Hi , yep one of the most clever thing i saw in a long time ... And by the way , be careful , you will break the glass , again , if you're not lighter on it .... lol Peace from France ; )
Hey, $639.80 USD is not bad for a vise of that caliber and in such a lovingly restored condition as well! At that price, I suggest one vice for each piece of machinery you own!
This has blown up in the 3d printing community. People are referencing this video and printing these out of plastic left and right! I keep seeing your video come up in 3d printing videos daily.
I read your comment and searched fractal vise, in the images instantly found this design made by 3d printing. awesome, but you what I thought was really remarkable is the turnabout, this video was released not even 3 weeks ago and people are always making their own one. shows the power of 3d printing. old fashioned industry 3 weeks in and its not left the drawing board.
@@varsityathlete9927 making something out of metal or wood is very different from making something in a 3d printer, if a print goes wrong or you need to change something you can just print it again, if you make a mistake in metal that could be a lot of work to change anything. Makes sense they spend more time in the planning phase.
@@jinglemyberries866 there will be now that there’s a market but this must have been expensive and new ones will also be expensive. Hours on a CNC Machine just to make one. Then assembly. Look for it on aliexpress in the next few months.
@@thetruthexperiment Yea lets hope these become available soon! Youre right, it'd definitely be expensive but if its built well, it'll be worth it in the long run IMO!
This is my favorite video of yours.I've watched it multiple times, and am just fascinated by the design. I saw Adam Savage found one, so I came back to watch again. Here I am again marveling at the fact that someone hand built this in c. 1914, with belt driven lathes, slide rules, and a lot of trial and error. Thanks for sharing this It makes my day every time I watch.
After 25 years as a professional mechanic I rarely see a tool that I am not at least familiar with. I had no idea that I had the wrong vise this entire time! Thanks for the video.
The amount of machining to make this thing to begin with blows my mind. I'm not a machinist at all but it's crazy to think about all the steps and different tools and even the order you would have to go in to make each individual part that is DOVETAILED into eachother
I’m a machinist and that’s how I think about every man made intricate thing. Begins to blow your mind on the daily. Also, this dude must smoke weed cuz the minor ways where I see exactly how something comes apart and watching him struggle had my heart on edge lol
Machining it is a feat indeed - designing it is another level. Before you can build it you have to envision it in your mind. I mean how in the world did the designer get the idea?
@@stanislavczebinski994 If my vice could just bend in the middle a bit that would be great. If my middle-bending-vice could just bend in the middle a bit that would be great. If my middle-bending-middle-bending-vice could just bend in the middle a bit that would be great. If my middle-bending-middle-bending-middle-bending-vice could just bend in the middle a bit that would be great...
29:37 when that vice was made, it was almost definitely before CNC was a thing, so all of those parts were hand spun on a lathe. Some dude with a lathe had the skill to make an articulated vice that adjusts to grip nearly anything, meanwhile I can't even make a square on an etch-a-sketch.
@@deth3021 Sure, but you can get a lot done with fixtures, jigs, and stops. Requires a lot of manual setup, but then you can fire the same part out a thousand times, no CNC required.
@@Baer1990 I can just imagine some Grandpa who has loved this vice for 40 years reluctantly loaning it to his grandson who returned it full of drill holes. Envisioning the tears in Grandpa's eyes as he sees the damage. Then the questions by the family as to the whereabouts of aforementioned grandson. Pops: Have you seen Johnny? he has not been home in weeks. Last I heard he was bringing some tools you loaned him back to you.
My background was in tool and die making both out on the shop floor and as a designer in the drafting room and this is the first time I ever saw a vise this amazing. To think that this vise was designed and machined back in the early 1900's speaks volumes of the skill of the craftsmen. The restoration on this vise it top notch. So nice to see a treasure like this given a second life.
I’d play a lot of cash for that vice. Damn in seven decades on this earth I’ve only seen a few of these gems. Good on you for preserving one. I wish you all the best!
@@wesleytownsend8214 wow, I mean sure, you will need this mainly just for limited kinds of uses, but there's a kazilion tools that are only for extremely specific uses and are being sold fine, it's weird that these are missing on the market entirely.
@@Teknofobe absolutely agree and it would be great to have one with both steel and rubber (or another softer material) interchangeable inserts. I do some wood carving/inlays/engraving on corbels and other oddly shaped pieces, and these would be very efficient to hold a piece in place securely. The only fractal vices/clamps I have found online were old and rusty and the seller wanted an insane amount of money for them. I wish you good health and all the best to you and your!
Well at the price of $639.80, I'll take two please. The amount of thought that went into that vise back in the 1900s is amazing! Thank you for taking time to film, machine, edit and post this video.
Regular vise: 5 parts, cast iron, loose non-critical tolerances. Fractal vise: Too many parts to count, machined steel, incredibly tight tolerance, each channel selectively mated and labeled. I think I see why these didn't become popular.
Won't hold a banana. I would love the ability to grip irregular shapes on my mill. Probably very expensive back then because of the complex mfg. but now cnc could bring the cost down. Not a replacement for my wilton, but I would buy one
Tolerances don't have to be that precise though, those dove tails don't have to be that precise, they don't have to be steel either. Just because something is easier to make, doesn't mean it should be preferred.
As a kid in the late '50's, early '60's, I watched in awe when my grandfather used his fractal vise for holding small model parts he was manufacturing. He had been a tool and die maker starting in the teens and retired in the mid-'50's. In my youth I thought the way the vise worked was magic because I couldn't grasp just how intricate of a mechanism it was. He said he bought it for a special job he had at work and it was the best $19.50 he ever spent. If you consider he was making about $22 a week(in 1928), that was a lot of money. When he passed away in '65, my uncle got all his machinists and hand tools. My uncle sold them all to pay for his next drunken binge....... Great video!
Well, we can only hope SOMEONE got ahold of that fractal vise and understood how much engineering went into it. I.E. Appreciates it. Also, A-hole uncle needs his come-uppance.
I have never seen a vice like that. I'm amazed at the engineering capabilites ( and machining capabilitees) that were present at that period in time. Your restoration is awesome...! Good job!
This vise has literally made me weep. It is beautiful. If I had a tool like this in my life I would talk to it everyday. Thank you for restoring it and making it whole again, I feel our grandparents and great grandparents are relieved.
You can keep your sitcoms. This is genuine entertainment here, as well as being educational, inspiring, and astonishing. And even humorous at times. Just the amount of handwork is unbelievable. The precision with which this vise was made, as well as the precision with which it was restored is hard to believe.
As a machinist, I can't count the number of times that I had to design and make vise jaws for one off jobs that this would have handled with no more than a shrug and a, "So? Wie so, denn?" attitude. Hey life, I want a do-over. Very fine work, sir.
The man hours in machining to create this Vice without the aid of computers is mind boggling. It must have cost $20 in 1914!!! Excellent video, thank you.
