Warming a Graver Vise

[Ronald Scott]

I recently had some surgery to my left hand, which resulted in some nerve and circulation problems. The hand cramps when cold. Turing my stainless ball (cold) sets up a cramp. Anyone tried any methods of warming a vise. I am using a low profile Lindsay.

 

[Matthew Evans]

I recently had some surgery to my left hand, which resulted in some nerve and circulation problems. The hand cramps when cold. Turing my stainless ball (cold) sets up a cramp. Anyone tried any methods of warming a vise. I am using a low profile Lindsay

I’ve heard using a heat gun does the trick.

 

[mdengraver]

You could wrap some rubber like an old bicycle tire innnertube around it that might work.

 

[AllenClapp]

Wearing a thin leather glove works wonders.

 

[jmyates]

Ron
I would wrap an electric heating blanket around the base or possibly set the vice on top of one.Back when I used to blacksmith in an unheated shop I would use one to preheat the anvil before working on it.

mitch

 

[JJ Roberts]

I rap stair covering around the jaws of my engraving vise's I buy it at my hardware store. J.J.

 

[Leland Davis]

In the winter I sit my vice on the heat vent at night it's nice and toasty in the morning and 45 pounds of steel will stay warm all day.

 

[Ronald Scott]

Ron
I would wrap an electric heating blanket around the base or possibly set the vice on top of one.Back when I used to blacksmith in an unheated shop I would use one to preheat the anvil before working on it.

mitch

Mitch, the heating blanket sounds like a good approach.

 

[mitch]

Take it to bed with you- like putting your boots in the bottom of your sleeping bag when you're hunting. Or maybe try a heat lamp. Even a 100w incandescent up close for 30-60 minutes before you start working should do the trick.

 

[mdengraver]

I rap stair covering around the jaws of my engraving vise's I buy it at my hardware store. J.J.

JJ what is stair covering?

 

[JJ Roberts]

Ken, The stair covering come in a roll it looks like 50 grit sand paper on one side and sticky on the other side works on wood stairs can find in any good hardware store. J.J.

 

[silvermon]

I don’t know what your budget is, but a small electric radiant heater, pointed directly at the vice overnight will work. I have used larger radiant heaters to heat mills with tooling mounted, to maintain a constant temperature overnight, and keep my tolerances good. I use the same heater to keep tooling up to temperature in a press in the winter.

 

[MoldyJim]

I used to have a small magnetic engine block heater I would stick to the side of my anvil to warm it up.
2" x 3" IIRC.

Or use an old clothes iron turned upside down?

 

[dms]

they make a rubber sticky back tape for insulating pipes. Also it would take some real modification/remount/rewire the hot plate from an old mr coffee might do the trick. Seems about the right size and plenty of spares around when coils finally burn out. Maybe a spare on the bench to keep the coffee warm too.

 

[Jim Disbrow]

I've been using the stair covering tape for about 4 years now. I got the idea from Brian Marshall. I wonder what he's doing now.

 

[JJ Roberts]

Here's a picture of my 50 lb engravers vise. Keep it simple. J.J.

 

[mdengraver]

JJ, nice vice? How old is it and who made the vise?

 

[JJ Roberts]

Ken, I purchased the vise twenty five years ago from Ray Le Tourneau and its mounted on my pedestal and use it while standing with H&C or power assist cost back then $450. J.J.

 

[rbauman]

My basement is cold in the winter, I put a halogen bulb in my clip on lamp that gives me my lighting from the side along with L.E.D. ring light. The clip on sits approximately six inches from the vice, warms it and my hands nicely.

 

[handengraver]

I had the same problem as an apprentice. We started working at 7AM firing up the oven, and it started to radiate heat around 9:30. Outside it was -15 C, in the workshop about 5 C in the winter mornings.
(We used to have a shot of plum brandy for inner heating. It was in 1960.)
I kept the block warm during the night by covering it with a four fold towel and a cardboard box over it, so it did not get all that cold in the morning.