I've been using 1 inch by 1/16 aluminum angle for many years on my vise, and it grips much better than the steel jaws with no damage to the piece you're clamping on. I only need to replace them every few years and always have a couple scrap pieces of aluminum angle around anyway. Just cut to length, tap it to form around the top of the vise, and hold them with duct tape, and you can flip them back if needed.
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