Sonny, another neat fixture for holding a bolt is to get 2 matching nuts to fit the bolt. The next step is optional but helps frustration and pinched fingers. Grind or cut on a lathe (best) a groove centered around the flats so the groove just is under the diameter of the flats. This will hold an O ring so use the skinniest one you can find that will stretch around the nut and snap into the groove. This will act as a retainer to keep the nut together...…..after you cut the nut in half to get two "C" shaped pieces. This is effectively a 2 piece collet that will grip the threads without damage and will also keep the bolt from spinning. Having 2 of these assemblies will allow you to hold longer bolts without movement. Just make sure one half of the "C" is on the one jaw of the vice and the other half on the other jaw. Tighten the vice and you have a threaded fixture to hold any bolt of that size and thread once you make a few sets of these for different sizes you will wonder how you got by without them. They can also be used in a pair to clamp in a three jaw chuck on a lathe to turn threaded...…….stuff.


IF you don't drill a lot of bolts get 2 hardwood blocks and a piece of thin hardboard to fit the size of your vice jaws. Fasten the thin hardboard vertically between the hardwood blocks then clamp in your vice with the hardboard vertical. As close to center as you can drill so half of the bolt size hole is in each piece of the hardwood blocks. Discard the thin hardboard, insert the bolt between the grooves in the blocks and clamp away!

I hope I didn't insult your intelligence too bad. I'm used to writing for military trainees at a 9th grade level. For those of you who I absolutely confused I will make a set of each type of holder tomorrow.
Cheers!
Terry