Anyone wrap their 1st generation K-body handles with something?

[Matt Meiser]

I've been using these Stanley clamps from Big Lots a lot for the past week, partly because they are the perfect size for the glueups I've been working on, but partly because the handles are really comfortable. By contrast, the round wood handles on my Bessey K-bodys are small and slippery. I'm thinking that wrapping them in some kind of grip tape might be a big improvement. Has anyone tried it? What did you use and where did you find it?

[Randy Klein]

I haven't. But you can get grip tape at a sporting goods store. It's the stuff you wrap tennis and racquetball handles with. That's pretty good stuff.

[Rick Levine]

I've never had a problem with the grips on the Bessey clamps. You really don't need to tighten the clamps all that much if you if the joints are created accurately. After all, you don't want to squeeze all the glue out. Don't get me wrong, my joints aren't always that accurate but I still haven't had any trouble with the Bessey clamp handles.

[Paul Ryan]

Personally I like the wooden handles better. I just received a free set of 4 40" bessy revos from woodcraft (see my post in the deals and discounts). Anyway I dont like the rubberized handles as well. Honestly they seem more slipery. Maybe it is because my wooden handles are well used. But I like the wooden handles better. But I am sure if you go to any sports store you can get a wrap for them if you dont like the wood.

I have not done it yet, but has anyone broke a handle on a bessy clamp, if so how did you repair it?

[Jim Becker]

I've never wrapped mine and don't have any problem with them slipping in my hands.

[Gary Herrmann]

Nope, no wrapping. They work fine as is.

[Wade Lippman]

I seem to be in the minority, but I agree with you that they need something. I just haven't gotten around to it.

[Jay Yoder]

I wrapped mine with rubber handle grips i bought when the Cleveland Rockler store closed. I like them better now, but still favor my Jets. More accurately my thumb does. Bottom line is the grips made me like the Besseys better. Either way dont over tighten.

[Will Blick]

adding a tennis grip to the ol K body handle enables an extra 200-300 lbs of force, its not a question of whether they slip in your hand....instead, its about maximizing force...

[Frederick Rowe]

I haven't found the need to wrap my clamp handles, but if I were, I'd use cloth athletic tape. I use it on a iron pipe as a pull up bar and it works great. Try the darker colors. About $4 a roll.

http://www.bornathleticstore.com/Mueller-M-Tape-Team-Colors-Single-Roll-p-16275.html

[David G Baker]

Matt,
I didn't read all of the posts and I may be repeating what others have written. I use shrink tubing. Shrink tubing comes in many sizes and there are several that have a rubber like texture that could be used for gripping. Not sure where you can find the material, I got mine from an electronic surplus store in Sacramento, CA named HSC. They may still be on line, do a Google, they may be able to help.
Yup, they still exist as HSC Electronics, I typed HSC into Google and they were the first on the list.

[Chuck Tringo]

ditto on the athletic tape, I use black because nasty shop hands would make the white tape look grungy in a few days.

[Mitchell Andrus]

Good question. Clamp and unclamp for a day and you do feel it.

Tacky tape from a sporting goods store will do - til it gets dusted with... well, dust.

[Peter Quinn]

I have stout sweaty little hands, and have never needed anything more to turn the K-body handles enough to start flexing the bar. Once the bar starts flexing is there much point to turn further? I do wipe my hands with a towel or on my work pants to clean them up a bit before clamping.:eek:

I think I hit those handles with a little 80g sandpaper when they were spanking new to scuff them up a bit? I have never found the big rubber ergonomic handle grips to work well for my hands. I have some Irwin clamps with similar handles and they are the very last clamps I reach for as I dislike the handles very much.

Perhaps scoring the handles a bit with the edge of a file would help, or those greenies rubber gloves? I do wear those on occasion too. Even something as simple as one of those rubber things for removing jar tops might help control slipping hands.

[Rob Blaustein]

I agree Matt. I bought some overgrips--set of 4--at Rockler. They are designed to slide over the wooden handles, but I couldn't get them all the way on. I didn't actually follow the directions so I can't really blame them--they say to scuff sand the handles with 80 grit, then apply glue to the inside of the grip, then slide them over your clamp's grip, then let the glue dry. So I guess the glue would act as a lubricant to help slide the grip on. I wasn't sure I wanted to permanently attach them so didn't use the glue.

