Pin Vice Help Needed

[Ed Gibbons]

I’m using the pin Vice that came with the Yankee Hero kit from Blue Crafters. 3 bits were included. I’m having difficulty getting the drill bit to lock into the chuck. Any  advice would be appreciated. 
 

 

[Jaager]

Micro-Mark is having a significant sale right now..

I am a 'use what works' in behavior,  so tool theory is not my focus.

My favorite is an old version of 21105.  It was by General and made before the Wharton School types took over manufacturing and lowered the quality of the materials and workmanship to crap levels. And that is universal, not just General or what passes for it today.

The quality of what you pick is a gamble from a gatherer and vendor like Micro-Mark.  There is a variety of pin vises there.    If a particular manufacturer has resisted the trend and stuck with quality over economy, in most cases it will be worth the extra - IF you intend to stick with this for the long term.  Most economy tools are aimed at tyros and dilettantes.

 

60531  Multitool is something that looks good, and may be a good fit for plastic or photo etch but for wooden sail - for me it is a tool looking for a job.

 

64216  Rogers drill stand is very handy - again if you are going to stick with this.

 

The same conditions apply to these two drill gauges:

10123  1-60

14521  61-80

 

They help with identifying stray drill bits and will work as a draw plate for Bamboo dowels (trunnels). But, at the small sizes, the Byrnes draw plate is at least 10 times better.  The gradations are slight enough that a two finger grip is enough to pull a sliver of Bamboo skewer thru it.

 

For any other of the many seductive tools,  sale or no sale, it is best to wait until a task comes up that is better done with a particular tool. Buy it when you need it.  Buying tools on spec will gain you a supply of tools that take up space and gather dust and never see use.  Alas, this is advice that I seldom follow, so I have storage boxes with drawers almost never opened.

Edited July 18, 2021 by Jaager

[mtaylor]

Ed,  a photo would help.    Are the shafts of the three bits all the same size?   On many of those tools, there's different size chucks to insert into the handle for different size bits.  

[Ed Gibbons]

2 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

Ed,  a photo would help.    Are the shafts of the three bits all the same size?   On many of those tools, there's different size chucks to insert into the handle for different size bits.  

There are 2 inserts each which have a different size opening on the end. When I use the smallest end with the largest big, I can’t get the chuck tight enough to secure the bit. Forgot the 2 smaller bits that came with the kit. I’m thinking I am doing something wrong or the pin vice is substandard. 

[Ed Gibbons]

[mtaylor]

That looks like one of the ones I have.  If you'll pull the inserts out, you should see different size openings on each end.   Pretty neat way to give you 4 sizes with only two inserts.   Anyway,  match the bit to the proper hole, it should be good fit, not loose.  

[Jaager]

4 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

That looks like one of the ones I have.

The old General version had an end that was a tad larger, smoother edges and had less resistance to rotation.

The bean counters who made the design less expensive to manufacture were morons.

[JerryC]

It looks good in the photo showing it all assembled. I had a problem tightening the one I have until I reversed the central body tube to have the longer threads facing the business end.

[CPDDET]

I took the plunge some time ago and purchased a set of 3 pin vices from Starrett and never looked back. Not cheap but a quality tool.

[No Idea]

3 hours ago, CPDDET said:

I took the plunge some time ago and purchased a set of 3 pin vices from Starrett and never looked back. Not cheap but a quality tool.

Same here they really are worth the money 👍

[Ed Gibbons]

16 minutes ago, No Idea said:

Same here they really are worth the money 👍

I can get a set o 4 for $76. There is also one that costs $76. Which way did you go?

[No Idea]

I bought the set of 4 vices and found them to be very well made.  In the UK they cost about £80 which I guess is about $110?  Starrett tools over here are more expensive than in the USA.   The smallest vice will hold a micro drill and the largest one will hold a 4mm drill. I’m glad I bought mine. 

[toms10]

Hi Ed

i also went the Starrett route after playing around with the lesser “hobby” grades for a couple years. You pretty much get what you pay for when it comes to tools. I shopped around eBay and found a Starrett set of four for $50. 
 

Tom

[kurtvd19]

Ed:

Not discounting the Starrett idea, but the kit tool is not a bad tool.  Match the proper holder to the drill bit and it should tighten down just fine.  I got that tool when I built and reviewed the Yankee Hero kit when it came out.  I still use it.  I think I had commented on the quality of it when I reviewed the kit.  Most "everything included" kits have junk tools.  Bluejacket is a quality company - they don't provide junk.  If it doesn't tighten at all call Bluejacket - you might have a defective tool.

