-
Looking for a part
Hi there,
I bought a very lightly used (like maybe 5 hooks in it) Renzetti Traveller vise for my son but the nylon/plastic tightening screw that locks the shaft to prevent it from rotating got broken somehow when I brought it home. I checked the Renzetti site but they didn't have a replacement part listed. I am going to contact them to see if I can get a replacement. Has anyone else had this problem? Were you able to get a replacement or did you replace it with another type of screw that you found somewhere else?
Dwight
-
Try your local Ace Hardware store. Mine has a section of special small parts such as nylon screws. I don't think Renzetti uses anything special or any non-standard screws in there vices.
fishbum
-
It's a standard machine fastener. Easy to find if you know what to ask for. Look for a 'socket head cap screw' for the threaded metal part. The plastic knob is a 'press lock thumb screw' designed to go over the head of the cap screw. Both of these items can be found at a well stocked hardware store, maybe even Home Depot in the special fastner bins...
picture of a socket head cap screw...
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT...MT4NO=55652549
assortment of knobs...
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT...MT4NO=55652598
-
Guys - this screw is NOT a standard cap screw with a fit over cap - it is a nylon screw with the knob machined all out of one piece of nylon. You do NOT want to use a metal screw for this application.
While a hardware store nylon cap screw could be used, and you may even find a knob that slips on the end of one, we're talking about an almost $200 dollar vise. The parts kit listed below has that particular screw in it - I bought a spare parts kit when I got my Traveller, and I just pulled out the box to check the part #'s. At $8 for the whole parts kit, it'd be a sound investment.
Here is the parts kit:
http://www.renzetti.com/product.php?...cat=297&page=1
My suggestion would be to call Lily Renzetti, and tell her exactly what you told us - you might be pleasantly surprised.
-
i just looked at my traveler and if its the screw that locks the shaft to the c-clamp or the pedestal, then it is a steel screw and not a nylon one as suggested. your local hardware store should have something similar and a whole lot cheaper. and dont forget the o-ring will probably at some time and that too is a standard hardware store item.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...zettiparts.jpg
-
Thanks, yes, it is a nylon screw so it does not wear in the shaft. I looked at the Renzetti Kit, will have to take another look at the vise itself to see if the screw on the jaws will work. I will check out Canadian Tire and Home Depot, they may have something, thanks alot for the suggestions.
This vise is not a cam, it has the small and large screws on the jaws. I will end up calling Lily to see what we can work out.
The price of the kit kindof shocked me last night....$7.95 for the kit, $13 for shipping UPS (ouch) which then translates into an additional $40 for brokerage fees (this is terrible), then add tax so the little parts kit would cost about $65, almost what I paid for the vise itself, hence me looking for another alternative.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.....
Dwight
-
your right. everybody thinks everybody lives in the usa. shipping internationally is much higher than shipping in the uas. renzetti could ship the repair kit in the smallest bubble pack manilla envelope for probably less than $1.75 and that includes the envelope.
-
The links I provided for are an exact match for the thumb screws shown on Norm's picture of the Renzetti Traveler.
If you are conserned about scratching the post they also make solid nylon cap screws and nylon tipped thumb screws. I have used the metal cap screws for many years on several brands of vise with out damage, but never owned a renzetti. Perhaps my $149 Griffin Odyssey Cam vise is just made of tougher stuff? I have not noticed any scratches in over 10 years of use, most manufactors use the metal set screws. This hardware is avialable in the USA at my local hardware store for about $0.60 a screw. So I agree that $65 for a few screws is crazy.
There are several solutions.
1. Use metal cap screws (they won't break!) and use some fine sand paper to smooth the tip to aviod damage.
2. Use the nylon tipped thumb screws shown below, if you can find a source.
3. Use a solid nylon socket head cap screw, but buy several of them so you can easily replace them when they break.
Griffin Odyssey Cam Vise (the non-cam version is only $80)
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...=0180101070502
Nylon Tipped Thumb Screw
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT...MT4NO=55663032
Solid Nylon Socket Head Cap Screw
http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT...MT4NO=55663299
I appreciate that all of these sources are from the USA, however Canada has a manufactoring industry and there must be an industrial supply source to support that domestic industry. I only provided the links so you know the actual names of fasteners to aid in a Google search or so that you might be able to locate them at a good local hardware store. I found the MSC source through a friend who works in a machine shop. Machine shops use these kind of fasteners and might be able to point you to a local source. Try contacting Renzetti directly, when I contacted Griffin to replace a screw I accidentally melted (burning mono eyes) they sent me a handful of replacements for free. If all else fails email me and I will get them at my local hardware store and mail them to you at cost, $65 for $0.60 worth of hardware is insane.
-
Don't make this hard.
It is JUST a fly tying vise. Remember that it has no 'inherent' value. If you can't use it to tie flies with, it's worthless. Original 'cost' doesn't matter. Niether does the name on the box. It won't function properly without some kind of fastener holding the shaft from spinning while you tie. Without it, it's just junk. If you can't get this fixed easily, you might as well just use a set of vise grips.
I'd certainly not even consider buying even a $7 package of parts from the manufacturer when a quarter will buy what you need. Adding all that shipping/brokerage stuff is just insane (I thought the free trade thingy did away with all that?).
It doesn't matter if you scratch the shaft with a metal set screw. It's way down there in the clamp/pedestal, hidden from view.... It won't degrade performance if it gets scratched, and it certainly won't be visible if you really care all that much about aesthetics on your vise's support shaft.
Take the vise to hardware store.
Buy ANY correct thread size/length alternative that you like(there should be several, so the pick the one that will work best for you). My local ACE hardware store has lots of little pull out bins with all kinds of neat fastener type things...knobs, cap screws, thumb screws, etc., in all manner of sizes and materials from several colors of nylon to brass (a good option to avoid scratching?), steel, and stainless. Most of these small parts are around a dollar or maybe, if it's really obscure, two.
If cost is a factor, a simple hex head machine bolt in the correct size should cost under $0.25 (things like that are around a dime here, but you are not here, you are there...). It will work fine.
Until you can use it, the vise is not a vise, it's a pile of useless metal.
Once you can tie flies on it, it's beautifully crafted tool.
Have fun.
Buddy
-
Hi Dwight - Everyone here has been most helpful, but I still think you should call Lily Renzetti. From your description, the screw you need does not appear in Norm's photo. It is part #4 in the schematic for the Traveler I've included for future use for you.
The reason you want to use a nylon screw is that a steel screw will deform the shaft of the rotary head over time/use, making disassembly difficult or impossible. This vise also has a warranty, and whether or not it applies to a used vise is entirely up to Renzetti. Use of a non-standard screw, and the damage it could cause wouldn't help your case if factory service is required down the road.
This particular screw doesn't require much force to do it's job - all it does is provide additional friction to keep the vise's rotary shaft from spinning freely in the vise head. A nylon screw from the hardware store would work just fine for this purpose.
Part of my job involves fabrication of parts, so I'm frequently in a machine shop, both at work and at home. I have a lifetime supply of those nylon socket head cap screws a short walk from where I sit. If Lily doesn't take care of you, send me a PM and I'll gladly send you a half dozen screws of the correct size. The cost? Merry Christmas!
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...3/scan0003.jpg