Model Train Journal

I've got what might be silly questions, but I've spent some time looking around the net and haven't found a definitive answer yet. So I will ask here. And maybe other places as well.

A while back I bought a tool makers vise. At the time, I bought it primarily for use in holding and bending etched metal parts. Now that I'm also taking machining classes, I expect to use it for holding work on the mill as well.


My question regards cleaning the vise before re-lubricating the lead screw. The vise came coated in a light oil, pretty much all over. I have a spray on degreaser to use to cut the oil. The question is, do I simply wipe down the vise to remove the degreaser? I feel pretty confident that I don't put the whole unit under the tap to rinse it off! Additionally, is it okay to remove the movable jaw for cleaning and wiping down? I'm concerned that accuracy will be affected when I reattach the jaw, although the fixed jaw is really what dictates accuracy. However, the movable jaw has vee's for holding round stock, so it might have an effect on parallelism.

Lastly, I know to oil the lead screw. But should I place any film of oil on the bed of the vise, for the movable jaw to slide on?

The internet says degrease it, and re-lubricate it, in general terms. I can't find answers to the specific questions.

Thanks for any help,
Jim

Don't overthink it. Get the cosmoline off, then coat the whole thing with oil. I use SAE 30. Some say best without additives, but I can tell no difference.

I ended up taking the vise apart to wipe it down. It was actually a simple job. But it's a good thing, because there was a fair amount of degreaser underneath the movable jaw and behind the various plates and screws. I re-oiled and it's ready to go.

Jim

Jim -- That's a nice looking vise, better by far than the one that came with my Taig mill. Where did you find it, and did it come with dogs or some other way for securing to the mill table?

Jim

Jim,
The vise came from Amazon. I needed a pair of shoelaces and a pin vise, but if I spent $70 more I would get free shipping! I'm not kidding, that's pretty much how this went down. I bought it at the time with the idea of using it mostly for folding etched metal parts. I hope to find other uses for it once I get my hands on a decent mill.

There seem to be two varieties of these vises - one like mine and a similar style which utilizes a socket head set screw and what looks like a cam locking mechanism to tighten the vise. The second style seems more common in CNC work. You can spend a lot more on them if you buy reputable brands, but the Chinese versions are pretty inexpensive. The nice thing about this style of vise is it is theoretically ground square on all sides, so once a piece is clamped in, it can be rotated 90° simply by rotating the vise. So you can both drill the end of round stock as well as mill slots or flats with (kind of) one setup. I haven't indicated mine to see how square it is, but then I have neither a surface plate nor an indicator setup yet, nor do I have a need for that level of precision yet either. Also be aware that there are different sizes, although none of them are huge, so think how much room you want to lose to the vise, and what you intend to hold with it. Mine came in a box like this. I think they are generic.


Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Precision-Toolma ... hi&sr=1-19

https://www.amazon.com/HFS-PRECISION-GR ... ls&sr=1-19

This youtube video review would suggest that at least one of the two styles is actually very accurate despite being a Chinese knock-off:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13JfzHUy9_M

Mine came from Hardware Factory Store, aka HFS, but they don't seem to have that style currently. Which is irrelevant, because both types are a dime a dozen from any number of sellers.

As to mounting hardware, none is included. Mine has slots in the sides for use with toe clamps. The linked other version has holes which may or may not funciton the same way? The alternative if you have a traditional mill vise like a Kurt or similar, is to simply clamp this the small vise in the big vise, on parallels if necessary. You can find at least one video on Youtube where a rep from Tormach CNC demonstrates that method.

Jim