Cast Iron TIG Welding - Harbor Freight Vise Repair

My trusty Harbor Freight vise (Item #5655) finally broke due to a poor design and use of cast iron instead of steel. The achilles heel is the cast iron end cap.

In this video, I attempt a weld repair on the broken cast iron part using stainless filler rod. Partly to avoid throwing it in the landfill, but mostly to see if I could actually pull off a repair.

Worst case, I have one more part to weld to my "wall of fail."

Harbor Freight now has a new item (#67415) which replaced the model I had, 5655. If you've got the new one, take the end cap off and let me know if they fixed the design!

Sorry for the poor audio quality and mumbling. I really should work on speaking louder when I'm not near the camera.

Welder: Miller Syncrowave 250

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Cast
• Iron
• Welding
• TIG
• Vise
• Shop
• Fabrication
• DIY
• Repair

[psient]

Great video. I would suggest assuming the vise was reverse engineered in its design the problem is Quality of the metal. Thanks for the effort. I have the same vise but use it for work holding rather than for crushing.

[amaedesign]

@psient I completely agree that the design was probably copied from a higher quality vise which was made of cast steel, not cast iron. Funny thing is I don't usually use the vise for crushing, but my son was having fun crushing some aluminum extrusions. I didn't think it would hurt the vise because of my experiences with better quality vises. Now I know!

[Ibringthetruth1]

Good vid but some issues with it.

1. You didn't explain why the part broke but then you recommend the vice.

2. The welding had no closeup which i would have like to see.

3. What do you do for a living ? engine mech?

[amaedesign]

@Ibringthetruth1 The part broke because I used the vise for crushing. At the time it broke, I was putting 200lbs of force on the crank handle. Some would call that abuse. I'm an engineer and design consumer products for a living. I anticipate and design for that. The vise is a great value so long as you don't use it for crushing duty. If it were made of cast steel, it could handle crushing duty too. But that would cost 3x the harbor freight price.

[yesac101]

my suggestion if you do anymore cast iron get some nickle 99 its worth the expense. you also never know when you might have a cracked header that needs fixing too its just good to have around its like a spare welding hood you may never need it but if you do you would be glad you had it around

[amaedesign]

@yesac101 I was thinking to pick up some the next time I'm at a weld shop - probably when I refill my argon bottle.

[kmrzm2004]

Why didn't you use the press for crushing?

[badboyz2193]

should have heated it up 1st. if u get cast iron like red hot n then weld it, much better results in stregth.

[ColtDeltaElite10mm]

Con't from below..... I felt that the good old fashioned stick welding with a nickel rid would work better to get a decent weld pass in that tight area. The Tig cup I feared wouldn't fit right in the confined space. That was just my own feeling. Anyway, since then, my vice has held up to heavy abuse and the weld has held so far....

[ColtDeltaElite10mm]

Nice video! I too like others here were cringing when u fired up the grinder in your custom machine shop!!!! Right then, I wanted to shout, "WHATYA NEW!?!?!???"

Nice video, I'm just teasing a bit. I have the same vice with the same problem! I used Lincoln's "Softweld 99Ni" 1/8" electrode rod with DC+ and 100 amps. I heated the part in my BBQ at 425F for two hours. Welded it, chipped the slag then back into BBQ with slow cool down. Worked beautifully!

[colecross24]

I noticed how you were pushing on the pedal, does you machine not have a pulse feature?

[1Rectified]

@amaedesign I also had a smaller model (appx 4 inch) from H.F. that broke in the same spot. I tig welded it with 70S2 rod and it works like new. Cool vid. Liked that the sound editing.

[dougspair]

...Oh...this really hurt looking at the grinding in the same building as the machinery...and the engine...are you nuts?

[dougspair]

..Crushing..? isn't that like...'sledge' time...?

[dougspair]

...Harbor Freight...is that the store that sells all those baot anchors...??

[tdtrailer]

That vise isn't the only thing from Harbor Freight in that shop. Don't feel too bad, I broke that same vise; but I broke the shaft where it meets the jaw. Then, I got a Wilton.