Share your craft projects
Make new craft buddies
Ask craft questions
Blog your craft journey
Ellen
77 posts
and
14 followers
in over 10 years
in over 10 years
Problem with Bessey Uniklamps slipping after a good cleaning!
My Bessey Uniklamps were pretty sad, all covered with glue along the bars from lots of use. They are my “go-to” clamps. So I googled cleaning them and watched a bunch of videos and read a lot of articles. Long story short, I cleaned them with mineral spirits, a soft brass brush, steel wool. Then I put some wax on them. Now they will not hold. I cleaned off the wax with mineral spirits and still no luck. I think the teeth are just too thin. If anyone has a helpful suggestion, I’d love to hear it. Otherwise, does anyone know if the bars are available as the heads are fine (I have 4 of them). I was wondering if they are interchangeable with other bars and, if so, where I might find them.
Thanks for your help.
Ellen
Ellen
4 Replies
This may help http://www.woodworkuk.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5676
But a good brushing of the bar serration will likely do it .
Klaus
I feel for you Ellen. Yet another example where it would have been more economical to pay more and only buy once. It is disappointing when a good name brand like Bessey sells tools of that quality. I think they are being short sighted and in the long run they will lose customers.
Mike, an American living in Norway
I just talked with Tech Support at Bessey. His only idea was to take off the ratchet end and re-clean the bar. No, they do not sell just the bar….
I took Comet cleanser AND scrubbing bubbles to the bar and cleaned with a soft brush. Still no bite. I had already tried acetone and alcohol (not the drinking kind, although that occurred to me – I’d drink it and clean with something else!). The 4 clamps now reside in the trash. I’ve ordered 10 more (glutton for punishment?) as they really are great light duty clamps. I think I am at fault here… me and my OCD cleaning!
Thanks everyone for your suggestions. My best advice is not to believe everything you see on the internet… that’s where I got the idea to clean and wax them!
Ellen
Ellen
After reading about all the problems that folks were having with these clamps on the link Klaus sent you Ellen it looks to me like they are very well designed useful clamps, but that there are some fatal flaw(s) in either the materials or perhaps the design. Seeing that you like them a lot it might help to think of them as a consumable rather than a long term tool.
Mike, an American living in Norway
