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Lanse 10-29-2012 11:33:48 209.251.8.126 Report to Moderator	Hey everyone!! So... I decided that sometime here soon I want to get some nice "C" Clamps. I have a handful of cheapies that are the 3" size, and I want to find some bigger/better ones. I looked at all the offerings from Lowes and Home Depot, none of which really impressed me. Lowe's "BESSEY" clamps look "acceptable* to me, even tho they market them as "light duty" and they're from China. Home Depot's "HUSKY" clamps are nearly identical to the bessey's, just with a lower quality messy looking finish and the threaded rod parts were not square with the clamp in the ones I checked out last night. I suspect they're Bessey's that didnt pass quality control, but honestly, IDK. Anyway... I want to buy some nice 8" clamps, and maybe some 6" ones. I don't even know where to look. My school used "WILTON" clamps, but the only ones I've found sell for $50-$125 online and I think they're nice, but not nearly *that* nice. I'd really like to find some good USA made ones. What brands/names should I be looking at? I havent found a lot. If you were looking for some nice "C" clamps, what would you look at? Unfortunately I don't really have time to go garage saleing, I know thats usually the best option here lol. Thanks in advance... [Reply]   [No Email]
NCWayne 10-29-2012 19:54:01 69.40.232.132 Report to Moderator	Re: Who makes good C Clamps? in reply to Lanse, 10-29-2012 11:33:48   As others have mentioned there are alot of brand names out there like Bessey, Wilton, etc that make excellent clamps but, like you said, they are expensive. As someone who does alot of relatively heavy fabricating, my advice is this. As time goes on look for the the older name brand clamps cheap in pawn shops, flea markets, etc. While it's true good tools are nice to have, what most guys on here seem to forget is that it more than likely they didn't start out with the most expensive, best grade tools, and it took them many, many years to come up with the tools they have now. Now if it's one, critical tool it's often possible and advisable to buy the best you can get. Unfortunately in an instance like this, when you need multiples of one type tool, trying to go 'first class' from the word go is pretty much impossible because of the high cost. So, until you get some years, and alot of pawn shops and flea markets under your belt, check out Travers Tools site. Their TTC brand clamps are sufficient for the kinds of work you are doing, and are reasonably priced. I've got several of them that I've had for about 8 years and have had absolutely no problems with them holding anything I needed to hold with them....within reason. By that I mean the ones I've got aren't made to hold down something while using a 5 foot cheater bar to break a nut loose, BTDT, as they will bend just like any of the expensive name brand ones. In the case of the one I tweaked I simply put it in the vice and twisted it back into shape, no problem. My point is you can abuse any tool, regardless of the name brand, and make it fail. In the case of clamps there really are junk ones that are a waste of moneu, good ones that are nice for someone like yourself just starting out on a budget, and the expensive, better ones for thise with the money and/or ctitical need to have the absolute best. Even then if you try to use a 12 inch, light weight clamp where a 24 inch heavy duty one is needed, it's not going to provide adequate service, regardless of the name brand..... That said, having built truck bodies for a number of years, I acquired about a dozen pairs of the Vice Grip welding pliers like pictured in one of the other replies. Having several of the ones with about a 4 inch throat, and at least one pair with say a 12 inch or more throat is just about a necessity when working alone. Even if you intend to use a C clamp on something it's always easier to hold pieces together and use one hand to clamp them with a welding clamp for the intial clamp. Then, as long as your not at the limits of the clamp they will hold the joint just as tight as any c clamp would. Good luck, and I hope this helps you out some. Travers Tool [Reply]  [No Email]
Stick welding 10-29-2012 18:04:46 96.53.210.246 Report to Moderator	Re: Who makes good C Clamps? in reply to Lanse, 10-29-2012 11:33:48   Get F clamps. Bessey was the first company to make them and they are very good clamps but super pricey. The Strong hand ones like Puddles showed are are a lot cheaper and come with the extra attachment. They save a lot of time when tightening and loosening. For smaller stuff get vice grip C clamps. They're super handy as well. [Reply]  [No Email]
60 acre hillside 10-29-2012 17:14:11 67.142.170.21 Report to Moderator	Re: Who makes good C Clamps? in reply to Lanse, 10-29-2012 11:33:48   Search Wholesale Tool Company. I have bought good clamps there at reasonable prices, They were good and strong but did not have a high quality finish, I think most were without any finish but were strong and reasonably priced, I also bought drill bits from them,always good quality but many were surplus items, [Reply]  [No Email]
Ultradog MN 10-29-2012 16:56:34 184.100.104.240 Report to Moderator	Re: Who makes good C Clamps? in reply to Lanse, 10-29-2012 11:33:48   What you want Lanse is forged steel clamps. The cheap C clamps you buy at the box stores or harbor fright is gonna be cast or malleable iron. Puddles shows a beautiful collection of clamps below. Of course I know he has many more of them then that. Vice Grip makes some good specialty clamps for welding. Here's one that you would use a lot. The sliding type clamp that Puddles shows is my all time favorite clamp. I think I used Wilton clamps like these years ago. I always wanted a set of these and finally bought 3 of them at a machine shop auction a couple of years ago. Two 12" and one 16". These are Bessey - from Germany. Dunno the brand but they are good. Remember: Drop forged steel or cast steel VS cast iron or maleable iron? Iron aint even close to the strength of steel. [Reply]  [No Email]
