Columbian 604 vise

[kerrylbuxton]

Have an old, 25 +, Columbian 604 vise that I would like to disassemble and clean. The vise tightens when opening more than 3-4 inches. I opened the vise all the way but the forward jaw assembly would not come out of the rear. Need to know what is holding them in place.

 

[sz0k30]

You need to move this post to the "General Tool Discussion" - "The Vises of Garage Journal". You should get some help there.

 

[Alexbn921]

The end is mushroomed and will need to be ground down to straighten the slide. Is there evidence that the slide has been struck or it has fall on the ground?

 

[matt_i]

I would look carefully at the end of the screw (assuming its visible) to make sure there is not a cross-pin holding the screw in.

Also some long-stroke vises sort of get in a bind due to the large overhanging weight.

So to simplify, its about determining if the slide is bound or its the screw and nut which is bottoming out. One should be tight and the other loose, right at the point of travel where you are having trouble.

Resist the temptation to get a bigger hammer until you understand why its binding.

 

[Shiftless]

You need to move this post to the "General Tool Discussion" - "The Vises of Garage Journal". You should get some help there.

Good advice ! (or would that be AD-VISE) ?
There is also Vise Repair 101

As Matt says...Whatever you do don't just whack the handle with a big friggin hammer or use a cheater to force it to move.

Alex might be right. Look closely at the back end of the slide.

 

[Shiftless]

Kerry:
By the way, Welcome to GJ.
Find your way over to the vise thread, post some pics and ask for help. Lots of people over there love to help. The thread is very popular and is approaching 2000 pages long.

 

[zkling]

Could just be greasy. Start with your favorite degreaser and a credit card scraper on the back of the slide. You could also pull the screw by flipping the vise over and removing the setscrew in the retaining collar.

 

[1982fxr]

don't ask me how, but sometimes the threads at the end of the screw get damaged and bind when you get the jaw to the very end where that part has to come through the nut...