how to make lead vise jaws?

[Traffer]

I made mine by using bars that I got from a purchase here. The bars were about 3/8" to 1/2" thick and about 2 1/2" wide. I just made some wire hangers for them to hang in front of the vise jaws. Work like a charm! The lead (aboujt 16 to 18bhn) being nice and thick forms itself to what ever steel I put in the vise. It is especially nice for clamping round stock when I run dies over it to thread it. It will loosen a bit as the lead deforms ...just give it a snug and good again,

[mazo kid]

I was given a couple of phone company splice cases. Those are soft lead and easily cut with snips. Also, lead water pipe will work the same way.

[Willbird]

Thinking outside the box here .

What about just super gluing a layer of lead shot onto a set of Aluminum or Steel jaws .

Big shot like #2 might work pretty slick actually. Lead flashing would the the perfect thing I agree...it can be doubled over or even tripled.

That said in over 40 years in the shop I have never NEEDED a set of lead vise jaws .

[JSnover]

I guess it would depend on the size of your vise but a couple of 1lb ingots with one side trued up and two holes might fit right onto the vise. If it worked you could even mix in some of that worthless zinc for somewhat harder, more durable jaws.

[country gent]

I make my vise jaws with 2 legs that bend over the jaws to hold them on. A K shaped piece with the upright back about 1/2" wider than the jaws. the legs are 1/2" wide. a simple mould can be made with a router in wood. Or a end mill in steel. Mine are 1/4" thick. This is for a steel mould. Pre heat mould to temp of lead or very close to it in the pot. Fill and let cool remove jaws.

My mould has a jaw on each side of the center with a flat plate for cover it is filled thru the legs openings. Once hot and lead is to temp I sit it upright and fill both sides and let cool. I may pour 3-4 sets when I pour them.

Stick on wheel weights or pure lead work very well. Clip on wheel weights or actual harder bullet alloys may not conform to a surface as well. Zinc can be used but again the hardness makes it less than desirable. I also have hard wood jaws, nylon jaws, copper, brass and lead liners. Also handy is thick felt, rubber, or leather pads for your vises.

[pietro]

Thinking outside the box here .

What about just super gluing a layer of lead shot onto a set of Aluminum or Steel jaws .

Big shot like #2 might work pretty slick actually. Lead flashing would the the perfect thing I agree...it can be doubled over or even tripled.

That said in over 40 years in the shop I have never NEEDED a set of lead vise jaws .

Get back in the box - lead shot isn't pure lead, it's a harder alloy.

.

[samari46]

Try out your local scrap yard and see if they have any lead roofing sheathing. Most likely pure and you wouldn't need all that much. Or get a section of 2x6" or 2x8" pine pr pressure treated wood cut in half and cut out the center section to fit over the saddle where the screw is that opens and closes the vise and some cheap rug material from wally world and some brass tacks. Either tack the rug material or glue it. Either way works. Frank

[Traffer]

There are a lot of options. As long as you get some lead between your work and the vise jaws. I use harder lead 16BHN. I have ingots that are flat that I drilled holes in. I just drape them over the jaws and wire them on through the holes.

[Andy]

Ok so I finally got around to doing this and just wanted to update the thread with my results. Didn't get too scientific with it just got a pot of pure lead going and poured it into a bread pan that I only leveled by eye.

Ended up trying a few times and the best results were when I went for 3/16-1/4" thick and had the lead really hot (800) and used a big dipper so that I could get a wet pool of the whole size of the bread pan before it hardened up on top. That let it level out the best.

Pan had a slight bow in the bottom so I didn't end up with very flat sheets of lead, but it still worked out fine on the vise jaws, just put them in place, cut to a bit oversize and hammered the excess around the vise jaws to let them be slid on/off but still stay in place in use.

If doing again I would find a flatter/sturdier bread pan and bother to level it out with a small level beforehand, maybe run the pan on a hot plate too to keep it up at a high temp before pouring in. If you did that I think you could get away with thinner sheets.

[Drm50]

When I pour the jaws, the bottom & both sides are smooth. The top (opening across the top you
pour into) will be fairly flat with rounded edges. I use this for the bottom of the jaws. So I have
The top edge and jaw, front and back perfectly flat. The poured edge is down and serves no function anyway. I pour several sets while I'm at it. When jaws get beat up just throw them in
scrap to be remelted. I make the jaws wider than vise and trim with hack saw.

[Andy]

Wanted to post an update now that I've been using these a while. I find these to be incredibly useful in fact they are on my vise more often than not, and I use them much more than the leather jaws I made. Very nice for holding a gun securely and they don't mar the finish even with an irregular lead surface. Very awesome for doing things like holding a screw by the threads to work on the top etc. They also "give" enough to where you get a feel for when you're about to clamp too much force onto something that could bend.

My main problem with them is that the out-of-flatness from my method of making them is fairly annoying. For example I go to clamp a flat receiver in them and instead of an even surface that holds it securely you have a hump that it rotates easily on when tapping etc.

I'm going to see how much of a pain it would be to flatten them on my mill, but looking back I would probably just go the flashing route as others suggested, to get a workably flat surface without a lot of fuss. That or make a jig up that would guarantee planar faces to the pour.

[Drm50]

I use lead flashing bent like angle iron and just hung over jaws for jobs that are going to imprint the
lead. Filing on screws is a good example of this.

[JimB..]

Wanted to post an update now that I've been using these a while. I find these to be incredibly useful in fact they are on my vise more often than not, and I use them much more than the leather jaws I made. Very nice for holding a gun securely and they don't mar the finish even with an irregular lead surface. Very awesome for doing things like holding a screw by the threads to work on the top etc. They also "give" enough to where you get a feel for when you're about to clamp too much force onto something that could bend.

My main problem with them is that the out-of-flatness from my method of making them is fairly annoying. For example I go to clamp a flat receiver in them and instead of an even surface that holds it securely you have a hump that it rotates easily on when tapping etc.

I'm going to see how much of a pain it would be to flatten them on my mill, but looking back I would probably just go the flashing route as others suggested, to get a workably flat surface without a lot of fuss. That or make a jig up that would guarantee planar faces to the pour.

If they are only a bit out of flat you could glue 40 grit sandpaper to both sides of a piece of flat stock and work it back and forth while snugging up the jaws. If more than a bit unflat first beat them into submission.