Recent content by pwinters

Thanks for the hi-res pics. I agree it is probably safer to assume it is all cad and be safe.

Thanks, I’ve wanted to be cautious about how to approach cleaning up the ratchet. Do we think the anvil and the plates holding the gear mechanism together are also cad plated?

I picked up a WF-21 ratchet that I’m pretty sure is cadmium plated. That is, the ratchet body is clearly cad, I’ve never seen anyone clarify if the other parts are cad plated. There are two plates to hold the guts of the ratchet together and the anvil/gear (not to mention screws to hold the...

Thanks, I watched a YouTube video about laying out woodworking projects with dividers and am sold on keeping them!

Antique Athol dividers. $50 obo

Will post there. Thx.

Ha ha. It is definitely not the bulkiest item I’m thinking of getting rid. Just thought I’d ask about here since I don’t see myself using them.

Hi folks, We have a baby on the way, prompting me to go through my tools and decide if there’s anything I can give up to make some space. I came across this item that I think I got from an old neighbor: Athol Manufacturing Co dividers or spanners? First question: what do you call these and...

It’s true; the vise was in sorry shape when I got it. This was my first vise and I had fun fixing it up, but it really doesn’t work for me that the jaws close at the bottom before the top for work holding. Unfortunately, no access to a milling machine.

Quick question for the group: I picked up this little Craftsman vise for small tinkering. I noticed that the dynamic jaw seems bent/sagging which causes the jaws to touch at the bottom and leave a gap at the top. The slide itself seems straight. Obviously, this is not ideal. What happened here...

Curious if anyone is familiar with metal stitching/cold pinning (such as Lock ‘n Stitch)? Is that something that would work for repairing the crack in the vise slide? If I go the brazing route on the crack, do I need to shore up the bottom of the crack in some way so the brazing doesn’t drip...

Thanks for all the encouragement to get the vise. I am glad I got it. It apparently was being thrown away at a Caterpillar plant and the seller’s father scooped it out of the dumpster some years ago. The first thing I’d like to do is drill a hole to check the crack in the slide. Any directions...

Wanted to give an update that I put the sleeve in the jaws of a vise and gripped the bit into vise grips that I the. tapped with a hammer. That freed the bit, which was bent at the point where it sat in the chuck. Thanks for all the help!

Awesome restoration in the video. No concerns about the broken / missing casting on the body (non dynamic jaw side)?

Wondering what folks think about this vise? Is it going to be worth restoring? I see the crack on the slide and part of the casting on the back top of the casting is missing. Possibly other issues. This would be for home workshop use.