For a price perspective here, the $20 coin of the time contained about 96% of a troy ounce of gold. The current spot price for a troy ounce of gold is $1,804.90.
@@frotz661 Seems about right if not actually on the low end considering the incredibly precise machining of the part. Those tolerances are incredible for something made back then.
I just found this today, a little late to the post. What a piece of engineering. Your restoration is great. Keep saving the past, it sure is better than what they make today.
@@jamesmackes4531 Do you really think diluted capitalism is to blame for the lack of these? Mixed economies have largely prevailed, and these grips were patented in 1912 by an inventor from Austria-Hungary. These things probably costed a fortune and aren't all that necessary, sure they are neat, but it is a little silly to bring economic systems into this, unless you really just want to hate on mixed economies.
For an engraver this would be worth it's weight in platinum. You never know what a customer is going to want engraved, and working out safe ways to clamp things for engraving is often a large part of the art. This would reduce the time spent making custom jigs almost to zero. That said, I am not an engraver and I want one too...
Slowly, S.L.O.W.L.Y. close the blast cabinet.... Then sandblast like a MADMAN!!!! This made the whole video worth watching, all by itself! Very well done, HTR!!
I machined for 25 years, and I can think of hundreds of uses for this vise. You did an AMAZING restoration! They just don't make things like this anymore, and it is a real shame, because this vise is a work of art. And there aren't many people like you that would go through this much trouble to restore it. So thank you so much for bringing it back from the past! New subscriber man!
What kind of machining did you do? My dad had a 3 axis milling machine in our garage for most of my life. If he still had the old Fadal I'd imagine he'd be looking for one of these vices now.
@@blobymcblobface I started of working at job shops making Aerospace and military components, then went into the racing industry for about 8 years making parts for mostly NASCAR and IndyCar. From there I went back into Aerospace where I finished my career after becoming disabled.
That was my exact thought, that's why I sent Ave a line that maybe this could help with his cnc tooling and such. I believe it would make life easier as long as you could get it figured out how to accurately clamp in each time
@@jasonbarnes8047 I imagine these vises were made for castings where you just needed to clamp the part in and face it off. But as long as your casting was symmetrical it should pretty much locate the same way every time. You could always add a fixed stop on one side. So something with holes and other details wouldn't be hard to machine in this as long as your casting allowed for some deviation. Which is why the vise had drill gouges in the base when this project was started ;) I've made complex fixtures for a lot of cast parts that this vise would have been absolutely perfect for. It is just funny how we have evolved away from making tools like this. If you think about the old machinists, and how innovative they had to be to make things, it is just sad. CNC's have done away with a lot of growth of individuals as far as building machining skills.
@@BreydonsRC exactly that was my line of thought plus you reduce stress and markings on items when you can actually spend the weight out over the entire piece. I really do miss the days of making things that were not only engineered to last but to span across all walks of life. Now they just care about dumping dime store quality items on the market knowing they'll buy another if they need to replace it. Some call it cheap but I absolutely enjoy actually getting into something thats broken and repairing it.
I quick Google search barely brings up any info on them. Basically the only thing that comes up is from within the last few days related to this restoration.
This channel actually perfectly merges the world of comedy and antique repair, I don’t even watch antique repair videos but I watched this full to the end
The vice is testament to the tremendous skills of the designers and engineers of the day, making all those intricate parts without CAD. it is a piece of artwork. The guy doing the restoration is a skilled engineer and a dab hand had freehand scribble😂. Great vid
We all these days have to be reminded from time to time that really what computers do are two things: make hard work faster, and make certain otherwise difficult physical skills accessible to more people because you no longer need gigantic hot forges, access to metal ore, and other sundry things to make these tools anymore.
They are literally circular sections, probably cut from bar stock. It has to be circular. Nothing else could work. The trick is in the precision machining of the sliding joints, rather than the design.
This vise and the restoration is impressive on so many levels . The ingenious design and build quality deserves to be preserved . This is a piece of art !
What i love most about these restorations is that you get to see exactly how it functions. I paused and tried to figure out how they would have made the jaws so free floating but still make sure they didn't jump out of their grooves! ingenious!
I don’t believe I’ve ever been more impressed by a tool than I am with this articulating splendorous vice of supreme awesomeness. Truly awe inspiring. So too is your amazing work on this glorious piece! Stunning!
This is by far, one of the finest tool restorations I have ever seen. The Fractal Vise itself is absolutely amazing and it gave me a great sense of satisfaction to watch it being restored with such absolute care and attention to detail. Wonderful! Thank you for sharing.
That is an amazing piece of engineering, and some impressive work in restoring it to its intended functionality. Remaking the missing part had to be an interesting voyage, considering each one was numbered to fit individually in its own place. Well done, Sir.
Often I watch restorations and think, really was it worth all the effort? In this case I can definitely say yes, it was definitely worth the effort! Stunning piece and beautifully restored, watched every second.
Good lord! What an amazing vice. Beautiful restoration. And it doesn't even stink of something buried in the yard for a week to look old. You are KING! (the, they, them)
If that vice is almost unthinkable the Antikythera mechanism didn't happen lol. If you haven't heard of the Antikythera mechanism then prepare yourself...
@@-Deena. Hi Deena 👋 I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? you can text me your mail so i can message you. Thanks God bless you….
I came here because of Adam Savage getting one of these fascinating devices. You had me chortling in surprise when you said you were mentally stable, then licked your table! LOL This was beautiful restoration. Very soothing. Gorgeous work. Thank you.
My grandfather was a machinist and after he passed away my dad ended up with all the old tools, which i now own and one of these happens to be a part of that collection.... still works like new 80+ years later
I saw this video in my feed, clicked it and thought to myself "there is no way I will watch all this, but let's see what it's about". Now, over half an hour later I have watched the entire process of restoring a hundred years old fractal vice. You have a real artistic talent good sir, and another subscriber.
hard to imagine any respectful artisan would abuse such a nice tool like that by drilling sloppy holes or applying enough force to fracture the saddle block, maybe it got sacrificed to WWII wartime production or had accidental damage and became industrial write-off, the swivel base lost to the scrap heap, The rebirth of this clever and well made device is an opus of patience, skill, knowledge focused on preserving originality, congratulations on your craftsmanship (and video production talent also!)
The cracked saddle seems like overtightening, which is certainly a possible failure in a production shop where apprentices must of necessity train. The random-ass drilling is just weird, looks like not setting the depth stop properly which… again, I refer you to apprentices.
Yeah and it will be sad when, in the future, someone loads it up with a bunch of junk and it's melted down as scrap. Will probably comeback as a poorly alloyed Chinese hand tool or a bumper bracket on a Buick... Nice Restoration, John
Beautiful rescue job. I can't imagine how much that vise could cost today even with CNC production automation. The assembly process alone must take hours.
