Outlawmws
Well-known member
but because the jaws may be hardened, and not easily drilled. (Dr' Scott's are definitely hardened)
VISE REPAIR 101 all vise repairs, lubricants, sources for parts and the tricks to fix
- Thread starter drivesitfar
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but because the jaws may be hardened, and not easily drilled. (Dr' Scott's are definitely hardened)Send a PM to KMScott here and see if he has a better solution. It may cost a few bucks more, but his jaws are definitely better than factory.
Tomthumb717
Well-known member
Just bought a Reed 204 1/2 swivel vise that is in pretty nice shape. However, it is missing the handle bar for the locking mechanism. Since this is my first Reed vise, what would be the best way to go about trying to either find a used one (preferably) or create a new one.
Outlawmws
Well-known member
Locking lever:
Get a 5-6” bolt the size of the hole in the locking nut; also get a matching Jam nut. Grind the points off the hex of the bolt (cosmetic cleanup), and string it through the hole.
Run the jam nut down and jam it into the bottom of the threads of the bolt. Cut off most of the excess bolt. Peen the remainder of the bolt threads into the nut as flush as you can, and file flat.
The last step is again cosmetic: Grind the points off the now captive Jam nut. You have just made a new locking lever for the swivel base…
Tomthumb717
Well-known member
Thank you for the assistance!
OP
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Tom: until you make the lever like Outlaw mentioned or like other members have done on this thread you can also find a screwdriver that is pretty stout and fits the hole to use for now.
any pictures of your new Reed please post and i use the paperclip just above where we write our posts to attach pictures sort of like attaching pics to an email.
any pictures of your new Reed please post and i use the paperclip just above where we write our posts to attach pictures sort of like attaching pics to an email.
Tomthumb717
Well-known member
Ok I will post some pics soon and thanks
david ELDER
Member
I don't know that brand, but the mechanism is very much like the L.M. & V vises, which aren't common either (although Drives has about three of them...LOL).
OP
drivesitfar
Well-known member
DAVID: GMan has been paying attention and i'm not even sure i own 3 L.M. & V vises, but i know i own a few and Fulton is another maker that had that design where the dynamic's screw is attached to the back of the vise. i'm guessing very early 1900's and if you want to post the vise up on the main vise thread maybe one of the members has a catalog or can give you another post or information on your vise.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44782
with it's history don't let it get too far from you and looks like it just might need a good cleaning and some grease to last for another 100+ years. also welcome to the forum and glad you stopped by for a visit and maybe you'll stick around to share what you know while we teach you something too.
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=44782
with it's history don't let it get too far from you and looks like it just might need a good cleaning and some grease to last for another 100+ years. also welcome to the forum and glad you stopped by for a visit and maybe you'll stick around to share what you know while we teach you something too.
sevensandeights
Well-known member
http://erie.craigslist.org/tls/5766245609.html
Parts vise for sale if anyone needs something for a Reed 105. Be warned - its graphic if you dont' like pics of broken vises!
Parts vise for sale if anyone needs something for a Reed 105. Be warned - its graphic if you dont' like pics of broken vises!
Tomthumb717
Well-known member
G20-Budo
Well-known member
David - How wide are the jaws on that American Chain vise, and how far does it open?
Nice looking vice!
Tomthumb717
Well-known member
Started to tear down the Lewis 55 today and although seems pretty straight forward i have run into two issues. First, the main screw is held in place with a collar and screw similar to the setup on a Reed. However immediately behind and against said collar there seems to be 3 areas where they gouged out the surface of the screw in a wedge shape creating 3 raised areas that would prohibit the removal of the collar. (see pics below) Second the screw nut is being held in place by two pins and i cant get them to budge. Any ideas on how two address these two issues as i would really like to dissemble the unit completely for restoration.
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Well.......this is a good example of 'there's no free lunch'.....those issues are a 'not-nice' job, to be sure, but if I was doing it, I'd split the collar on the screw, remove it, and make a new one for re-assembly.
What I would do is to use a small Carboloy rotary file in a die-grinder to notch deeply, at the set-screw bore, and at 180deg. from it (half-way-round), then use a small chisel to break the thin section. I'd use the rotary file to file down the raised areas on the screw, til the screw would pass out of the front jaw, and then file or turn the screw to completely remove the upset areas, to allow the new collar to fit correctly.
For the nut-pins, I'd use the rotary file to notch the pin nearly through, and then use a small chisel to cut through the pins, and bring them down to the casting, enough to free the nut. It seems from the photo that those pins drive in from the outside of the casting, so, with the nut removed, the pins can be driven in far enough to free them.
