The aircraft-grade aluminum that WE uses is some really tuff stuff. Try to drill a hole in it and it seems almost as tuff as steel.
All materials that are subjected to repeated stress have a predictable life, but normally that’s measured in tens or hundreds of thousands of cycles.
The problem with the bent vise issue is probably tied to clamping blade rather high in the jaws and then applying too much force through the jack (lower) screw. It’s also a possibility that the vise was not adjusted to place the right side jaw parallel to the blade surface.
If the right hand jaw is contacting the blade only near the top, the stresses produced by the jack screw will tend to bend the jaw with the upper screw being the fulcrum.
If the face of the right-hand jaw is flat against the right side face of the blade, the clamping forces are more evenly distributed.
I always (when I’m using my Gen 1 vise) check for proper adjustment of the top screw before tightening the jack screw. When I tighten the jack screw, I go 1/4 turn past the point where it makes firm contact with the opposite jaw. If the knife moves when I lift on the handle, I’ll reset the position and use 1/2 turn. I should be able to lift the entire rig with the knife’s handle and I’ve never needed more than the 1/2 turn.
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