Renzetti tube vise

[SSPey]

I have the tube adaptor for the Renzetti vise. There are two things that need fixin', seeking advise:

1) the tube spins when tying under firm thread pressure, no matter how hard I wedge the mandrel up against the tube. The tubes are the cheap plastic ones, and straight metal tubes w/inserts (HMH?)

2) the mandrel is difficult to center in the clasp when tightening down, sometimes takes a few minutes just to mount the tube on the vise!

how to deal with these problems?

[Norseman]

I had the same problem with mine....beautifully made but not really that well designed as far as grippng the tube.

Problem solved when I sold mine and bought the HMH tube fly adapter kit. No more spinning tubes

Sorry this probably wasn't what you wanted to hear....but its the truth

Good Luck

[sinktip]

Steve,

I have never had the second problem but know of what you speak on the first. For me it is simply a matter of applying strong pressure inward on the mandrel while turning the tighning cylinder. For plastic tubes, this usually works fine.

'tip

[CraigSC]

Haven't had any problems at all.....yet. I only tie on the flared brass tubes from Irishangler though. The flare gives it more surface to grab the mandrel end I guesse.

[sva01]

I attach my piece of junction tubing to the tube after I have flared the ends and before I put the tube on the mandrel. The junction tubing is soft enough that it will help keep the tube from spinning. I get virtually no spin when I use this method.

[Philster]

As to the tube slipping problem, yeah, it's annoying at first. Good suggestion earlier about having junction tubing on the end of the tube. It compresses and holds a little. Also I've adapted my left hand technique to hold the tube when applying heavy pressure. It works. I don't think about it anymore and never have problems.

Also I think you mean you are having trouble sliding the mandrel into the collet when mounting a new tube? Gets easier with experience. Also, a slight back and forth "watch winding" motion when inserting the mandrel makes it easier. For those of you youngins that don't know what winding a watch means, ask your daddy.

On a side note NEVER tie on that vise with a Norlander bobbin! Makes Pete Townshend's "auto-destructive" performances from the 60's and 70's look like a quilting bee! :D

I do love mine.

[Igor]

"...NEVER tie on that vise with a Norlander bobbin!"

I own and use the NorVise with the Tube Fly Accesories, an HMH Tube Fly Vise, and an HMH Tube Fly Tool/Adaptor and I've yet to encounter a single problem with my Norlander Auto Bobbin.

Come to think about it, I almost never tie without using the Auto Bobbin - and I'd never (I mean, never!) tie on *any* Renzetti vise.

Igor

[Philster]

Hey Igor. As I love your work, I'd like to know why you don't like renzetti. Is it performance issues, or the "trying to sue the pants off anyone producing a vise with an offset neck" thing...

Still laugh when I think about your "Mike Wyzowski!" fly. Great imagery for someone like me who's seen Monster's Inc. a gazillion times with my kids.

As to the Norlander bobbin, think about what might happen if you're using a vise where tube might suddenly start rotating freely and your bobbin's mechanism is wound up tight... SCHWING! :chuckle:

[Igor]

Philster,

I suppose I loathe Renzetti products because they're so overpriced for being so performance-poor. There's also an unsubstantiated arrogance about the company itself that rubs me the wrong way.

Where on earth did you see the 'Mike Wyzowski'?! There aren't too many people who've seen that fly (on this side of the pond) or know the story behind it!

About the only bobbin that might wreak havoc on a free-spinning tube is Faruk's 'I-wannabe-a-Nor-Bobbin'...the clutch mechanism in the Ekich can get wound up tighter than a eight day clock.

Igor

[Bee]

Poor man's (ghetto) solution. For the tube mandrel, use a carpenters finishing nail of appropriate size in your vise...if the plastic tube does not fit tightly at first, make enough tying thread wraps on the nail so the plastic tubes will not side slip under thread pressure. Once you have right thread wrap diameter for snugging that size of the plastic tubes, tie off the thread with a whip fininish and it is a permanently properly sized mandrel for those tubes. DIfferent size nails fit different size tubes, and using the thread wraps to prevent slippage means you have a multitude of size options for basically no cost. I find it hard to believe anybody would spend the money for the factory mandrels that do not work when this solution is ao simple and so available....

[prairiespey]

Not sure if would work with the Renzetti but does with the HMH mandrels (not the starter version, but the premium ones)- if your tubes are slipping - take a thick rubber band ,cut a square peice off, poke a hole with scissor point and slip the mandrel through and push to the disk end. Slip on a tube and trim the rubber into a washer. You can then compress the rubber washer a bit when loading the tool and it holds the tube firm.

hope that helps

Will

[Norseman]

Here is another idea that may solve your problem. Take your vise into a shop that sells HMH mandrels. Try the good mandrels, not the starter ones, and see if they will fit the lock mechanism on your vise. If they fit I would buy the complete set of three. The beauty of the HMH mandrels is that they have a slight taper at the end of each mandrel that allows you to force the tube onto the taper to help eliminate the spin. Although when you buy the complete kit with the mandrels and adapter, the adapter has a small knife edge where the tube butts up to also aid in keeping the tube from slipping.

So having said all that...if you have a regular tying vise, I would sell the Renzetti( like I did) and buy the HMH tube adapter kit. It will save you a LOT of hassle and jury rigging something that will be less than satisfactory