[Roger Pellett]

A while ago I decided to replace my used and abused set.   I chose the ones from Amazon that were made in USA.  It turned out that they were from a company called Moody in Rhode Island, moodytools.com. I thought that there were nicely made.  A four vice set bought directly from the company lists for $66.00

 

Roger

Edited July 19, 2021 by Roger Pellett

[Bob Cleek]

On 7/18/2021 at 12:38 PM, Ed Gibbons said:

 

Well, I learn something new here every day! I've had one of these pin vises for years, along with a collection of others. I never had any idea it unscrewed to open and contain two double-ended collets!    

[wefalck]

There are many different styles of pin-vices and some of them close to near zero (at least when new / not abused). Check out watchmaking supply houses and the notorious electronic bay.

 

Here is an overview over my selection that was either inherited or purchased:

 

 

1 - Archimedes drill for watchmakers.
 2 - Slender modern pin-vice with hollow fluted brass body.
 3 - Slender antique pin-vice with hollow fluted brass body.
 4 - Shop-made pin-vice with walnut handle and head made from an insert drill-chuck; these drill-chucks are unfit for their intended purpose as they usually do not run true.
 5 - British Eclipse toolmaker's pin-vice with knurled steel body; these come in different sizes - similar to the USAmerican Starrett.
 6 - French-style pin-vice; these are closed with the sliding ring and have usually brass inserts in the two jaws that can be adapted to special needs;
 7 - Dito, here the jaws are replaced in hard-wood for delicate parts.
 8 - Antique laboratory pin-vice with fluted wooden handle.
 9 - Modern pin-vice with fluted wooden handle; these come in different sizes and capacities.
10 - Antique toolmaker's pin-vice for very delicate work in confined spaces or as handles for small files and reamers.

[Bill Tuttle]

I would agree with all of the folks who recommended Starrett.  When I started building models most of the pin vices were at least acceptable and some very good but they seem to have all gotten cheaper as production of these has moved to China.  You can always count on Starrett and they can be bought used at a very reasonable price on E-Bay.  Likewise on the drill gauges.  The old General used to be fairly decent but now it is hard to tell the difference in many of the holes side by side.  I also use only Starrett from E-bay for drill gauges.

[Bruce K]

I've used several no-named pin vises over the years.  I decided to get a quality set around a year ago and purchased the Starrett 4 pin vise set.  They are nice, but they lack the swivel on the end so you can easily twirl the drill.  So I looked elsewhere and my go to tool now is the Tamiya 74112 Fine Pin Vise.  Since it holds all the extra collets in the body, it is somewhat large in size but it has a great range in drill bits, and it twirls!!

[wefalck]

As you can see in my picture above, No. 1is an archimedes drill that closed down to virtually zero. I got it some 30+ years ago from the local watchmaking supply store in Nottingham/UK. For such products Internet-buys can be problematic, as you cannot check how well it is really made. This drills are also made in a 'double-action' version with spring-return.

 

The Starret/Eclipse toolmakers pin-vices are very good for their purpose. For work on models with various inserts they are often too bulky. For this I prefer slender ones as No. 2 or 3 above. It is always good to have a selection of types, as there is no all-purpose one.

[Ian Barefoot]

I live in the UK and fortunately fairly close to a GOOD tool shop.  I've bought several pin vices from various outlets on the 'model exhibition' circuit.  Some were rubbish from the get-go and others worsened with use.  From the toolshop owners advice I bought a 'Draper' pin-vice which closes down to zero (I think the maximum is 1.2mm) and I've never looked back....  Anything larger is adequately coped with by the others...

[BenD]

I've got a trick for crappy old pin-vice drills. This one doesn't fit bits any smaller than .5mm anymore so I roll aluminum foil around the drill bit shafts. It seems to generate enough grip that I can drill into wood without the bit spinning in the chuck.

 

Here is a .3mm bit being sleeved up.  

[wefalck]

I have used soldering tin with rosin core for this purpose. After pushing the drill through the jaws seem to close on it quite centrically …

Edited July 29, 2021 by wefalck

[tlevine]

Paper wrapped around the bit works also.

[MrBlueJacket]

The pin vise we sell is good for drills down to #75. Smaller than that I use a Dremel universal chuck.

[CPDDET]

I purchased this set of Starrett pin vices a couple of years ago. Not cheap but nice quality that should last for many years.

[toms10]

4 hours ago, CPDDET said:

I purchased this set of Starrett pin vices a couple of years ago. Not cheap but nice quality that should last for many years.

I have the same set. Top quality. I don’t mind paying a bit more for something that is top quality if you are going to use them a lot such as pin vises. Sometimes you can get a set from retired toolmakers for a great price on EBay.  Every toolmaker I have ever worked with in my 40+ year career have only used Starrett tools. 

Tom