@@marsrocket That would be _identical,_ not fractal. For each fractal, the radii changes, both the inside and outside. You still require a drawing for each fractal.
I absolutely love the little details and side humor of the video. Example: The riff on the Good Eats theme when you're putting the vise in the oven. Hilarious!
Interesting to see a fractal vise was created long before humans even defined or understood anything about fractals - just something that was seen as a solution to a problem and that worked well. Very nice restoration.
"Gently grasps jar", brilliant lol. There are things in this video rarer than this vice: your craftsmanship and respect for the authenticity of your projects at every level!
I've watched lots of "Restorations" that are nothing more than strip, clean and paint. It's so refreshing to see a true restoration. Excellent work there Sir. I watched one video and subscribed! I'm a third generation Fitter and Turner Machinist and still enjoyed watching. Well done indeed!
It's called being used and abused for 100 years. Ive seen 1 year old vices in worse condition in woodshop in high school because of people not watching where they drill
@@brendanliamgill99 my shop teacher made us put a piece of scrap pine under whatever we were drilling in the press, bevsuse its easy to feel the difference when breaking through the work, or see different colour waste. Its something i still do...because drill bits are expensive and a pain to sharpen.
I love when he pulls the parts out of the Evapo-Rust by hand. It reminds me of the first time I went noodling for catfish. You've done a lot of work to get to this point and you finally found a hole in the mud. You know you're in for a treat but will it be small or large? You bravely push your hand into the dark abyss below you and find the object of your desire. It thrashes about but it cannot break your steadfast grip as you pull it from the dark liquid. *splash splash* Then he bravely pulls up the beautiful parts and exposes them to the air. Like a proud eagle standing on his perch holding the fish he caught. I do like it when he pulls those parts out quite a bit. The delightful splash is half of the pleasure. The view of the cleaned pieces is the other. Superb.
I had a look around and found some 3D-printed examples and someone who patented a new one for use as an engraving vise. As if combining something known for 100+ years with an engraving vise base is worthy of a patent.
Imagine what was going through the head of the guy who invented this device back in 1913! Hours of sleepless nights. No computers, no phones, no distractions. Pure thoughts.
In the 18OO's a dude under candle light invented a 4dimensional array that they use in aircfats, robotics and computer graphics. Then his buddy was like hold my beer and came up with an 8 Dimensional array, which is still baffling to most people today. It is amazing what the human imagination can come up with when all the distractions are removed.
You-Sir are quite the artist with the tools in your shop and that special vise is quite a treasure and so important that you restored it to new condition for all to admire. You deserve to be Knighted~!!! The editing alone wins the prize~!!
Having watched the complete saga on IG, seeing it all come together here was a thing of beauty. This thing is a mechanical masterpiece. And as abused as it was, you did a superb job of bringing it back to its former glory. Now I need to order a Vice-O-Matice 9000 of my very own! Thanks for sharing!
So great! It’s nice when the rust is real! You put actual effort into this, unlike some channels. Restorations are always my favorite projects to do, so mad respect for those who do it for a living.
I can't get over how well designed this vise is it's so satisfying watching it grip things if vise porn exists this is it I'm very happy you restored this it definitely deserves to be back in its full glory
Nearly every day I spend some time on UA-cam exploring for things I never knew. This fractal vise is an amazing device and your restoration was totally educational as well. Welding with cast iron rod…makes perfect sense!
It broke because the maker was so focused on making the fractal aspect of the vise that they overlooked the fixing matter of the base. The forces are unevenly distributed because of the design and all the force is put through that small wall.
@@aserta Are the forces unevenly distributed? The force depends on what areas are in contact, and should be roughly even between any given points of contact, no? So, it seems like the forces should be very evenly distributed across the vise. Compare this to a normal vise, where you can happily put the work off to one side or the other, and nobody ever complains about their vise snapping in half like this. I don't think it experienced any forces any other vice wouldn't; it looks more like the structure was just woefully understrength for any vise. This has basically a tiny block of metal with a ton of screw holes through it, whereas a normal vise has a massive solid bar to work with.
@@erictheepic5019 I dont think this was invented to be a brute or used to excess by cranking on it with everything you got. It's for solidly holding odd shaped objects and its anyone's guess what the original intent was specifically meant for
I wound up here via Adam Savage's channel. Glad I "found" you. great work. My favorite moment was when you made sure that top screw was perfectly parallel with the end of the block.
Amazing concept for a vise. Besides a natural attrition rate which makes it so rare today, this vise must have been very expensive in its day. Lots of machining, precise tolerances and hand fitting. No wonder its rare. Masterful restoration of a truly unique tool. I've never seen anything remotely like it. Thank you.
The cool factor. The gadgetry of it all. If people were made aware of it back in the day. If they had proper advertising, every well off tinkerer and professional would want one but then, how could you possibly mass produce this or keep up with demand. I suppose it was a doomed invention all along. Though with new CNC technology maybe they could make it again in a somewhat affordable way. It definitely has modern applications for sure. I can’t think of a single reason for it in my day to day but i’d still pay $1500 for it just to have it.
@@forevercomputing It isn't a vice to use a vise, but it is a vice to vall a vise a vice - and vice versa! (www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vice) (www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vise) This is an American English distinction, I'm pretty sure the British use "vice" both for moral turpitude and clamping, i.e. Richard's vice of praying alone with married women ended when he found his Richard in a vice.
I just can't get over how ridiculously awesome this tool is, I've always been intrigued by fractals in an artistic way, and been mechanically inclined most of my life, but had never heard or seen this tool in any garage. Thank you so much for sharing this video, I want to watch this every day. ☺️☺️☺️
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Is this the greatest vise of all time? You can see more of it in action on my Instagram: instagram.com/handtoolrescue/
If you're selling it, I'll buy
Hi , yep one of the most clever thing i saw in a long time ... And by the way , be careful , you will break the glass , again , if you're not lighter on it .... lol Peace from France ; )
yes, i must own one!
that is so clever and yet seemingly so obvious to make. that's why I'm not an inventor. i have zero fracts
Hey, $639.80 USD is not bad for a vise of that caliber and in such a lovingly restored condition as well!
At that price, I suggest one vice for each piece of machinery you own!
Well that's beautiful.
Quick, show this to Steve Mould and Matt Parker!
It really is.
19 minutes ago dang
Hi Dustin 😀
Why are these vices not more popular? Seems like a great invention
This has blown up in the 3d printing community. People are referencing this video and printing these out of plastic left and right! I keep seeing your video come up in 3d printing videos daily.
I read your comment and searched fractal vise, in the images instantly found this design made by 3d printing. awesome, but you what I thought was really remarkable is the turnabout, this video was released not even 3 weeks ago and people are always making their own one. shows the power of 3d printing. old fashioned industry 3 weeks in and its not left the drawing board.
