Me versus Stanley

[Tool Pants]

I bought this 6" Stanley made in USA at the flea market for $1. It was covered in grease and dirt. The jaw would not move. I thought because there was dirt in the worm gear.

Took it home and cleaned it in kerosene. Under the grease was rust. Soaked it for day in WD-40. Still would not move. Then vinegar for 2 days. Nothing. Then acid, which ate the rust. Then heat. Hit it all over with a hammer to break it free. Tried to turn the worm gear with vise grips. Wish I could remove the pin for the worm gear, but this one does not have a screwdriver slot.

Dynamite. Out of ideas, other than throwing it away.

 

[autoace]

Try Kroil! It's worth a shot! It looks like you may have bought a paper weight. You could mail it in to Stanley, they might,might give you a new replacement.

 

[35mastr]

Put it back in vinegar. It takes longer than two days for soething like that.

Put it in there and forget anout it.

Leave it in there for at least 7 days.

I have done it with great success.

 

[crankshaftdan II]

If nothing else works try putting back in vise, use blow-dryer or heat gun (not torch) heat for 5 minutes on high, immerse in penetrating oil, place in metal container, closed type, put in freezer for 2 hours, repeat, repeat, repeat and try pin punch to drive out the retainer pin. evapo rust works great if you can remove the pin and knurled knob. If that fails call stanley toll free number and tell them the size/model and they will send out a new(made in C) model!!

 

[old salvage]

Remove the thumbwheel if possible then drive out the jaw with a punch.
If the pin that the thumbwheel spins on is not removable then clamp thumbwheel in bench vise firmly but not so firm as to mess up knurling. Clamp so that the wrench is at an angle. Move wrench to the side as far as it will go (which wont be very far at all ) then unclamp, reset and repeat until your wrench is open all the way. Blast more penetrating oil inside and use the same method to close the wrench if you have to.

 

[billymade]

You might give Evaporust a try too!

 

[bb1970]

Put it on E-bay. Someone will give you $5 for it.

 

[Tool Pants]

I bet if I put it on ebay someone would buy it, with all the **** I see being sold on ebay. Vintage Stanley N0.6 model number 87-901, no longer being made in the USA.

One of these days I will run around town looking for Evaporust, but not for that thing.

On this style you cannot remove the pin for the thumbwheel. First thing I wanted to do was to remove the thumbwheel.

It is back in vinegar for 7 days. But if muriatic acid would not free it up....

I will check back next Sunday.

 

[old salvage]

Are you sure the thumbwheel isnt removable. Sometimest hte pin is spring loaded and not the screw type. You just push the pin inward with a punch then push out the thumbwheel.
Anyway, good luck getting the wrench back in shape.

 

[voidifused]

You paid 1$ for it, now add up all the stuff you have used to try and get it lose plus your time. Let it rest in a scrap metal bin so it can have new life and spend the 15$ on a new one from Stanley.

 

[Merkava_4]

I'd say for $1 - you bought yourself a helluva lot of trouble.

 

[Borrego]

Many a tool in my collection were once covered in grease and or dirt. I find it often obscures the logo, but it sure makes them very affordable.

 

[cnyeco1]

I agree with Merk. $1.00 cresent wrench and $20.00 worth of evaporust, and you'll have a $6.00 dollar cresent.

 

[Vulturej]

Must be a labor of love or love of labor, witch ever way you want to look at it!

 

[bb1970]

I think we all have gone overboard on things like this. Sometimes you just have to see if you can make it work again. Just like the title says, "Me vs. Stanley". It is a challenge now.

 

[Steve V.]

Send it to me and I'll bead blast it.



Steve

 

[GDA]

Wire wheel the thumbwheel and get it moving/cleared in the vice. +1 with ^^ above aobut trying to get the pin out and take it all apart to clean.

 

[Herb]

Measure the opening and then label it as such and you'll have a nice heavy duty open end wrench.

 

[Snappy]

I'd say for $1 - you bought yourself a helluva lot of trouble.

 

[cashishift]

Measure the opening and then label it as such and you'll have a nice heavy duty open end wrench.

 

[Tool Pants]

I think we all have gone overboard on things like this. Sometimes you just have to see if you can make it work again. Just like the title says, "Me vs. Stanley". It is a challenge now.

