Blacksmith vise spring broken?

[John Stuckey]

I have a broken blacksmith vise leaf spring. I'm guessing that the vise was made sometime before 1920; maybe the late 1800s. I would appreciate advice on welding the spring back together.
Thank you,
John

[dysfunction]

Im not sure about welding it back together. You might be better off taking it to a spring shop and having them make you a new one.

[Guest]

I have never been able to weld a spring...the heat takes the temper out. Make new.

[ryanevans]

You might be able to do it if you take the temper out, weld it, and have it heat treated again but with all the silicon in spring steel, I don't know if it would hold anyway. If it could be done, the time and $ to do it would be better spent on having a new one fabricated

Rocky,

Did you do this or weld while still hardened? I'm curious if the weld took at all or if the first time the spring was used it broke.

[Guest]

Originally posted by ryanevans
You might be able to do it if you take the temper out, weld it, and have it heat treated again but with all the silicon in spring steel, I don't know if it would hold anyway. If it could be done, the time and $ to do it would be better spent on having a new one fabricated

Rocky,

Did you do this or weld while still hardened? I'm curious if the weld took at all or if the first time the spring was used it broke.

In theory, it would work to anneal it then heat treat to the correct hardness...the question being....how do you know what procedure to get the correct hardness? That is why I said make new.

[John Stuckey]

Thanks to all who read and/or responded to my question. I am going to find somewhere to get a new spring made. I would like to have a "working piece" to give to the great grand children of the blacksmith who used the vise.
I hope that each of you have a wonder-filled holiday season.
John