Just came from 3d printing video lmao
@@datboiya8942 was it teaching tech?
@@varsityathlete9927 making something out of metal or wood is very different from making something in a 3d printer, if a print goes wrong or you need to change something you can just print it again, if you make a mistake in metal that could be a lot of work to change anything. Makes sense they spend more time in the planning phase.
yea right after i said we could make these easily everyone was talking down to me saying how impossible it is.
Now with this vise I can finally do what AvE has been telling us in all his videos...
Did you not listen to the disclaimer near the end?????
@@kevinmartin7760 Sure, but he has his "RenisShield" installed, so it's not a problem.
@@kevinmartin7760 well done, had to drop the speed to .5 to hear it clearly. Both great Canadian UA-camrs
@@gregjames666 you put "great" and "Canadian" in the same sentence... your a funny one!😉
Hahaha 36:00
2 years later and with this video you've revived fractal vises to the point they're being manufactured and sold again.
Yeah... for extremely high prices
@@TheDioblo2345 thats probably just a "fraction" of the price
Jacking off with this fractal vise has never been easier, it holds your banana securely. ha-ha-ha
How many times have you needed to grip your banana in a vise?! ha-ha-ha
@@BillAnt every night. don't want the damn thing floating away again...
Market value of these went up 10000% instantly, none of us knew they existed till this video and now we all want one.
Exactly. If I see one in any condition what so ever I am taking it.
Yeah super important. My life depends on this one.
For sure lol! Though i wonder why there are no modern equivalents to this vise? (as far as i know)
@@jinglemyberries866 there will be now that there’s a market but this must have been expensive and new ones will also be expensive. Hours on a CNC Machine just to make one. Then assembly. Look for it on aliexpress in the next few months.
@@thetruthexperiment Yea lets hope these become available soon! Youre right, it'd definitely be expensive but if its built well, it'll be worth it in the long run IMO!
This thing is so freaking cool! Loved that you managed to add the missing jaw, we need to preserve this for future generations
Are you related to Art Vandelay
They need to reproduce these so we can buy one.
@@troywolverton3067 in the latex industry
We need to put this back into production
I'd buy one even if I never found a use for it.
As someone who doesn't use vises, I can count on one hand the number of times I have said "that's a cool vise" and this one is now number 1
As an appreciator of vices, and having desired many beautiful and wonderful antique vices, I approve this comment.
This is my favorite video of yours.I've watched it multiple times, and am just fascinated by the design. I saw Adam Savage found one, so I came back to watch again. Here I am again marveling at the fact that someone hand built this in c. 1914, with belt driven lathes, slide rules, and a lot of trial and error. Thanks for sharing this It makes my day every time I watch.
Same here watched adam ..i decided to watch this video again
Me too.
this vice is one of the most elegant tools I have ever seen.
After 25 years as a professional mechanic I rarely see a tool that I am not at least familiar with. I had no idea that I had the wrong vise this entire time! Thanks for the video.
So what is it used for? I really want to know
@@TypeZeta2 getting a good hold on unusually shaped objects.
@@ominous9139 that makes sense I was a bit confused on its purpose when I saw it but it’s still really cool
Yeah, me either. 57 and been an avid tool guy since I got my first mini tool set and workbench at 7 years old. I never seen such an intriguing tool.
As soon as I saw it I remembered a dozen times at least I could have used something like this back when I had a shop.
Its nice but i still prefer using my teeth!
Nice! Some good ol' australian wisdom
Teeth are versatile tools. Perfect replacements for a center punch!
Of course he does a thing here too
Did you do a thing?
I prefer my nails but teeth works fine too
The amount of machining to make this thing to begin with blows my mind. I'm not a machinist at all but it's crazy to think about all the steps and different tools and even the order you would have to go in to make each individual part that is DOVETAILED into eachother
I’m a machinist and that’s how I think about every man made intricate thing. Begins to blow your mind on the daily. Also, this dude must smoke weed cuz the minor ways where I see exactly how something comes apart and watching him struggle had my heart on edge lol
Machining it is a feat indeed - designing it is another level.
Before you can build it you have to envision it in your mind. I mean how in the world did the designer get the idea?
@@stanislavczebinski994 If my vice could just bend in the middle a bit that would be great. If my middle-bending-vice could just bend in the middle a bit that would be great. If my middle-bending-middle-bending-vice could just bend in the middle a bit that would be great. If my middle-bending-middle-bending-middle-bending-vice could just bend in the middle a bit that would be great...
As a machinist for 35 years, now retired, it’s a pleasure to watch someone take the time,effort and skill to do it right on every project.
you have an awesome name man
@@68able2 Thank you 🍻
A man who knows tolerance!!
29:37 when that vice was made, it was almost definitely before CNC was a thing, so all of those parts were hand spun on a lathe. Some dude with a lathe had the skill to make an articulated vice that adjusts to grip nearly anything, meanwhile I can't even make a square on an etch-a-sketch.
Maybe not CNC but programmable lathes and so on are very old invention
1:00 bottom right.
It was patented in 1914. So long before CNC.
@@deth3021 Sure, but you can get a lot done with fixtures, jigs, and stops. Requires a lot of manual setup, but then you can fire the same part out a thousand times, no CNC required.
and then some idiot didn't know when to stop drilling lol
How can you damage a vise like that?
@@Baer1990 I can just imagine some Grandpa who has loved this vice for 40 years reluctantly loaning it to his grandson who returned it full of drill holes.
Envisioning the tears in Grandpa's eyes as he sees the damage.
Then the questions by the family as to the whereabouts of aforementioned grandson.
Pops: Have you seen Johnny? he has not been home in weeks. Last I heard he was bringing some tools you loaned him back to you.
I never even heard of a fractal vice until now and I think it's one of the coolest things ever!
Same, the original creator was a genius lol
Same! That thing is so cool!
It's one of the most useful things I've ever seen and I don't see how I can live without it.
VERY SNEAKY !! 😎
@@mileslong3904 good luck finding one. If you do they either don't know what they have or you're going to pay atleast $1k
My background was in tool and die making both out on the shop floor and as a designer in the drafting room and this is the first time I ever saw a vise this amazing. To think that this vise was designed and machined back in the early 1900's speaks volumes of the skill of the craftsmen. The restoration on this vise it top notch. So nice to see a treasure like this given a second life.
Fractal vise...fractal vise...bless my homeland forever.
I understood that reference, edelweiss 🎶
And me knowing you'd make some kind of Tool reference
Yeah, I sang it. lol
*Excuse me, the real lyrics are "TABLE VICE".*
😂
I'm 50 years old, love engineering, and have never seen a vice like this before.
Fucking awesome
I’d play a lot of cash for that vice. Damn in seven decades on this earth I’ve only seen a few of these gems. Good on you for preserving one. I wish you all the best!
Does no-one make these anymore? It seems pretty useful. Or do you mean this exact model from that specific company?
