getting lost.



Noted - I'm planning to add some threadlock when I fit it

jps - 23/10/18 at 01:40 PM

quote:
Originally posted by jossey
What about a crazy idea and weld a socket on the end of it so you can use a impact wrench or a socket bar

OMG I love my brain.


I've seen this mentioned in clubman rallying, with a nut on the in-car jack and a cordless driver to quickly lift the car up when you have a puncture mid-stage...