If this does not belong here please feel free to remove, move etc. I figured this might help someone else out.
I was recently at our flea market and bought a small needle nosed vice grip. They were well used but very inexpensive and I bought them as users, not to collect.
Photos taken after repair - sorry I didn't take before photos.
They were made by Petersen Mfg. Co. and as I understand this was the original manufacturer.
I noticed that the upper jaw had been bent upwards so that the tips of the jaws no longer met. Having little to lose I decided to repair them.
I figured that bending them back cold would likely result in breaking the tip so used heat (a small Bernzomatic butane torch) to heat the tip of the upper jaw to glowing red hot. I held the main part of the vice grips securely in my mechanic's vice and then used another vice grips to bend the tip back in place. It took a couple of tries but worked in the end. I didn't bother to try to restore the heat treating but did plunge the tips in water shortly after the last bending effort.
It seems that the steel is still strong and little effected by my repair. I won't abuse them so they will likely work well past my need for them.
John.
Donations
Community Links
