Need help with Record SQ5

[fuzzydawg]

New to this forum, hope somebody can help...

I've got a Record SQ5 that was given to me (friendly uncle moving into retirement home). Got it mounted on my welding bench, figured out how to work the quick release (yeah, that took a while) and now I've got a problem. When I want to close it, I turn the handle clockwise a couple turns and hear a slight click as the screw re-engages, and the vise starts to close. All good so far. But then, when the jaws come together, the handle keeps turning but there's no clamping pressure.

Am I missing some required action? Is there a secret switch or something? Hope I can fix this - it's too nice to turn into a boat anchor

Here are a couple pics to (hopefully) help identify it. Thanks in advance for any help. (It's not mounted anymore so I could turn it over looking for any broken bits... no luck).

 

[2oolhound]

Welcome to Garage Journal and YOU **** for getting that vice for free!

Looks like a hell of a nice vice. It sounds like your quick release is stuck. I'd slide the jaws all the way open and flip it upside down taking a good look at the QR mechanism to make sure it engages and disengages properly.

Sorry, I'm really unfamiliar with that model but there are a ton of guys here that should be of more help.

 

[FMC1959]

I agree with 2oolhound, look underneath and see how the QR works.

If you can't find a solution, post your question on the vise thread. Aside from many restorers and knowledgeable guys, their is CW and Dutch from England who frequent the thread, they are very familiar with the many QR mechanisms used.

 

[dutchgray]

Im actually not familiar with that type of QR, the main screw based ones were never very common here and I haven't ever had my hands on one. But having a good look and cleaning all the dried up grease and dirt out is a good start.

 

[fuzzydawg]

Thanks to you guys for the advice. I flipped the vise over and ran the jaw in and out about a zillion times trying to figure out how the quick release mechanism works. Finally got it figured out - the QR itself was okay, but something at the aft end of the threaded shaft must have broken and dropped out because it waggled around too much. It's a little hard to see in the pic, but the end of the shaft is off-center by just enough that apparently something in the mechanism to engage the threads isn't meshing. (First pic)

So, I took a piece of hard rock maple I had handy and made a shim to hold the shaft centered. (Second pic) Would have fabricated something out of some scrap steel but I got impatient.

Voila! Everything works now. So to celebrate, I took my angle grinder with a wire brush on it and cleaned the old girl up. I had been thinking the discoloration was missing paint, but actually it was just grunge on top of the original blue. (Third pic) Looks pretty good for a freebie, huh?