How to free a rusted adjustable wrench?

[Flatsbroke]

Wow! What a great site. Can't believe it took me so long to find it.

First post is a question. I found a smaller adjustable Cresent wrench a couple months ago that is very clean besides the fact it is frozen in one position. I tried WD40 to no avail. Any other thoughts?

 

[rusty65]

take out the worm screw drive and put the moving jaw in a vise and get to smacking with the hammer.

 

[SASORacing]

Soak in vinegar for a day or more, then soak in oil. Try a wire brush too.

 

[p_mori7]

Soak in vinegar for a day or more, then soak in oil. Try a wire brush too.

This. Let is soak in oil for at least a couple of days.

 

[thebeekeeper1]

EvapoRust will clean it right up like new.


Edit: And welcome to the site!

 

[Zeke]

I think the best way to 'free' a stuck adjustable wrench is to throw it over a cliff.

 

[Fretters]

I think the best way to 'free' a stuck adjustable wrench is to throw it over a cliff.

Heathen.

See if you can get the grub screw out of the bottm and disassemble the parts, else if not just let it soak in a light oil for a few days and keep trying to work it to free it. Taps from a rubber or copper mallet to help move it if you must.

 

[Homebody]

Bolt Buster never fails.

 

[Bigplum]

I love the challenge of a rusted adjustable , always buying them when I see sad neglected wrenches

I go over them first with wire wheel on the grinder, ( sometimes that and the heat frees them up )
then give a good soaking with Duck oil or similar , after that I pop them in the vice and start gently tapping the jaws back and forth , soon as you get some movement ,try the thumb screw and repeat the process , generally they free up a treat ,
its just that first bit of movement you need , have a close look for a gap between the jaw thread and thumb wheel where the they meet and gently tap away from the tight spot .

proper mans work

 

[MN4x4]

Soak in vinegar for a day or more, then soak in oil. Try a wire brush too.

Agree with this, except I then soak it in ATF. Used ATF is great for this application, and I always have plenty of it around.

 

[country83]

I've heard soaking in used motor oil works well, though I've never tried it.

 

[monomach]

If I can get the screw out of the bottom...I do that, tap it with a hammer until it comes apart, and clean the individual pieces. If I can't, I just soak it for a couple of days in transmission fluid before taking it apart. Never had one too bad for those methods.

 

[Scout Driver]

Soak it in a 50/50 mix of acetone and ATF for a few days (or soak with PB Blaster a couple times a day for a few days). Gently tap the jaws and adjuster with a hammer. Soak some more. Repeat the cycle until it moves freely and is ready to be put into service.

Scott

 

[Davefr]

The other problem you'll find is that these things don't always close all the way. That's because people use them as a hammer and the top of the dynamic jaw get's dinged up.

You can remove this jaw and file down the mushroomed upper tip and bore so it'll work properly again. (if you're lucked it can just be grime but that's not always the case)

 

[OutsideMachinist]

The other problem you'll find is that these things don't always close all the way. That's because people use them as a hammer and the top of the dynamic jaw get's dinged up.

You can remove this jaw and file down the mushroomed upper tip and bore so it'll work properly again. (if you're lucked it can just be grime but that's not always the case)

Yeah happens a lot. Definitely soak it as well. You can use any of the ideas mentioned above have worked for me. I was dissapointed the new craftsman adjustables made by WF dont have a threaded screw you can remove I dont think. Looks like its just a pin that they staked in there.