Diamalloy adjustable wrench disassembly?

[n8n]

Hi,

can anyone tell me if I wasted a buck or not?

Picked up a cute little 6" adjustable at the pawn shop the other day... didn't need it but it caught my eye because it didn't look too bad condition wise and it is branded "DIAMOND CALK HORSESHOE CO." which I haven't seen before, and sure enough after a little research it appears that that dates it to 1957 or earlier. OK, so score, right?

Well, maybe not so much. It was frozen up despite appearing in good but used condition. After scrubbing off all the grease and cooking it in my electrolytic tank for a couple hours, it looks even better but is still not moving. I can see now that there is a flathead screw through the middle of the worm gear, and that when I turn the worm with my thumb the screw is turning as well. I assume that that is not supposed to happen, that that screw is actually supposed to be tightened into the body of the wrench and that the worm is supposed to rotate on it, which would explain why I can only turn the worm a fraction of a turn despite the fact that the jaw is free.

So, if my assumptions are correct, leaving it in the tank any longer isn't going to help as there's no line of sight between the anode and the corroded parts. What would you do next, vinegar?

Or am I mistaken in my assumption of how this is assembled, and there's something else wrong? (I can't imagine what though)

 

[Fretters]

If I remember correctly from when I last disassembled an adjustable, that screw is only threaded on the portion which goes through the lower part of the housing, below the worm screw. The upper portion is just a smooth shaft on which the worm rotates. Unscrewing that screw whilst holding the worm in place should part them unless they're rusted together solid.

 

[n8n]

Tried that already, still stuck... so that's the proper approach though?

 

[Bruce Lancaster]

I believe that Evaporust has better ability to get into crevices than other soaks, and also unlike others I can toss something in and forget about it without having to worry about unwanted damage from long soaking.
A mechanical approach, too...there is always some endplay in there. Try driving the worm up and down with a punch.

 

[jjjrmx5]

Unscrewing that screw whilst holding the worm in place should part them unless they're rusted together solid.

Yes.

The knurled thumbwheel should move freely of the screwed in shaft upon which it rotates.

I'm going to gues they are seized as one as I see that a lot in older adjustables that see water or moisture.

Try a pentrant first , if no-go then ATF soak, if no-go then try rapping it with a hammer to separate the two. Last I always try heat via propane torch to see if that will break the oxidation bond between the two parts.

Not always easy and not always successful.

BTDT>

 

[Fretters]

So, if my assumptions are correct, leaving it in the tank any longer isn't going to help as there's no line of sight between the anode and the corroded parts. What would you do next, vinegar?

The whole line of sight thing is awfully misleading, and not true per se. Anode coverage makes a difference, but it doesn't stop the process as that term suggests it does. Leave it in the vat for a day or two, else just try one of the penetrants as suggested above. None are guaranteed to work, but something will get it eventually. It's just a patience game.

 

[garthg]

Not worth the effort, IMO. There's plenty available on ebay at various prices. Here's one for $4.95, no bids:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Diamond-Calk-Horseshoe-Co-8-Adjustable-Wrench-Diamalloy-USA-Nice-/271442354584?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f3339a198

 

[bonneyman]

Worst come to worst, drill out the stuck screw, and either get another screw form a donor wrench or make one out of steel rod. Not that hard to do.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Keep soaking it and using penetrants. I have a bunch of Diamond Caulk wrenches, and have fixed them that way. Once it gets to where it feels like the screw is going to come loose, put the wrench in a vise and clamp it on the thumbwheel to keep it from rotating - that way you can put some torque on the screw and hopefully it will break loose.

 

[n8n]

OK, I had to run out so I just popped it back in the tank... will just keep playing with it until it either breaks free or I have to work on something I need, rather than something I just picked up. (for some reason, although I never use adjustables, I actually have quite a few of them. They just come to me. If I can fix this one up I'll give one away I guess.)

 

[n8n]

It's working now . Forced it with some Kleins and it freed up. Now, I have probably 3 or 4 6" adjustables that I will never use...

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