bob15 10-29-2012 15:50:33 69.183.220.76 Report to Moderator	Re: Who makes good C Clamps? in reply to Lanse, 10-29-2012 11:33:48   Williams, Armstrong, Wright, Kant Twist, Proto [Reply]  [No Email]
Zachary Hoyt 10-29-2012 15:40:18 184.12.70.70 Report to Moderator	Re: Who makes good C Clamps? in reply to Lanse, 10-29-2012 11:33:48   I get all of mine at auctions and such. I have 50 or more from 1" up to 6 or 7 foot long pipe clamps and use them a lot for wood, not so often for metal as I don't have those skills. When I am gluing together layers of wood to make a banjo neck I may use 15 clamps to make sure I get maximum pressure over the whole area. I have some good clamps and some not so good, but often they can be had in box lots pretty cheap. I also would check with scrap yards, at least around here they get a lot of tools and some will sell them back. Pawn shops are also a possibility. I bought 6 assorted clamps off Craigslist yesterday, they were only about 7 miles away. I also have a couple of Vise-Grip clamps that I have used when taking things to be welded, they are handy and have a large clearance around the jaw. Zach [Reply]  [No Email]
rustyfarmall 10-29-2012 14:31:25 216.248.71.226 Report to Moderator	Re: Who makes good C Clamps? in reply to Lanse, 10-29-2012 11:33:48   I've got a few cheapies that probably were in a box of miscellenious items at an auction. Those are the ones that get used when I really don't care what happens to them, but when it matters, I use the clamps I picked at another auction. I think they are the Wilton brand. Probably gave $40 for the pair, but they definitely will hold the work in place. A guy I used to work with had a pair just like them, and he used his for clamping onto large chunks of iron and then he could pick that iron up with a cherry picker. [Reply]  [No Email]
Ken Macfarlane 10-29-2012 14:30:22 207.231.231.48 Report to Moderator	Re: Who makes good C Clamps? in reply to Lanse, 10-29-2012 11:33:48   I've got a bunch of record clamps from when they were made in England, have to keep the threads down so they don't get splatter on them. Nice fine thread and heavy beam. Have some cheap ones with coarse acme threads but you can't get the same clamping power. [Reply]  [No Email]
Butch(OH) 10-29-2012 13:47:56 107.8.47.165 Report to Moderator	Re: Who makes good C Clamps? in reply to Lanse, 10-29-2012 11:33:48   good, cheap and quick,,, wouldn"t we all? LOL. Since you dont have time to go the best way, yard sales auctions etc, you have to choose from China or quality and my advise is use both. The advise about brass or brass plated screws is good too. I have 6 Wilton clamps that I use when the job warrants their use and a big pile of HF clamps I use for half clamps and jobs where I know the screw is going to get splatterd or torched. [Reply]  [No Email]
36 coupe 10-29-2012 13:18:26 66.186.169.176 Report to Moderator	Re: Who makes good C Clamps? in reply to Lanse, 10-29-2012 11:33:48   I made some nice clamps from some mule shoes I got at a yard sale. [Reply]  [No Email]
Handyman 10-29-2012 12:16:38 216.201.66.239 Report to Moderator	Re: Who makes good C Clamps? in reply to Lanse, 10-29-2012 11:33:48   don't buy C clamps, you want to get what are called "F" clamps like the two gold colored ones in Puddles pic they cost a little more than C clamps but you will never want to buy another C clamp again once you use them. I have several of them myself and threw out the C clamps that always seemed to be bent . the frames and screws seem a lot stronger on the "F" clamps and they dont slip like the C clamps tend to do [Reply]  [No Email]
Puddles 10-29-2012 12:14:50 24.113.77.208 Report to Moderator	Re: Who makes good C Clamps? in reply to TopCat in NC, 10-29-2012 11:33:48   So far I don't have any complaints with my Strong Hand clamps upper left hand corner of picture. But if I'm really going to put the hurt on something I use my bridge clamps lower right of picture. The blue one in the center I've used a 24-inch crescent wrench on it to align flanges on beams before welding them up. http://www.google.com/shopping/product/6110697022237843266?hl=en&q=strong%20hand%20clamps&oq=Strong+hand+clamps&gs_l=products-cc.1.0.0.3676.8007.0.10359.18.8.0.10.10.0.112.718.6j2.8.0...0.0...1ac.1.bsKNmecg4Nw&sa=X&ei=6dKOUIPKJ7DmiwKa8YDYCQ&ved=0CIoBEPMCMAc [Reply]  [No Email]
JMOR 10-29-2012 11:52:03 72.181.173.171 Report to Moderator	Re: Who makes good C Clamps? in reply to Stick welding, 10-29-2012 11:33:48   I don't know a brand name but my Dad was a welder back in the 1960's and I was part time & my son is full time and all 3 of us used these clamps. Body is steel, about 1/2" thick and the important part that has made these last so very long is that the screw is brass, to which the splatter does NOT stick. I would look for heavy body & brass screw. They were no doubt, not cheap, they look quality all over. [Reply]  [No Email]
Sean Feeney 10-29-2012 11:51:41 174.63.127.125 Report to Moderator	Re: Who makes good C Clamps? in reply to Lanse, 10-29-2012 11:33:48   Yard sale Flee market E bay the older ones are the best Bessey Wilton Jorgenson williams etc [Reply]  [No Email]
Puddles 10-29-2012 11:48:17 24.113.77.208 Report to Moderator	Re: Who makes good C Clamps? in reply to John D Smith, 10-29-2012 11:33:48   Proto, and Armstrong both make good C-clamps. Who knows if they are still made in the USA! [Reply]  [No Email]