I'd make new pins of soft mild steel, and taper the ends to suit, for starting that same bend the existing ones have, when driven against the nut, and drive them likewise, at re-assembly.
If you don't have/can't get a suitable die-grinder, the common, cheap 'Dremel' will do the job, if care is taken to stop and allow the Dremel motor to cool back to ambient, as needed.
Added on edit......measure the diameter of the main screw, and get an 'enclosed' ball-thrust bearing of suitable I.D., to fit between the flange of the screw and the outside of the movable jaw, when re-assembling. Losing the friction of that plain flange will make the vise much nicer to use.
cheers
Carla
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Tomthumb717
Well-known member
Thanks Carla for the insight. So much for thinking id be done this evening with the restoration. One note, I will check this evening but I believe the nut pins have been driven from the inside and do not extend through the casting. If so, any ideas on how to remove said pins
CwazyWabbit
Well-known member
If that is the case how did they drill the holes in which the pins have been placed? Try sanding the outside where the pin would come through to make it easier to see.
Outlawmws
Well-known member
TT, For the two pins, get a small coupler nut, and a couple of bolts for it, and make a jack screw for it, and see if you can get some spreading pressure going. if they are swelled, this may not work...
On the collar, is the set screw stuck? if not you should able to get flat file in there and work those raised divots down to "not raised"
On the collar, is the set screw stuck? if not you should able to get flat file in there and work those raised divots down to "not raised"
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KMScott
Well-known member
Tom Thumb, Carla and Outlaw have great ideas. If I had to remove the two pins I would look close and be sure they are not threaded in from the inside. Kind of looks that way in your pic. By not showing the Static side view we can only assume there is through holes from the out side in. If threaded then I would drill and ream new holes using a few dimensions taken from the face to the nut and subtracting 1/2 of the pin you would use. The pin can be soft but a dowel pin would work. Good luck and post your success.
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Tomthumb717
Well-known member
Kudos to everyone for their assistance in helping me solve this issue. With some heavy wire brushing (i reckon it is 100 plus years old) i did locate the pins holding the screw nut in place and as stated they were through and through. Problem solved. The divots holding the collar in place were filed down while managing to salvage the collar. I can now resume the restoration as it has been completely disassembled at this point. I will take Carla's advice and install a new ball-thrust bearing before its all said and done. The knowledge, expertise and willingness to share here is unsurpassed. More pics to follow soon.
454ragtop
Well-known member
Anybody have a source for steel balls that can be machined or welded to make replacement handles? Found this place http://bearingballstore.com/ , price of the soft steel balls seems a little steep.
OP
drivesitfar
Well-known member
454: i remember taking huge bearings apart when i was a kid and getting steel balls up to 1.5 inches and i never lost a game of marbles. not sure how many auctions you go to with BIG STUFF, but you might see if any old tools might have stuff you can use their parts for if cheap. plus i think the steel might be better because that was in the late 50's so WWII bearings and maybe a bit earlier that i was hammering apart.
Tom: you've heard the expression THESE GUYS ARE GOOD and this is part of the reason.
Carla of course you are not a GUY, but you have skills and thanks again for sharing your knowledge with us. how's your health? hopefully you are feeling great and if not i hope you get well soon.
Tom: you've heard the expression THESE GUYS ARE GOOD and this is part of the reason.
Carla of course you are not a GUY, but you have skills and thanks again for sharing your knowledge with us. how's your health? hopefully you are feeling great and if not i hope you get well soon.
454ragtop
Well-known member
Drives, the problem with bearing balls is they are hard as a rock, no drilling or tapping them. Pretty sure they're not really weldable either.
GETRIDAONE
Well-known member
OP
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Get: thanks for posting the catalog page. just curious have you ordered any from this supplier? also it looks like you might have to buy a case or can you just buy one or a few?
454: good point. i had an 80 year old lifetime machinist drill my Rock Island 577 jaw holes a bit bigger for bigger screws a couple years ago and he told me it was the toughest/hardest steel he'd ever drilled.
ALL: i don't own very many of these little clamp on vises and wondering if i can just unscrew them apart to clean and re grease or is there a clamp or a trick/tip i might need to know. this is a 2 inch wide jaw Wilton 1113 out of Chicago so if anybody has one or any history on them please post cause i thought Wilton only made baby bullets as their small vises.
454: good point. i had an 80 year old lifetime machinist drill my Rock Island 577 jaw holes a bit bigger for bigger screws a couple years ago and he told me it was the toughest/hardest steel he'd ever drilled.
ALL: i don't own very many of these little clamp on vises and wondering if i can just unscrew them apart to clean and re grease or is there a clamp or a trick/tip i might need to know. this is a 2 inch wide jaw Wilton 1113 out of Chicago so if anybody has one or any history on them please post cause i thought Wilton only made baby bullets as their small vises.