@@megan00b8 I haven’t seen one for sale in probably 30+ years but I agree that if no one makes them then they should.
@@wesleytownsend8214 wow, I mean sure, you will need this mainly just for limited kinds of uses, but there's a kazilion tools that are only for extremely specific uses and are being sold fine, it's weird that these are missing on the market entirely.
I agree. Beautiful piece of equipment. It's the kind of thing you may not need for year's, but when you need it. It's essential.
@@Teknofobe absolutely agree and it would be great to have one with both steel and rubber (or another softer material) interchangeable inserts. I do some wood carving/inlays/engraving on corbels and other oddly shaped pieces, and these would be very efficient to hold a piece in place securely. The only fractal vices/clamps I have found online were old and rusty and the seller wanted an insane amount of money for them. I wish you good health and all the best to you and your!
Well at the price of $639.80, I'll take two please. The amount of thought that went into that vise back in the 1900s is amazing! Thank you for taking time to film, machine, edit and post this video.
Actually it’s $3049.80 $4.20 x 69 payments😏
Not to mention the shipping@@robdewberry2587
Tell me you smoke and are a guy, without telling me you smoke and are a guy. Please insinuate you also find fart jokes funny at the same time.
@@robdewberry2587
4.2x69=289.8
Regular vise: 5 parts, cast iron, loose non-critical tolerances.
Fractal vise: Too many parts to count, machined steel, incredibly tight tolerance, each channel selectively mated and labeled.
I think I see why these didn't become popular.
"Solution in search of a problem" comes to mind.
Won't hold a banana. I would love the ability to grip irregular shapes on my mill. Probably very expensive back then because of the complex mfg. but now cnc could bring the cost down. Not a replacement for my wilton, but I would buy one
@@TheRealColBosch More like "very expensive perfect solution for problems that can be solved with creative, albeit imperfect solutions".
30
Tolerances don't have to be that precise though, those dove tails don't have to be that precise, they don't have to be steel either.
Just because something is easier to make, doesn't mean it should be preferred.
As a kid in the late '50's, early '60's, I watched in awe when my grandfather used his fractal vise for holding small model parts he was manufacturing. He had been a tool and die maker starting in the teens and retired in the mid-'50's. In my youth I thought the way the vise worked was magic because I couldn't grasp just how intricate of a mechanism it was. He said he bought it for a special job he had at work and it was the best $19.50 he ever spent. If you consider he was making about $22 a week(in 1928), that was a lot of money. When he passed away in '65, my uncle got all his machinists and hand tools. My uncle sold them all to pay for his next drunken binge.......
Great video!
Well, we can only hope SOMEONE got ahold of that fractal vise and understood how much engineering went into it. I.E. Appreciates it.
Also, A-hole uncle needs his come-uppance.
$20 in 1928 is only a little over $300 today, frankly finding a vice like that for $300 today would been seen as a steal.
@@X4Alpha4X only 69 payments of $4.20 is $289.80. definitely a steal
@@privatezim3637 ahhh but you seemed to have missed the $350 shipping! lol even still i would honestly gladly pay $640 for a vice like this
@@privatezim3637 Plus $350 in shipping and handling...
I hate that they don’t make stuff like this anymore. This is the coolest vice I’ve ever seen
They’re still made today, mostly used for engraving, but you have to custom order one.
@@chronovore7234 must be stupid expensive!
In interested. Where might I get one?
@@chronovore7234 I’m thinking at least a thousand dollars
@@ricky107_ definitely agree with that
I have never seen a vice like that. I'm amazed at the engineering capabilites ( and machining capabilitees) that were present at that period in time. Your restoration is awesome...! Good job!
This vise has literally made me weep. It is beautiful. If I had a tool like this in my life I would talk to it everyday. Thank you for restoring it and making it whole again, I feel our grandparents and great grandparents are relieved.
It's really one of the most beautiful bits of engineering I've ever seen
You can keep your sitcoms. This is genuine entertainment here, as well as being educational, inspiring, and astonishing. And even humorous at times. Just the amount of handwork is unbelievable. The precision with which this vise was made, as well as the precision with which it was restored is hard to believe.
Imagine inventing and then actually building this piece over a hundred years ago. The engineering is insane and quite unique
Someone applied the same principle to mathematical functions and BANG the internet happened
I mean let be honest, it's not that impressive or revolutionary, considering what inventions had preceded it. It's only 100 years
I wouldn’t say it’s that impressive in an engineering sense, but it’s very creative in its use of fractals
@@Rich-je9fy may I ask how old you are rich. All due respect
The radius ways really got me for being that old, along with the tolerances
Honestly….this might be the most beautiful piece of machinery I’ve every seen, even before the cleanup
As a machinist, I can't count the number of times that I had to design and make vise jaws for one off jobs that this would have handled with no more than a shrug and a, "So? Wie so, denn?" attitude. Hey life, I want a do-over. Very fine work, sir.
I think a simplified set of something like these would be amazing for a Kurt. A tool room cnc, just toss an ugly rough cut piece of stock and go.
Yes sir, I came here just to say something similar! Would be so handy to have one of these in the shop
@@stanervin6108 sure just like bars of soap do...
Aber warum und wie ist das benutzt
Wouldn' t it be hard to get reference points and positioning?
The man hours in machining to create this Vice without the aid of computers is mind boggling. It must have cost $20 in 1914!!!
Excellent video, thank you.
It’s absolutely BEAUTIFUL TOO. I’m AMAZED I’ve never seen one of these before
For a price perspective here, the $20 coin of the time contained about 96% of a troy ounce of gold. The current spot price for a troy ounce of gold is $1,804.90.
@@frotz661 Seems about right if not actually on the low end considering the incredibly precise machining of the part. Those tolerances are incredible for something made back then.
Or as Derek from Vice Grip Garage says...."mind bottling". LOL
I mean forging also existed back then
Stupendous! Amazing what they could make without robot lathes.
oh hey! i would have never expected to see lindybeige here!
You do have good taste, sir.
who let Lloyd in here? :P
A man is a poor persons robot.
@@bedientvondeutschland1779 analog control unit
I just found this today, a little late to the post. What a piece of engineering. Your restoration is great. Keep saving the past, it sure is better than what they make today.
I'm surprised someone hasn't started making new ones of these. Very nice restoration!
Norgen makes them. But not like this. Very similar clamping idea though.
@@jamesmackes4531 capitalism is what allowed that advice to be created in the first place.
@@jamesmackes4531 Do you really think diluted capitalism is to blame for the lack of these? Mixed economies have largely prevailed, and these grips were patented in 1912 by an inventor from Austria-Hungary.
These things probably costed a fortune and aren't all that necessary, sure they are neat, but it is a little silly to bring economic systems into this, unless you really just want to hate on mixed economies.
@@kellydarrius Came for a mechanical restoration video and a political debate broke out...
