Introduction: Fix Your Broken Quick Action Clamp

By Taste The Code
About: Part software developer, part maker.

One of my quick action clamps broke so in this Instructable I'll tell you what I did to fix it and how we can make that clamp usable again.

These things get relatively cheap these days but a simple repair is still worthwhile since the repaired clamp will be better than when it came from the factory.

Supplies

Step 1: Disassemble the Clamp

The first step in any repair is to disassemble the pieces and assess the damage.

The clamp can be easily opened by removing the 4 screws on the backplate and we can then remove the piece of the handle that stayed inside.

At first, I thought that maybe I will be able to completely rebuild the broken piece out of metal, thus making it virtually indestructible, but I didn't have a piece that was suitable enough. Instead, I decided to glue the handle with some extra embedded support inside.

Step 2: Plan Your Repair

Before we even start any action, it is necessary that we plan our actions. My plan is to add a screw inside the clamp handle as a reinforcement, thus increasing the area that the epoxy glue can grab onto and hold it in place.

To allow for a good fit, the screw hole needs to be larger than the screw itself and it also needs to be aligned on both pieces in the same direction and at the same height.

To make sure that I drill right, I first made a line on both pieces marking the direction of the hole and I then marked the halfway point on both of them.

Step 3: Drill the Hole for the Screw

With the direction and height of the hole marked out, I used my table as a reference and drilled a hole through both of the pieces.

I first used a small drill bit and I then enlarged the hole to the required size.

By using two different sizes, you are able to correct any misalignments that you may have instead of drilling directly the size that you need.

Once drilled, make sure that the holes are aligned with the screw and the outside of the handle and adjust them if needed. Since we will be using epoxy, even if you drill a larger than required hole, you can still fill in that later so don't be afraid to make the outside alignment perfect as that might influence the usability of the clamp.

Step 4: Apply Epoxy Glue

Depending on the glue that you will use, this process might be slightly different for you but in theory, you should prepare the glue based on the instructions that came with it.

Mine required that I mix it well before I applied some glue to the holes that I drilled.

With enough glue inside, I placed the screw in one of them and I firmly pressed it inside until epoxy started coming out of it. This is crucial, so take your time with it as the better grip the glue will have, the stronger the clamp will be at the end.

The same was repeated on the other side and I also applied glue to the entire surface of the two pieces before sticking them together.

To make sure that there is constant pressure on the piece while it is curing, I've added a piece of packing tape around the handle. The epoxy will not attach to it so we will be able to remove it easily later on.

Step 5: Clean Up and Test

After the glue has cured, we can start by removing the packing tape and we can clean the handle with some sandpaper.

Before testing the clamp, make sure that the glue has fully cured, because of not, you will instantly destroy the clamp once again and it will be a lot more difficult to repair then.

Mine was cured, so I reassembled it and I give it a light test.

As expected, the clamp held nicely, and the handle looked perfect without any separation so I knew that the repair was a success.

Step 6: Enjoy!

And with that, you now have a repaired clamp that you can once again use in the workshop.

If you liked this Instructable, then be sure to check my others as well and also check out my YouTube channel for more videos and projects.