I picked up this Columbian 224 1/2 at a Flea Market this weekend. It had a lot of slop in the jaws. It took about an inch for the jaws to engage either opening or closing, but otherwise engaged nicely after the slop was taken out. The handle also seemed to wobble when rotated. I ended up buying the vise because everything else appeared sound with no cracks and a fairly minimal amount of rust for a flea market find.
I took it apart and quickly found the first problem. The pin that holds the nut in place was folded over almost flat. I popped it out and it was bent to nearly a right angle. Luckily the nut is complete with no cracks.
The second issue was removing the collar. The set screw would not budge. I tried WD40 and then many rounds of PB blaster. I finally removed it the next day. The screw and hole didn’t appear to have rust. There is an indent next to the set screw that appears to have been the culprit. It mashed the side of the screw threads into the top of the set screw. Is this standard for the Columbian vises?
The next issue is the screw. It is bent slightly at the spindle hence the wobble. I can only guess someone dropped the vise forward off a bench straight onto the spindle. The subsequent force bent the screw at the spindle, bent the washer, and forced the nut back and flattened the pin holding the nut. Everything else looks fine. Can a machine shop bend that shaft straight right at the spindle? Can I pound it straight on an anvil? Thank you in advance!
I took it apart and quickly found the first problem. The pin that holds the nut in place was folded over almost flat. I popped it out and it was bent to nearly a right angle. Luckily the nut is complete with no cracks.
The second issue was removing the collar. The set screw would not budge. I tried WD40 and then many rounds of PB blaster. I finally removed it the next day. The screw and hole didn’t appear to have rust. There is an indent next to the set screw that appears to have been the culprit. It mashed the side of the screw threads into the top of the set screw. Is this standard for the Columbian vises?
The next issue is the screw. It is bent slightly at the spindle hence the wobble. I can only guess someone dropped the vise forward off a bench straight onto the spindle. The subsequent force bent the screw at the spindle, bent the washer, and forced the nut back and flattened the pin holding the nut. Everything else looks fine. Can a machine shop bend that shaft straight right at the spindle? Can I pound it straight on an anvil? Thank you in advance!
