Jaws for vice bolts

[bsr]

I'm cleaning and re painting my old vice. I got it from a car boot many years ago. It is working but stiff and rusting and one of the jaws is loose.

I suspect the bolts holding the jaws are imperial. They go through the casting and are tapped into the jaws. One side used a 14mm spanner and the other side an 11mm spanner. The clearance holes are somewhere between 7mm and 8mm.

Any idea what size the bolts are likely to be? Both are threaded. I'm wondering whether to try and find replacements or to replace with M8.

If I do go for M8 how hard will it be to expand the clearance holes in the cast steel, and re tap the threads in the jaws? 9mm for the clearance hole and 8mm for the tapping? I only have a carbon steel tap.

Thanks

 

[just pumps]

More likely to be Whitworth thread.

 

[mattylad]

If you want to tap the hole then drill it 7.2mm and make sure you use paste/oil.

I wonder if you contact a local engineering firm supplier if they might be able to identify the hole and provide a new bolt?

 

[RandomGrinch]

Sorry, probably not useful in any way!
But the post has reminded me of this :

 

[Tigercubrider]

seems a hell of a lot of work for the alternative.

Which is identify the correct threads and buy new.
It's unclear to me if you are saying that you have a bolt missing from each side, which are different threads, or that you have a vice using bolts that have a 14mm head and an 11mm nut?
Thread gauges are pretty cheap.
Cheaper still is to find a local supplier with imperial stock and spend a short tome finding the correct thread by elimination.
A thread gauge can be used at home and you don't need to be a genius,

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/22371689...GFE6/+y36msqJysjPKj7Mk/NHOS7|tkp:BFBM0q2mhLlf

Loads of motorcycle specialists have British Thread supplies

 

[bsr]

Hi @Tigercubrider

I will try and find somewhere local but no luck so far.

The thread on all four bolts is the same. On one side the pair olding one jaw have a head which takes a 14mm spanner. On the other side, the bolts have the same shank/thread but take an 11mm spanner.

 

[just pumps]

3/8th bolts have 9/16th heads which is around 14mm in new money.

 

[Old Salt]

Hi @Tigercubrider

I will try and find somewhere local but no luck so far.

The thread on all four bolts is the same. On one side the pair olding one jaw have a head which takes a 14mm spanner. On the other side, the bolts have the same shank/thread but take an 11mm spanner.

Try classic car restorers or suppliers

 

[mattylad]

Still no photo?

 

[bsr]

You didn't ask for one! Not sure what you want though, are you going to try and size the bolt from a photo?

 

[RandomGrinch]

It might not be the same model, but there's some interesting stuff here:

https://motofaction.org/tool-review...del-j-restoration-review-history-information/

 

[bsr]

Yeah, that's the same vice and exactly what I'm hoping to achieve. Nothing about the bolt sizes though.

 

[RandomGrinch]

Yeah, that's the same vice and exactly what I'm hoping to achieve. Nothing about the bolt sizes though.

Nothing about bolt sizes, but he does break a bolt, and he does screw a replacement in with a 10mm socket (possibly an M6 bolt, but the jaws were also replaced)!

So going back to:

If I do go for M8 how hard will it be to expand the clearance holes in the cast steel, and re tap the threads in the jaws? 9mm for the clearance hole and 8mm for the tapping? I only have a carbon steel tap.

Probably pretty easy!

 

[mattylad]

Perhaps try and contact the video author and ask what size they were?

 

[RandomGrinch]

Further info here:
https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/show-us-your-bench-vice-s.52872/page-200
This might be a good forum to join

...and a catalogue attached!