Vise for straight razor work?

Recommendations on a vise for working with straight razors?

I saw two reasonably-priced one on Amazon:

http://smile.amazon.com/SE-8436MVC-3-Inch-Universal-Aluminum/dp/B0013E2AQY/

http://smile.amazon.com/Olympia-Tool-38-604-4-Inch-Bench/dp/B000VJLY00/

I bought one that looks like the first link. I've never used it.

panavise, buy quality and never look back. have had one over 20 yrs with the attachments. use it regularly for everything from knife handles to electronic repairs. I also have the vac base but I prefer the clamp. if it should break today I would search for another one like it. I like using it more so than the other cast iron ones when I need it to be portable.

mycarver said:

I bought one that looks like the first link. I've never used it.

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Do you just not end up using a vise, or do you use something else?

kn4wd said:

panavise, buy quality and never look back. have had one over 20 yrs with the attachments. use it regularly for everything from knife handles to electronic repairs. I also have the vac base but I prefer the clamp. if it should break today I would search for another one like it. I like using it more so than the other cast iron ones when I need it to be portable.

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The Panavises I saw on Amazon all looked like they need to be screwed into something (except for the vac base one).

yes they have 4 different bases, vacuum, three different clamp configs. also you can drill a bench for the stub to fit in. I bought mine locally at the electronics shop as a kit with all the attachments and jaws. one vise head will adapt if you have the proper base. they are several clones but the only sure fit is panavise, if the quality hasn't changed it is very well done and never fails to clamp and hold.

here are pics that may help you understand how it attaches to the base.

What are you thinking of doing with it? If you are looking to modify it and clamp it while you go all dremel on it then you need something with a solid base. If you are thinking about clamping while sanding, forget about it.

I've got a Wilton power arm with a baby bullet vise on it. Doesn't get used much for razor work but works great for hand sanding knife scales and blades.

It's pretty much like the one in the first link. It is really handy for adjusting to almost any angle you want though. But if you are going to be hand sanding blades the best and safest way is with a magnetic jig with the edge flush with the plate.

This is what I use mostly for holding razors. Made it from stuff I found in the basement plus some cheap magnets at Harbor Freight. About $2 invested. Works like a charm.

mycarver said:

I bought one that looks like the first link. I've never used it.

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+1

emacsomancer said:

Do you just not end up using a vise, or do you use something else?

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Nope . Don't use a vise for any resto. The only time it could come into use is for file work. When I started resto work I built one of the typical blade holding gizmos.Jigs in my regular line of work can be very handy and thought this would be as well. Modified it quite a bit to try and make it more user friendly. My final modification to it seemed to work the best for me. I modified it into the trash can.

Granted for some of the work needed it did OK. But for the majority of the time it was too limiting. That's why it ended up where it did.

Heespharm said:

+1

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+2