@@tomsmith5216 Weird I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out. And just what I need one more vice.
This has got to be one of the coolest tools I will never need but wish I had.
I'd have one just look at!
@@FFVoyager Ditto!
Might use it once or twice. But probably not for what it was truely meant for. So cool though
@@whitefeather5629 Agreed.
For an engraver this would be worth it's weight in platinum. You never know what a customer is going to want engraved, and working out safe ways to clamp things for engraving is often a large part of the art. This would reduce the time spent making custom jigs almost to zero.
That said, I am not an engraver and I want one too...
“someone drilled holes in the vice and lost a jaw”
Sounds like an appropriate punishment to me
😂
Ha for sure!
😂
😂
😂
Slowly, S.L.O.W.L.Y. close the blast cabinet.... Then sandblast like a MADMAN!!!! This made the whole video worth watching, all by itself! Very well done, HTR!!
I machined for 25 years, and I can think of hundreds of uses for this vise. You did an AMAZING restoration!
They just don't make things like this anymore, and it is a real shame, because this vise is a work of art. And there aren't many people like you that would go through this much trouble to restore it. So thank you so much for bringing it back from the past! New subscriber man!
What kind of machining did you do? My dad had a 3 axis milling machine in our garage for most of my life. If he still had the old Fadal I'd imagine he'd be looking for one of these vices now.
@@blobymcblobface I started of working at job shops making Aerospace and military components, then went into the racing industry for about 8 years making parts for mostly NASCAR and IndyCar. From there I went back into Aerospace where I finished my career after becoming disabled.
That was my exact thought, that's why I sent Ave a line that maybe this could help with his cnc tooling and such. I believe it would make life easier as long as you could get it figured out how to accurately clamp in each time
@@jasonbarnes8047 I imagine these vises were made for castings where you just needed to clamp the part in and face it off. But as long as your casting was symmetrical it should pretty much locate the same way every time. You could always add a fixed stop on one side. So something with holes and other details wouldn't be hard to machine in this as long as your casting allowed for some deviation. Which is why the vise had drill gouges in the base when this project was started ;)
I've made complex fixtures for a lot of cast parts that this vise would have been absolutely perfect for. It is just funny how we have evolved away from making tools like this. If you think about the old machinists, and how innovative they had to be to make things, it is just sad. CNC's have done away with a lot of growth of individuals as far as building machining skills.
@@BreydonsRC exactly that was my line of thought plus you reduce stress and markings on items when you can actually spend the weight out over the entire piece. I really do miss the days of making things that were not only engineered to last but to span across all walks of life. Now they just care about dumping dime store quality items on the market knowing they'll buy another if they need to replace it. Some call it cheap but I absolutely enjoy actually getting into something thats broken and repairing it.
Amazing! You did such a killer job! Thank you for bringing this amazing tool back to life for us all to drool over!
This tool immediately made me think of Ilya's engravings
That's such a cool design. I didn't even know this kind of vise existed.
Same, I need one now
Took the words right out of my mouth!
My thoughts as well.
Really cool to see it,
Plus the rebuild and full functionality... awesome
I just said the same thing and I've been a machinist for 20 yrs.
I quick Google search barely brings up any info on them. Basically the only thing that comes up is from within the last few days related to this restoration.
This channel actually perfectly merges the world of comedy and antique repair, I don’t even watch antique repair videos but I watched this full to the end
The vice is testament to the tremendous skills of the designers and engineers of the day, making all those intricate parts without CAD. it is a piece of artwork.
The guy doing the restoration is a skilled engineer and a dab hand had freehand scribble😂. Great vid
not that hard from a math stand point. In reality you could use a fly cutter to cut all those shapes. They are just circles of various sizes..
now days with CNC yeah though in those days it was done by an engineer who had skills though is clearly made from circular steel
We all these days have to be reminded from time to time that really what computers do are two things: make hard work faster, and make certain otherwise difficult physical skills accessible to more people because you no longer need gigantic hot forges, access to metal ore, and other sundry things to make these tools anymore.
Exactly. Very cool
They are literally circular sections, probably cut from bar stock. It has to be circular. Nothing else could work. The trick is in the precision machining of the sliding joints, rather than the design.
I didn't even know that kind of vice existed, now I feel like I can't live without one!
I've only just now learned of the existence of this thing, and I want one
It's the coolest thing I've ever seen. I hope to find one someday.
Same!
Same, I didn't realize I was in the market for another vise till I saw this.
Hell yeah!
I am kind of angry right now. That thing would have helped alot back then when i was in training to become a welder.
What an amazing invention. I am 55 years old and never saw a vise like that. You did a great job.
Ditto! Well I'm actually not 55 but not far off 😂
This thing is the definition of "tolerance stacking".
Fucking right? I want one now just to display with a plaque that has that phrase alone.
See how many people get it.
has anyone got any idea as to how the hell those curved dovetails were machined?
My guess is, that that vise was handfitted, thus no tolerances to worry about.
@Inspired Introvert Copy-Lathes alone have been around for at least one century, probably more than two.
The curved dovetails were made with an inside slotting tool on a lathe. Probably a turret lathe in 1913 but I'm not sure
This vise and the restoration is impressive on so many levels . The ingenious design and build quality deserves to be preserved . This is a piece of art !
What i love most about these restorations is that you get to see exactly how it functions. I paused and tried to figure out how they would have made the jaws so free floating but still make sure they didn't jump out of their grooves! ingenious!
OMG! The Good Eats reference! 😂
Completely unexpected and extremely well executed. Loved it!
This is the coolest piece of equipment I’ve ever seen, hands down. An absolute work of art.
Wow, you should definitely get out WAY more.. or at least watch some more UA-cam or something hahah, yeah it's a handy vise with a cool design..
I don’t believe I’ve ever been more impressed by a tool than I am with this articulating splendorous vice of supreme awesomeness. Truly awe inspiring. So too is your amazing work on this glorious piece! Stunning!
This is by far, one of the finest tool restorations I have ever seen. The Fractal Vise itself is absolutely amazing and it gave me a great sense of satisfaction to watch it being restored with such absolute care and attention to detail. Wonderful! Thank you for sharing.
That is an amazing piece of engineering, and some impressive work in restoring it to its intended functionality. Remaking the missing part had to be an interesting voyage, considering each one was numbered to fit individually in its own place. Well done, Sir.
It's mesmerizing when the jaws move around things, like it's alive.
Often I watch restorations and think, really was it worth all the effort? In this case I can definitely say yes, it was definitely worth the effort! Stunning piece and beautifully restored, watched every second.
Good lord! What an amazing vice. Beautiful restoration. And it doesn't even stink of something buried in the yard for a week to look old. You are KING! (the, they, them)
(the, they, them) ?
@@bryceforsyth8521 Humor?