That is it. It will either work or go into the garbage 4 days from now.

Here is is today, day number 3 in vinegar. Looks like the vinegar is doing something much to my surprise, after the bath in muriatic acid.

Maybe I will change the vinegar today. Then take it out on Sunday, 4 days from now.

 

[35mastr]

I did not change the vniagar and mine was alot dirtier than that. Could barley see the tools.

Also try tapping on it with a hammer and then put it back in.

The hole saw arbor that I did was rusted so bad that it did not slide at all.

After 7 days it moved like new.If it dont work in 7 days,let it sit longer. It will free up.may just need more time. Be patient.

It can be seen here on post #17

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29991&highlight=vinagar

 

[Tool Pants]

For you old people I am going to call this Stanley the Lobster, via Eddie Murphy and Saturday Night Live featuring Larry the Lobster.

I just replace the vinegar and Stanley is in a taller plastic container.

4 more days to go or Stanley will be on a plate, like Larry....

 

[35mastr]

For you old people I am going to call this Stanley the Lobster, via Eddie Murphy and Saturday Night Live featuring Larry the Lobster.

I just replace the vinegar and Stanley is in a taller plastic container.

4 more days to go or Stanley will be on a plate, like Larry....

I just noticed that you used White Distilled vinagar.

I used Apple Cider vinagar.

There may be a difference in outcome.

 

[Tool Pants]

Thanks for the tip.

I just removed 1/2 of the new white vinegar and put in apple.

4 days left for Stanley.

 

[35mastr]

I just realized that you are just south of me about 20 min or so.

I am in Newark.

 

[Scooterfish]

35mastr why don`t you go down and help tool pants out for a weekend project? Take some vineger and some tools along. We can`t let that little wrench get the best of him

 

[HandyManny]

Put it on E-bay. Someone will give you $5 for it.

Then he could just go buy a brand spanking new Crescent brand adjustable wrench. They're still made here in the USA. In that size it will only cost about $8 or $9 at any hardware store.

It's nice to find old USA made tools for cheap $ and restore them to service again, but when they end up costing you more that a brand new tool or more tha what that tool cost a long time ago when it was new, is it really worth the trouble?

 

[35mastr]

If he just leaves it alone in the vinagar it will fix itself.

With stuff like this,"YOU NEED TO BE PATIENT"

Its not going to take any type of tool to fix it.

But if it was here now I would have it already moving.

The hot wrench will make good on anything that does not move in minutes.

 

[voidifused]

Let the poor thing die..let it rest in peace. As some new pop can or something when it gets recycled.

 

[Tool Pants]

Stanley won.

 

[BrokeEF]

That is very disappointing

Sean

 

[dxdexter]

I just soaked my rusted hulk in wd40 and then clamped some Vise-Grips onto the thumbwheel and forced it until it turned. After that I removed the pin and cleaned it up. The 15" Irega cleaned up nicely.

 

[voidifused]

I just soaked my rusted hulk in wd40 and then clamped some Vise-Grips onto the thumbwheel and forced it until it turned. After that I removed the pin and cleaned it up. The 15" Irega cleaned up nicely.

I say you faked it to promote this thread...

NAH J/K

It did come out nice.

 

[voidifused]

Stanley won.

If you have nothing to loose now, get an oxy fuel torch and heat the SOB red hot and spry it with WD40 and repeat let it cool after the last time you heat it up.
That's if you don't want to let it win...come one i dare you.

 

[rickairmedic]

Dude you let it beat you in a week I guess you never heard of Cutters vise it was about a year long story about a man and a vise found sitting in the mud . I will let you in on a secret it took a year but the man won .

http://cutterod.com/vise_saga_prelude.htm


Rick

 

[DHS]

We are all pulling for you, dont give up now. Or if you do ship it to another member to finish the job off lol
PS im sure that member would pay the shipping.

 

[dxdexter]

Like others have said; heat and beat the **** out of it. You have nothing to lose. Why let the adjustable win.

 

[sk farmer]

tool, restock the cheezits, jerky, popcorn and get back to work. i think by the empty tp roll you may have just gotten a burst of energy, so it should be easy now.

 

[Keep]

Awww come on, at least try and sandblast the thing. Can't hurt!!