I will probably use some tennis overgrips which grip well--I'm not worried about overclamping or starving the joint.

[Mike Heidrick]

Instead of adhesive backed products why not wire shrink wrap? You can buy some sized for underground connections at teh local Borg and it will work well on a K-Body handle.

For me - I have never needed to add anything to my clamps - they work great.

[Ben Rafael]

Some of the joints in my hands are arthritic and injure easily, wood handles are a nightmare because they are slightly slippery and are too small. WIth larger and less slippery handles I can use my arm strength to turn the handles, no pain that way. Irwin makes awesome handles on their clamps, the best handles IMO.

[Bill Arnold]

I've never done anything to the handle on my Bessey's and they work just fine. In fact, I have to be careful not to overtighten when using them. By getting the joint right before applying glue, the Bessey's only need to be little more than finger tip tight.

[Bob Rufener]

I have relatively large hands along with some arthritis and find a number of handles too small for me to grip them easily. I have taken some strips of router matting and taped them to the handles. Gives me a larger diameter and a positive gripping surface.

[Gary Tenney]

I have not done this personally, but have heard of folks drilling and installing lag bolts in the end of the handle for a socket wrench. I have about 40 or so 12" heavy duty bessey f clamps that I use for laminated rockers. I have been contemplating doing it to them so I could use a cordless drill with a socket driver. You can always set the slip where you want it and should get even clamping pressure as well. I am heading to Brazil for a 28 day hitch, but when I return I have some lams to do. I may just give it a try!

[Anthony Anderson]

adding a tennis grip to the ol K body handle enables an extra 200-300 lbs of force, its not a question of whether they slip in your hand....instead, its about maximizing force...


Actually Will, you could clamp on a pair of Vice-Grips:D. Just kidding;). Sounds like you really crank down your clamps.

[Howard Acheson]

In a couple of comparison tests in the last couple of years, the Bessey handles have been cited as a problem area. The Besseys were not able to be tightened to the same degree as some other parallel jaw clamps. It's one of the reasons that Bessey has redesigned their line of parallel jaw clamps.

I only have two Besseys (and a number of Jorgies). I drilled a hole through the handle and insert a 1/4" nail through the hole to get more leverage.

[Will Blick]

> Actually Will, you could clamp on a pair of Vice-Grips:D. Just kidding;). Sounds like you really crank down your clamps.


Anthony, the Bessey K's are rated for 1000 lbs of force. Without the added grips, I can only create about 500 - 600 lbs of force...with the added grips, I can get to 700 - 800 lbs of force... the more force, the less clamps needed...

[Greg Cole]

I drilled a hole through the handle and insert a 1/4" nail through the hole to get more leverage.

I too drilled a hole in them and use a screw driver shank when needed. Mind you some of my Bessies have had a rougher life than the ones that live on a clamp rack in a tidy shop.:eek:
99.5% of the time the things at the end of my arms do the handle wrapping just fine.

[Nissim Avrahami]

Here is a tip from Mike Williams


Take an old bicycle inner tub. Cut it along to strips of 1/2", 3/4" or, 1" and, wrap it around the handle.

You can make two layers for bigger grip.

You can tuck the end or, wrap some electric isolation band at the end (as I did)...

Screw drivers handles and other handles are not excluded....

Again, all the credit goes to Mike Williams

Regards
niki

[Will Blick]

> Sounds like you really crank down your clamps.


I crank down enough, to provide the 200 psi of pressure suggested by glue manufacturers. If I finger tightened the clamps, I would need 50 of them for a given glue up, if I crank em down, 5 will do. So I crank em down....

As for the Irwin clamps, yes their handles are a big improvement, but NOTHING comes close to the grips on the Stanley Bailey Prallel clamps... Bessey new clamp handles pale in comparison...

[jerry cousins]

i went to the bike store and got some wrap used on bike handle bars -
jerry