The wood that comes on them looks like it would marr a walnut stock. I guess most of you use thick leather, where do you get it and do you glue it? Are there other options?

Rob, I use liner leather from an old pair of cowboy boots that didnt fit me anymore(I don't like to throw good leather away). I glued it on with Barge cement.

I use a closed cell foam of some kind. Dont know exactly what kind it is. Got it at work. It's about 1/2" thick and glued on. How do you like the vise? I recieved mine for Christmas and love it.

Haven't used it yet but it's at one corner of my bench and I have one of those copies of the Brownell vise at the other corner. Good to have the right tools.

How the memory on that closed cell foam? Does it readily expand when you release the pressure?

Rob

Rob,
I have found both leather and cork work excellent. I use barge cement too.
Steve

These flat out work. I have had the same ones for better than ten years.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/productdetail.aspx?p=22186&s=

I thought lawndart would post something interesting here. Most likely in black & white.

Jim,
I have a set of those too. Produced by Len Bull. They work great most of the time, But not when you want dead solid hold, they give some. Great to have in the shop though.
Steve

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Kobe:
These flat out work. I have had the same ones for better than ten years.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/productdetail.aspx?p=22186&s=

A pair of those cost more than what I paid for my muti-vise.

It could be a career trying to find stuff cheaper than at Brownells. Crikey! It a piece of rubber glued to Aluminum.

rob,
it is acually poured. Good old Len has the formula for the rubber and poors them right onto the aluminum. Mine were seconds bought from Len himself for a much reduced price. They do work well, but so do other less costly options. As for prices at brownell's, it depends. I never buy tooling or things that can be bought from industrial supply companies, way too spendy. They have some of the best customer service of anyone I do buisiness with, they ship very fast, and they can provide more technical information than most other supply outlets. They can be spendy at times.
Steve

Thanks Steve, I agree with your assessment of Brownells, spendy but good service doesn't come cheap.


Thanks, Rob

Pattern maker's skin is quite durable. Stockmaker's can work too but I find most of them to be rather thin-skinned.

This stuff is pretty cool, Vice Padding

haven't used it to hold a stock, but I don't have a pattern makers vise either....

I like to use these to hold gunstocks while I work on them:



For turning springs, polishing screws or other fine work I use smaller jaws. They have to be able to exert a lot of gripping pressure:



The skin off an old fighter pilot's ass is way too thick for these purposes. Also, after so many years of getting chewed on and chewed out, it is no longer pliable.

I have 1//4" neopreme rubber that I get from an industrial gasket place they dig me a scrap out of the scrap barrel and give it to me. I have a parrott vice, I was thinking about replatcing it with the vise in the pic from midway. That looks like a good vise.

Thanks lawndart! I needed a good laugh. Hope you're ass doesn't get too sore for this one.

R B

I use the 1/8 inch Kick-eez, Sorbothane cheek pad material offered by Brownells. It is self adhesive and comes in a 6" by 5" sheet. It stands up real good to a lot of heavy use.

James