Need Advice for Starrett Vise

[DOlsen]

I bought this Starrett 924 vise earlier this year at a swap meet. It didn't cost much, and I thought that I got a good deal. My intention was to clean it up and sell it.

After I took it apart and cleaned it, I discovered that someone had ground some material off of the bottom of the slide. It works ok and is otherwise in very good condition, but it is looser than it should be.

Should I sell this for parts, or maybe look for a replacement slide for it?
Is it worth the effort to fix? I could machine the damaged section a bit deeper, and fit a replacement piece.

 

[crguy]

WHY would it have been ground off? I've seen vices that had been broken & repaired in that area, but see no evidence of a repair in your pictures.

 

[Roberts210]

Only you can know if it's worthwhile to machine it a bit deeper and fit a replacement piece. That is a great vice. If you got it cheap maybe it will be worth it to fix it.

 

[larry_g]

http://www.moglice.com/moglice.html

Moglice is a product used to build up ways on machine tools. I should work in your application also. Check it out. nastyzen, one of the members here has a bit in his thread about using it on an old tool.

I searched out Nastyzen s thread and it is here; http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3665393&highlight=turcite#post3665393 Starting about post #26

He used Turcite which may also work for you.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[1982fxr]

I'm confused, machine the underside of the slide deeper in order to fit a replacement...slide? Huh? I must be missing something in the pics...

 

[G-ManBart]

I'd sell it as is, but be fair on the price since it's not as tight as some others. There's no damage, and it still works fine, so it's not a big deal.

Sure, you could try tightening it, but it's likely not worth that much time/effort.

 

[drivesitfar]

D: i'd sell it for $80 to a user cause most users don't need the specs you are talking about and it looks like a great vise. then keep your eyes peeled for another 70+ year old vise that has the quality and specs you like that might just need to be cleaned up.

on the vise repair 101 thread McBrownie put a cooper or brass sleeve under his Parker's dynamic to tighten it up, but i can't recall anybody else doing something like that.

 

[6PTsocket]

WHY would it have been ground off? I've seen vices that had been broken & repaired in that area, but see no evidence of a repair in your pictures.

Agreed. It looks more like that is just the milled area of a rough casting where a better fit is required.

I'd sell it as is, but be fair on the price since it's not as tight as some others. There's no damage, and it still works fine, so it's not a big deal.

Sure, you could try tightening it, but it's likely not worth that much time/effort.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Mintgrun]

D:
on the vise repair 101 thread McBrownie put a cooper or brass sleeve under his Parker's dynamic to tighten it up, but i can't recall anybody else doing something like that.

I found a couple of old Anchor vises which both had 'twist' in the way the dynamic jaw met the fixed jaw, so I made a shim out of copper, which fit in under one side of the slide. I believe this is similar to what Drives is suggesting, only you would shim both sides evenly. I cut the shims a little long and bent the extra over the edge, to keep them in place. It worked well in my situation. It is easy to try and totally reversible.
Tom

 

[jimreed2160]

That vise looks like it is in very good shape. The grinding appears to be on a non bearing surface. Look closely, the bearing of the dynamic is on the sides, not the front. In addition, the jaws look good.

The shim ideas are good and can be quick fixes. Maybe that would help.

I guess it all comes down to how it works for you. I judge a vise on how clean the action is and how well the jaws clamp. A little jiggling and backlash are usually acceptable to me. But it really depends on your preferences. I really like Parkers and Reeds. The Athols/Starretts seem to be a little coarser. Finding a good user vise can take awhile. Good luck in your quest.

 

[DOlsen]

Thanks to everyone for your input. I am going to take the suggestion to sell it as is. I will take some more pictures and list it later today.