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Mark Knapp

The best vise ever

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In an earlier thread on this forum I was encouraged to make a fly tying vise and let you all have a look at it.

 

I have started on it but like so many things that I start, the project has snow balled. I can't seem to just build a vise, the possibilities are limitless and I'm jumping at every nicety that I vise like this could have. Right now it looks like just a bunch of damascus and mokume.

 

I'm not conceited enough to think that just because I built it my vise will be the best ever. The reason I'm calling it the best vise ever is because it's my hope that it will do more than just be a pleasure to own and tie flies on. I would like to auction it off when it's done and donate the proceeds to Casting For Recovery. If things go well on this one, I will do one for Casting for a Cure and Project Healing Waters.

 

It would be rather self serving for me to post pictures of the vise build here just to promote my own business so I hadn't done any of that.

 

With the permission of this site I would like to run a thread covering the building of the vise through it's development to it's completion. When it's done I'd like to use this platform to auction it off and make a donation to Casting For Recovery for that amount.

 

The first vise will be made completely of damascus and mokume gane with Law style jaws of the size a trout fly tier might want.

 

I would like the members of this site to help me build the ideal vise. I'm soliciting your ideas on the best weight and size of the base and the height of the stem. Would you appreciate the use of legal ivory (mammoth) on the knobs? Would you prefer a palm wheel, finger knobs or both.

 

Please make any other recommendations you would like.

 

The build will take a year, I still have other things to do, and I will need to have time for fishing.

 

When it's done I will bring the vise to some of the bigger fly tying shows for exposure and to bring awareness to the project (or find representatives to do that for me in case I have conflicting events).

 

I don't know any of the representatives of Casting For Recovery so if any of you do please feel free to pass this information along to them. In the mean time, I will get in contact with them through their web site.

 

Thanks for your help, it's my hope that this project will turn out to be a big success.

 

I will apologize in advance to some members here, the vise will be extravagant and expensive, not practical in any sense of the word. It will be signed and serial numbered but, it is for a good cause. smile.png smile.png

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Cant wait to see pics of your progress on the build. The thought of all that mokume gane, damascus, and ivory has me drooling.

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We've always tried to prevent the members who just post a link to their own site and don't actually participate in conversations.

 

Mark, you've participated more than enough to prove you're not here JUST to promote your business.

 

Good luck with the auction ... although a raffle might produce more money. People are only going to bid to a certain level. Price raffle tickets at $5.00, and just about everybody will try to win a great looking vise.

 

When you're ready to start an auction or raffle, I think posting in the "Swaps and contests" forum would be most appropriate.

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I agree with Mike on the raffle, idea especially compared to auctioning here, I would go with a 10$ ticket price and shoot for selling at least 500 of though, you may be able to get some fly shops to participate in selling tickets for you as well.

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OK, I'll take the raffle idea into consideration, but I hope it will make more than $10,000.00. Some of my knife projects have done more than that and there will be a lot more in time and materials in the vise. I'm actually hoping to hand the selling of the vise over to a fund raising committee to remove any appearance of any shenanigans.

 

First things first, I have a bunch of stock damascus for the base. I can forge it bigger if I need to. How big should the base be, and how heavy should it be? Please chime in. I could just build it like I think it should be but then it would just be my choices, I'm looking for the ideal size.

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I'm not conceited enough to think that just because I built it my vise will be the best ever. The reason I'm calling it the best vise ever is because it's my hope that it will do more than just be a pleasure to own and tie flies on. I would like to auction it off when it's done and donate the proceeds to Casting For Recovery. If things go well on this one, I will do one for Casting for a Cure and Project Healing Waters.

 

 

 

May well be just that. Certainly having the ability to build your own should make it ideal to your needs. And for the most part they would be pretty universal. They are basically just clamps.

 

Looking forward to following the build.

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Thanks Charlie, it certainly would be the best vise for me but if you ask 100 different tiers what makes the best vise you would get a hundred different answers.

 

I'd like to get ideas from the tiers here and build the vise that most people would agree is the best.

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First things first, I have a bunch of stock damascus for the base. I can forge it bigger if I need to. How big should the base be, and how heavy should it be? Please chime in. I could just build it like I think it should be but then it would just be my choices, I'm looking for the ideal size.

Personal opinion, I like the design of Regal's brass pocket base, but it is the smallest and lightest weight that I would want in a pedestal base. I think Peak has the maximum sized base. It is good and stable, but it is bulky to move around with.

 

My ideal base is heavy and stable with pockets in it. I don't like light weight "travel" style bases.

 

Just my two cents.

 

I look forward to watching the progress.

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Petegray would be a good person to ask for input as well he actually purchases high end/dollar visas and may have some worth while advise.

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My two cents... Design the vise for a particular use. Since you don't have to mass market it, you can really make it excel at exactly what you want it to do. A vise aimed at deer hair packing might be interesting, or one aimed at tying tiny flies. Niches that don't already have a particular vise aimed directly at them....

 

Excited to see what you come up with.

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Certainly a worthwhile charity and the sale will maybe bring in more if done in raffle fashion. but selling chances through several outlets, like each of the shows where the masterpiece is displayed. Maybe having the drawing done at one of the big venues.

The materials used are not attractive to me at all and I would not want to own the thing, but I'd still buy a chance or two on it just as a donation thing.

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I'm certainly not at a level of experience to critique, or a design engineer, but there are features I like and look for.

 

Pedestal with heavy base.

 

Ability to adjust for squareness & tension. Hook grip and head movement. Rotary should go back to top-dead-center repeatedly and easily. A truly plumb vice wouldn't need that but a middling one like I can justify can be made MUCH nicer if it can be squared up/centered/aligned - hex wrenches & set screws fine as it's a once & done feature. Too many thumb screws become material tanglers.

 

Multiple jaws. No one jaw can do 28 to 4/0 (although I've only tried & tied 24 to 2/0 so far).

 

Rotary feature.

 

Low glare or gloss finish.

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