@@kvsteve Okay then. I still don't understand, but I'll not make any more fuss.
It is almost unthinkable that they were able to chaine such a complex mechanism at the time... no CNC...That piece should be in a museum.
It sure looks too good to use it in the shop!
If that vice is almost unthinkable the Antikythera mechanism didn't happen lol. If you haven't heard of the Antikythera mechanism then prepare yourself...
@@andrewterry8661 There is also a great UA-cam series of someone reconstructing the Antikythera mechanism by hand. With ancient tools and techniques.
Best zoomer comment from a boomer
A fractal vise made by Mantle - but one piece was missing. After making a replacement new part you now have the complete Mantlebrot Set 😁
next: restoration of Sierpiński carpet
That is a proper Dad-joke!
Okay, that was pretty good.
@@randyallaway4085 Why thank you! I thought so 😁 ❤
@@-Deena. Hi Deena 👋 I hope my comment didn't sound as a form of privacy invasion your comment tells of a wonderful woman with a beautiful heart which led me to comment I don't normally write in the comment section but I think you deserve this complement. If you don’t mind can we be friends? you can text me your mail so i can message you. Thanks God bless you….
Can we stop for a second and appreciate the nod to “Good Eats” when he was showing the Japanning “recipe”?!? Brilliant!
I grew up on Alton Brown man, wish i had all his shows so I can go back down memory lane!
@@AzPureheart they are doing a reboot of it
That was a great show
@@AzPureheart I own all the seasons on dvd for that very reason, lol.
Now I need one.
Now fractal vice prices are going to skyrocket. Wish I bought 300 of them in 1928.
I don't know how I have survived until now without one
@@compt3ck Wonder what it'd cost to machine one.
Didn't know they existed before now. Didn't know I needed one till now. Well, wanted not needed
I came here because of Adam Savage getting one of these fascinating devices. You had me chortling in surprise when you said you were mentally stable, then licked your table! LOL This was beautiful restoration. Very soothing. Gorgeous work. Thank you.
My grandfather was a machinist and after he passed away my dad ended up with all the old tools, which i now own and one of these happens to be a part of that collection.... still works like new 80+ years later
I think this video just upped the rate for this kind of tool in the (very unlikely) case you want to sell it. :-)
It most certainly did.
Prove it.
That “Good Eats” reference was BRILLIANT! As well was the rest of the restoration. Great job as always.
I knew I recognized that music from somewhere. It's been so long since I've seen that show.
The precision engineering that went into manufacturing that is fantastic.
Insane amounts of precision machining and fitting in this tool - I don't really need one, but I'm just happy to know that it exists.
I saw this video in my feed, clicked it and thought to myself "there is no way I will watch all this, but let's see what it's about".
Now, over half an hour later I have watched the entire process of restoring a hundred years old fractal vice.
You have a real artistic talent good sir, and another subscriber.
You're gonna lathe the way it looks, I guarantee it.
same. But the end was totally worth waiting for!
I've seen allot of tools in my 46 years, but this is a first for me. Fractal vice? I want one!
hard to imagine any respectful artisan would abuse such a nice tool like that by drilling sloppy holes or applying enough force to fracture the saddle block, maybe it got sacrificed to WWII wartime production or had accidental damage and became industrial write-off, the swivel base lost to the scrap heap, The rebirth of this clever and well made device is an opus of patience, skill, knowledge focused on preserving originality, congratulations on your craftsmanship (and video production talent also!)
It was probably in an industrial shop somewhere, hard to imagine it being used like that in a home shop
It wasn't so rare at the time likely, no telling... May be the only one left now...
Absolute savage barbarians. Some sort of backwoods cretins, that's for sure.
The cracked saddle seems like overtightening, which is certainly a possible failure in a production shop where apprentices must of necessity train. The random-ass drilling is just weird, looks like not setting the depth stop properly which… again, I refer you to apprentices.
Yeah and it will be sad when, in the future, someone loads it up with a bunch of junk and it's melted down as scrap. Will probably comeback as a poorly alloyed Chinese hand tool or a bumper bracket on a Buick...
Nice Restoration, John
Beautiful rescue job. I can't imagine how much that vise could cost today even with CNC production automation. The assembly process alone must take hours.
The guy who drew this up without cad was on a different wavelength
If it’s truly fractal it would only require a drawing of one jaw. Just change the scale each time you make one.
@@marsrocket That would be _identical,_ not fractal. For each fractal, the radii changes, both the inside and outside. You still require a drawing for each fractal.
@@marsrocket fractals aren't typically self-similar
Inventors of yore had minds better the CAD/CAM - the thing many of their inventions lacked were the materials to be successful.
if you just pick up a pencil once in your lifetime, you'll realize they're quite easy to use
I absolutely love the little details and side humor of the video. Example: The riff on the Good Eats theme when you're putting the vise in the oven. Hilarious!
I know right! Hahaha I was cracking up 🤣🤣
Interesting to see a fractal vise was created long before humans even defined or understood anything about fractals - just something that was seen as a solution to a problem and that worked well.
Very nice restoration.
The fractal vice did not come before the fractal. "Fractal" is shorthand for fractional dimension it's a mathematic term.
The Lord Of The Vises - One Vise To Rule Them All.
This is truly a magical vise, forged deep in the darkness of Mount Doom before the dawn of times.
Like everyone else I'm amazed at this vice. I have never even heard of this let alone seen one! Now of course I want 1
You wrote exactly what i was thinking! I dont want one, i need one.
I went from not knowing these even existing to searching for one in exactly 36 minutes and 19 seconds. Awesome stuff!
Please let me know if you find one ! I want one so bad. I cant beleive they dont remake these ! Its an insanely useful looking tool.
I always thought that these were a fairly recent invention, not 100 years old! I’m impressed with the accuracy of the machining from a century ago.
"Gently grasps jar", brilliant lol.
There are things in this video rarer than this vice: your craftsmanship and respect for the authenticity of your projects at every level!
I've watched lots of "Restorations" that are nothing more than strip, clean and paint. It's so refreshing to see a true restoration. Excellent work there Sir. I watched one video and subscribed! I'm a third generation Fitter and Turner Machinist and still enjoyed watching. Well done indeed!
If you brake an axe and replace the handle then 10 years later break the head and replace the head, is it still the same axe? Or a new axe
If you buy a boat and replace the ship mast then the deck then the hull is it the same boat?
@@frostedlambs go away, theseus
I didn't even know this type of vise existed, but seeing the drill marks and the missing jar still hurt my feelings.
It's called being used and abused for 100 years. Ive seen 1 year old vices in worse condition in woodshop in high school because of people not watching where they drill
@@brendanliamgill99 my shop teacher made us put a piece of scrap pine under whatever we were drilling in the press, bevsuse its easy to feel the difference when breaking through the work, or see different colour waste. Its something i still do...because drill bits are expensive and a pain to sharpen.
