brass or aluminum vise jaws?

[KenH]

Hello all - I was getting ready to build a set of brass jaws for my 6" vise (heavy bugger!). After seeing a selection of aluminum vise jaws, got to thinking - which is best, aluminum or brass? OR - is there any real difference? The vise will be used for the usual barrel holding, etc. Don't wish to mar the metal/finish. I'm thinking brass jaws, but wanted to ask for advice from ya'll folks who have more experience than I do.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Ken H>

[matrixcs]

Soft jaws can be either brass or aluminum if the material is soft. There is a great deal of variation in hardness of both.
If I were looking for soft jaws I would use lead jaws as I have done before. I never grind or heat when using lead jaws because of the dust and vapors.

[Blackwater]

I have both aluminum and some leather covered made by gluing leather scraps to aluminum angle iron. There'll be uses for all of it.

[dragonrider]

Leather is better than brass or aluminum.

[Hooker53]

Yep. That's a good use IV found for the old leather gloves that the fingers get wore on. I use brass for anything harder but just because I have brass laying around.

Roy
Hooker53


I have both aluminum and some leather covered made by gluing leather scraps to aluminum angle iron. There'll be uses for all of it.

[smokeywolf]

For hanging on to barrels, hardwood blocks are usually preferred. If your choice is between aluminum and brass, aluminum would be the obvious choice; softer (usually) and with a higher coefficient of friction.

[deltaenterprizes]

I use copper, take a piece of tubing and anneal it and then split it and flatten it and then shape it to fit your vise.

[KenH]

Thanks to all for the comments - I guess I'll make 2 sets from aluminum and glue leather one. Got plenty of aluminum laying around, and plenty of leather scraps also from sheath projects.

Thanks again, Ya'll make this site is GREAT!!!

Ken H>

[oldred]

I have both aluminum and some leather covered made by gluing leather scraps to aluminum angle iron.

Aluminum angle IRON??????? :shock:

[pietro]

For hanging on to barrels, hardwood blocks are usually preferred.




With plenty of rosin applied to the inside of the (shaped-to-the-barrel-contour) wood blocks.


.

[oldred]

I personally use Delrin plastic jaws, quite tough but can be a bit slippery so sometimes if the object is round like a barrel I also use a piece of cloth.

[oneokie]

Aluminum angle IRON??????? :shock:

Check your local farm supply stores. IIRC, TSC carries aluminum angle.

[oldred]

Check your local farm supply stores. IIRC, TSC carries aluminum angle.


I'm not looking for any but all my Aluminum angle is made of Aluminum! :mrgreen:

Jut funnin anyway, I always get a kick out of hearing that and it happen often because it sort of comes natural I suppose, every time I say Aluminum angle I almost have to bite my tongue to keep from saying iron! Dealing with my farm equipment customers I have heard that one a bunch of times but my all time favorite is the question I have heard several times about some painted trailer parts I sell, the customer will ask "are those made from Aluminum or metal"?

[smokeywolf]

I personally use Delrin plastic jaws, quite tough but can be a bit slippery so sometimes if the object is round like a barrel I also use a piece of cloth.

If you favor plastics, PVC has a much higher coefficient of friction than Delrin.

[KenH]

Oldred: I know exactly what you mean - when you wrote your response, I had a reply half typed up saying "Oooops", then I saw it wasn't me that said "aluminum angle iron" - sure seemed like something I'd do without thinking! Heck, "angle" is always "iron" {g}

Ken H>

[LAGS]

Dont limit yourself to one type of jaw.
I have steel, brass, Aluminum, copper , plastic, Wood, Aluminum angle iron with 1/2" rubber face and carpet covered wood.
I have even cast them with Epoxy to hold different shapes, especially for the drill press.

[oldred]

I have steel, brass, Aluminum, copper , plastic, Wood, Aluminum angle iron


Do you have a link where we can buy some of that Aluminum iron?

[M-Tecs]

Do you have a link where we can buy some of that Aluminum iron?

Since you asked http://gizmodo.com/new-iron-aluminum-alloy-is-strong-and-light-as-titanium-1683920338

[bangerjim]

Depending on what I am doing and gripping, I use jaw sets made from Delrin, soft brass, hard brass, aluminum, hardboard, and anything else I need.

I make them to use rare earth magnets to hold them in place. 2 thin magnets for each jaw half.