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GETRIDAONE
Well-known member
The Atlanta area warehouse is only about 20 minutes from my house. You can buy one at a time. They sell mostly wrought iron fence supplies. The prices seem real reasonable to me but I don't have to pay shipping.
It looks to me as tho the 1" dia. plain steel balls they list @ 85cts. would be an excellent component for replacement vise handles in the 1/2", 9/16", and 5/8" diameters, as used on a very large variety of vises, in the 3-1/2", 4", and, in some makes, 4-1/2", jaw sizes.
My own preference would be to drill/tap the ball 1/2-20 x 3/4" dp., and thread the handle ends to suit. Assembly with Loctite would keep the ball ends from coming loose in service, but allow disassembly by gently warming the parts, should that ever be desired.
I'd suspect that a much easier way to do this job might be to simply bore the steel balls to suit the handle diameter, x that same 3/4" dp., and silver-solder (silver-braze, if you prefer) the ball ends to the handle stock.
Its a matter of personal taste, to be sure, but another option would be to purchase solid brass balls from a lamp supply firm, which can be found on the internet. Those are available cheaply in 1" dia., drilled/tapped 3/8-27, the old NPS thread used in electrical work, and easily re-tapped 1/2-20 (or 9/16-18, if one prefers) if one likes to use threaded ends.
There's no reason, of course, why the brass parts couldn't be simply bored and silver-soldered as noted above.
Added on edit.......yes, I know, there are doubtless some here who would chuckle at the 'silly over-kill' image of a re-finished vise with neatly polished brass tips to its handle......yes, its a bit of 'cute', with, maybe a certain loss of 'industrial dignity' or some such thing.....just a personal taste item........ : )
cheers
Carla
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Hi, DIf,
There are many makes of that style of those little clamp-on vises, of varying finish quality, but identical in basic design. The 'Goodell-Pratt' works made very nicely finished ones, a century ago. Quite a few of them will turn up with Sears Roebuck 'Craftsman' badging.....I've no idea as to who made those, but they were still being sold in the 1960's.
Its possible, I suppose, the the Wilton Co. might have contracted with an established maker of those, to have a run done with the Wilton name, which could then be an 'economy' option in the Wilton line, much cheaper than the 'baby bullet' model.....but that's only 'speculation'...... : )
Having it apart for cleaning/refinishing is really obvious, once one looks closely. The main screw is retained by a cross-pin, and easily removed, but the lower clamp screw 'pad' will be rivetted-over, and should only be removed if really necessary.
cheers
Carla
IHmachinery
Well-known member
Just a small addition to this for what it's worth ...
While turning down and threading a small stub on the end of a bar (onto which the balls will be screwed) is easy if you have a lathe, it is a bit of a challenge if you don't. What is often easier (even if you have a lathe) is to drill a hole in the end of the bar at each end, using the correct tap drill size. Tap the hole, 1/2-20 in Carla's example, screw in a bolt or piece of threaded rod, using loctite. Then cut of at the right length (3/4" in Carla's example), and clean up the end with a file. That gives you the threaded ends on the bar/handle. Then you can proceed to drill, tap, and screw on the ball as she outlines.
Getting the hole drilled in centre and parallel with the handle shaft is of course easy in a lathe, but can be done in a drill press or even with a hand-held drill with a bit of care. It doesn't have to be super precise for this application.
Anyway, just another way to go about it ...
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454ragtop
Well-known member
Thank you very much, this looks like a great source. Noticed they even have the oval type like you see on Wiltons.
Jim
scooternut
Well-known member
I used threaded steel balls from Mcmaster Carr on an old 6 Reed, huge balls. They were quite hard and fully polished. I scuffed em up with scotch brite and they worked real nice. Pretty certain I posted some pics somewhere in this thread.
Forgot to add, I filed the threaded side flat to the diameter of the handle. looked pretty clean.
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markbugno
Well-known member
Not sure if anyone has tried this or not: Needed a super small brush to paint lettering on vise. Took a q tip, removed the cotton and ground it to a point on the bench grinder. Worked awesome, pinpoint accuracy. The cardboard handle was absorbent and soft enough to hold and spread paint.
Mark
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Mark
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IHmachinery
Well-known member
Not sure if anyone has tried this or not: Needed a super small brush to paint lettering on vise. Took a q tip, removed the cotton and ground it to a point on the bench grinder. Worked awesome, pinpoint accuracy. The cardboard handle was absorbent and soft enough to hold and spread paint.