@@nunyabisnass1141 It also helps avoid tear-out on the exit.
@@chaos.corner are we talking about drilling wood or anal?
@@nunyabisnass1141 what's the difference?
I love when he pulls the parts out of the Evapo-Rust by hand. It reminds me of the first time I went noodling for catfish. You've done a lot of work to get to this point and you finally found a hole in the mud. You know you're in for a treat but will it be small or large? You bravely push your hand into the dark abyss below you and find the object of your desire. It thrashes about but it cannot break your steadfast grip as you pull it from the dark liquid. *splash splash* Then he bravely pulls up the beautiful parts and exposes them to the air. Like a proud eagle standing on his perch holding the fish he caught. I do like it when he pulls those parts out quite a bit. The delightful splash is half of the pleasure. The view of the cleaned pieces is the other. Superb.
That is absolutely the greatest vice I've ever seen. I would love to see some type of reproduction of a vice like this available for purchase
I had a look around and found some 3D-printed examples and someone who patented a new one for use as an engraving vise. As if combining something known for 100+ years with an engraving vise base is worthy of a patent.
@@frotz661 Nothing 3D printed is any good. You cant make a vice from plastic .
@@thra5herxb12s you say that like plastic is the only means of 3d printing. metal 3d printing is a thing, like with steel and titanium
@@thra5herxb12s You've either never used a 3D printer or you are flat out talking shit 😂
@@nukedukem420 Yeah? What has that got to do with anything? lol
That tongue lick after the “I’m mentally stable” part had me rolling!!
Imagine what was going through the head of the guy who invented this device back in 1913! Hours of sleepless nights. No computers, no phones, no distractions. Pure thoughts.
You ever see a mechanical engineer work? Takes a lot more than thoughts, lots of writing instruments...
Engineering graphics 💥
In the 18OO's a dude under candle light invented a 4dimensional array that they use in aircfats, robotics and computer graphics. Then his buddy was like hold my beer and came up with an 8 Dimensional array, which is still baffling to most people today.
It is amazing what the human imagination can come up with when all the distractions are removed.
You-Sir are quite the artist with the tools in your shop and that special vise is quite a treasure and so important that you restored it to new condition for all to admire. You deserve to be Knighted~!!! The editing alone wins the prize~!!
Having watched the complete saga on IG, seeing it all come together here was a thing of beauty. This thing is a mechanical masterpiece. And as abused as it was, you did a superb job of bringing it back to its former glory. Now I need to order a Vice-O-Matice 9000 of my very own! Thanks for sharing!
First time I've seen one and I've been a machinist over 40 yrs. Its a work of art.
Whoever designed that vise was an absolute genius!
Same guys that discovered DNA lol. Must've been a great trip!
a monkey with a wrench could make this...
@@brownie3454 stfu Les
@@brownie3454 Guarantee you ain't made shit
So great! It’s nice when the rust is real! You put actual effort into this, unlike some channels. Restorations are always my favorite projects to do, so mad respect for those who do it for a living.
I can't get over how well designed this vise is it's so satisfying watching it grip things if vise porn exists this is it I'm very happy you restored this it definitely deserves to be back in its full glory
Vise porn does exist, but it's not what you think it is 🤮🤢
Nearly every day I spend some time on UA-cam exploring for things I never knew. This fractal vise is an amazing device and your restoration was totally educational as well. Welding with cast iron rod…makes perfect sense!
I'm amazed that thing broke because its clearly from another planet. That's the coolest thing I've ever seen and is now something I must have. 😲
It broke because the maker was so focused on making the fractal aspect of the vise that they overlooked the fixing matter of the base. The forces are unevenly distributed because of the design and all the force is put through that small wall.
I didn’t even know this existed and now I don’t think I can go through the rest of my life without one
You will have a better luck of finding the Holy Grail.
@@aserta Are the forces unevenly distributed? The force depends on what areas are in contact, and should be roughly even between any given points of contact, no? So, it seems like the forces should be very evenly distributed across the vise. Compare this to a normal vise, where you can happily put the work off to one side or the other, and nobody ever complains about their vise snapping in half like this. I don't think it experienced any forces any other vice wouldn't; it looks more like the structure was just woefully understrength for any vise. This has basically a tiny block of metal with a ton of screw holes through it, whereas a normal vise has a massive solid bar to work with.
@@erictheepic5019 I dont think this was invented to be a brute or used to excess by cranking on it with everything you got. It's for solidly holding odd shaped objects and its anyone's guess what the original intent was specifically meant for
I wound up here via Adam Savage's channel. Glad I "found" you. great work. My favorite moment was when you made sure that top screw was perfectly parallel with the end of the block.
Have seen all the Instagram story's to this thing and now the video is finally out! Great job!
Amazing concept for a vise. Besides a natural attrition rate which makes it so rare today, this vise must have been very expensive in its day. Lots of machining, precise tolerances and hand fitting. No wonder its rare. Masterful restoration of a truly unique tool. I've never seen anything remotely like it. Thank you.
The cool factor. The gadgetry of it all. If people were made aware of it back in the day. If they had proper advertising, every well off tinkerer and professional would want one but then, how could you possibly mass produce this or keep up with demand. I suppose it was a doomed invention all along. Though with new CNC technology maybe they could make it again in a somewhat affordable way. It definitely has modern applications for sure. I can’t think of a single reason for it in my day to day but i’d still pay $1500 for it just to have it.
My Grandfather gave me this EXACT vise just last year! Wow Never seen another one till now.
1000$ ?
@@Pushyhog are you trying to buy it?
@@Brib8888 yes
Oh so it was YOU that broke the mounting bracket and drilled holes all over it!
You’re one lucky SOB
Respect to the one(s) who crafted this and to the one who restored it. Thank you for sharing.
Such a beautiful vice
That's some kind of alien technology/
Weird seeing the spelling with an S...
Tell AvE that with this, we can Keep our Richards in a Vise, all coddled and cradled in comfort. 🤣😂🤣
@@forevercomputing It isn't a vice to use a vise, but it is a vice to vall a vise a vice - and vice versa!
(www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vice)
(www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vise)
This is an American English distinction, I'm pretty sure the British use "vice" both for moral turpitude and clamping, i.e. Richard's vice of praying alone with married women ended when he found his Richard in a vice.
@@WesleyJolly If it's for clamping, it's a vice. In America, whatever.
I just can't get over how ridiculously awesome this tool is, I've always been intrigued by fractals in an artistic way, and been mechanically inclined most of my life, but had never heard or seen this tool in any garage. Thank you so much for sharing this video, I want to watch this every day. ☺️☺️☺️
That is the single coolest piece of interlocking metal I have ever seen. It’s part kinetic sculpture and part pac-man. So cool.
Such a beutiful vice, years ago I saw one online, and always wanted one ever since. I could look at that vice clamping things down for hours!