[oldred]

As mentioned Delrin is fairly slippery stuff but otherwise quite tough and makes for good soft jaws. If a part is wrapped in cloth before clamping it tends to stay put but due to the natural lubricity of Delrin I suppose there are better options, I had a couple of sets of ready made Delrin jaws so I use them.

M-Tecs, I hadn't seen that one yet but there is another iron/aluminum combo that's sort of like an iron plated aluminum or at least a sandwiched type of concoction. This is done by fusing a thin steel layer onto the aluminum under extreme pressure, this is actually done in an explosive procedure using controlled explosives to create the pressure needed. The one linked to is still in the lab but the iron plated aluminum has actually seen some very highly specialized use although I seriously doubt we will ever see either commonly available in generic structural shapes like angle but then who knows?

Another good one that occurs fairly often because it too seems to have this natural sound to it is "steel brass" when referring to steel cartridge casings.

This is all said in fun and is in no way meant to correct or insult anyone, it's not about being right or wrong but rather a fairly common phenomenon where fairly uncommon object/material names gets combined with the names of very similar much more familiar objects/materials creating a name for something that can't exist, it's a natural tendency and there's even a name for it.


Another common one, and I even saw this one used in a news report, is saying the "front seat" when referring to the seat in a pickup truck! I fully realize some trucks do indeed have a rear seat or in some cases rear "jump" seats but it's extremely common to say "front seat" even with a normal cab, again it just has a natural ring to it and in the case of the truck seats it's so common it's probably gotten to be normal.

[KenH]

Thanks again for all the comments - when I was asking about vise jaws I was thinking of holding something with flat sides. I hadn't even considered a round barrel. Today I drilled a 7/8" hole in a hardwood block, that worked just fine for gripping a barrel. Clamping the barrel with this hardwood block the action screwed off nicely. No problem at all.

Thanks to all for the ideas.

Ken H>

[LAGS]

Glass bed those Barrel blocks or use Sheet Lead to make a Better Non Maring block that Fits Perfect.
But if you are going to do a lot of barrel removal, you may want to buy a regular Barrel Vise Set Up.

[KenH]

Lead sheets? Sounds like a good idea, but I'll not being doing more than 1 or 2 barrels a yr, if that many. For this time, the hardwood blocks held good and no marring of barrel.

Ken

[KCSO]

Brass is not soft, copper is soft or aluminum. In addition brass is slippery when clamping. Go with either aluminum or capper or wood depending on what you don't want to mar. I have 3 vises in the shop and several vices elsewhere nd the shp ones are wood, copper and steel with v grooves.

[Safeshot]

Brass or copper. Any scuff marks or smears on the steel can be easily removed with very fine steel wool and Hoppie's #9. Aluminum oxide can mar the surface of steel and I think that the aluminum scuff marks are more difficult to remove. Just my opinion.

[sailsguy]

I've used lead sheets in the past too. Anything wrong I'm missing on using that?

sailsguy

[Geezer in NH]

I have brass, aluminum, wood, leather, steel [smooth], steel [with teeth], and lead for my vise. All have their uses.

[retread]

Dont limit yourself to one type of jaw.
I have steel, brass, Aluminum, copper , plastic, Wood, Aluminum angle iron with 1/2" rubber face and carpet covered wood.
I have even cast them with Epoxy to hold different shapes, especially for the drill press.

"The right tool for the job".

[David2011]

. . . iron plated aluminum has actually seen some very highly specialized use although I seriously doubt we will ever see either commonly available in generic structural shapes like angle but then who knows?

Another good one that occurs fairly often because it too seems to have this natural sound to it is "steel brass" when referring to steel cartridge casings.

This is all said in fun and is in no way meant to correct or insult anyone, it's not about being right or wrong but rather a fairly common phenomenon where fairly uncommon object/material names gets combined with the names of very similar much more familiar objects/materials creating a name for something that can't exist, it's a natural tendency and there's even a name for it.


Another common one, and I even saw this one used in a news report, is saying the "front seat" when referring to the seat in a pickup truck! I fully realize some trucks do indeed have a rear seat or in some cases rear "jump" seats but it's extremely common to say "front seat" even with a normal cab, again it just has a natural ring to it and in the case of the truck seats it's so common it's probably gotten to be normal.

Some things are just hard to say any way but the old way. We all know what aluminum angle iron is and we all know it's wrong. Almost everyone reading this has some iron plated aluminum nearby. The exception would be those that only read with a smart phone or tablet. Hard drive discs are iron plated aluminum and as slick and shiny as a front surfaced reflector telescope mirror.

David