Mark
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Great tip! I have struggled to get anywhere near acceptable results using an artist paint brush (obviously, I'm no artist!)
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Another technique for 'tipping' or 'frosting' raised cast letters is to get some small diameter 'corks' (aka 'cork stoppers') with which to 'pat' the enamel onto the lettering.
I found that a local hardware store carried 3/8" and 1/2" dia. cork stoppers, and they were quite cheap in small box lots. I would keep small quantities of the various small sizes of these, on hand, as I used the small corks to plug drilled or tapped holes when masking parts for painting.
Its a bit tricky to get 'just the right amount' of a fairly thick enamel on the cork, at first, but, with some practice, this technique becomes quick and easy. I found that gluing the corks to a short length of wooden dowel stock, to form a handle, makes the 'cork tip' easier to use.
cheers
Carla
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jimreed2160
Well-known member
So I am sending a hearty "THANKS" to all who have posted here. I have been working on an Athol all summer and finally got to the finish line before I was stumped on the mainscrew spring tension. I remembered a post where someone used PVC pipe to relieve the tension. My issue here was clearance in the tight passage, so I got a 3/4 pipe (for a 3/4 leadscrew) and split it. It barely fit but a wooden mallet convinced it to go the extra distance.
I was able to tease the cotter pin in pretty easily on the top.
But the bottom was problematic. I removed the pipe and used a piece of flat stock.
Pretty good for a woodworker. I posted the before and after over on the VISES thread. Thanks again for all your tips.
I was able to tease the cotter pin in pretty easily on the top.
But the bottom was problematic. I removed the pipe and used a piece of flat stock.
Pretty good for a woodworker. I posted the before and after over on the VISES thread. Thanks again for all your tips.
Hey guys,
This guy needs a little help on a stuck Wilton 6"
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=340156
This guy needs a little help on a stuck Wilton 6"
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=340156
OP
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Jim: just an FYI. if you cut a slot in the PVC the next time you put together an Athol or another vise with that sort of spring it will let you push the spring and then have the pin without any pressure on it.
when you mount your vises to wood what is the plan for using them? are you going to clamp them to a wood or steel bench or do you just mount on a nice piece of wood so you can display them on a shelf.
WELL DONE and looks like you made a nice improvement with your Athol.
Carla: i'll take a closer look at my little Wilton and maybe post up few pictures after i clean it up and take the red off and put on some BLO.
thanks
when you mount your vises to wood what is the plan for using them? are you going to clamp them to a wood or steel bench or do you just mount on a nice piece of wood so you can display them on a shelf.
WELL DONE and looks like you made a nice improvement with your Athol.
Carla: i'll take a closer look at my little Wilton and maybe post up few pictures after i clean it up and take the red off and put on some BLO.
thanks
jimreed2160
Well-known member
DRIVESITFAR--Yes. A slot would have been very convenient. I did not have 1" PVC to try, but I don't think it would have fit through the small hole at the head of the dynamic. As it was, the split 3/4 pipe needed much persuasion.
I mount most of my vises to wood so that I do not have to adapt my benches or drill a bunch of holes. My layouts change frequently but this strategy works best on the smaller vises. This big Athol is very heavy and needs a secure mount if it is going to be seriously used. In addition, it is too high to be practical unless Lebron James needs to punch rivets into his sneakers. I think I need to build a stout stand for it, out of wood, of course.
I mount most of my vises to wood so that I do not have to adapt my benches or drill a bunch of holes. My layouts change frequently but this strategy works best on the smaller vises. This big Athol is very heavy and needs a secure mount if it is going to be seriously used. In addition, it is too high to be practical unless Lebron James needs to punch rivets into his sneakers. I think I need to build a stout stand for it, out of wood, of course.
jimreed2160
Well-known member
I recently acquired a Rock Island woodworking vise with a busted nose.
Found some pipe fittings at HD. I filed the outside of the pipe and ground the inside of the broken Tee with my Dremel.
And then, bada-bing, bada-boom...
At this point, it is just a tight interference fit. I plan to insert a few random pins to keep it from moving.
Found some pipe fittings at HD. I filed the outside of the pipe and ground the inside of the broken Tee with my Dremel.
And then, bada-bing, bada-boom...
At this point, it is just a tight interference fit. I plan to insert a few random pins to keep it from moving.
454ragtop
Well-known member
Jim, I wonder if you could mod a pipe tee to replace the whole broken part?I recently acquired a Rock Island woodworking vise with a busted nose.
Found some pipe fittings at HD. I filed the outside of the pipe and ground the inside of the broken Tee with my Dremel.
And then, bada-bing, bada-boom...
At this point, it is just a tight interference fit. I plan to insert a few random pins to keep it from moving.