Rock Island 231

[lawdawg0931]

First time poster, I have grandpa's RI 231 & the vice nut is stripped out. Are there any places to buy a replacement, or can I take this one to a machinist for repair? I only see one for sale on that "bidding" site - but it's for a 190A (guessing they're not interchangeable). Thanks for any suggestions

 

[drivesitfar]

LD: if your nut is stripped how does your screw look? is it in bad shape too? my guess is you can take your vise nut to a machinist and he might have some idea on how to fix yours. either by machining a new one or maybe he might have another option. sorry most old vise nuts you can't buy replacements for Rock Island vises cause they've been out of the business for almost 60 years now.

post up a few pictures of your vise, vise nut and screw and maybe somebody here will have some thoughts since we have more than a few machinists that are members and a lot of vise guys.

 

[G-ManBart]

First off, welcome!

It's highly unlikely you'll be able to find a replacement nut without a lot of luck...it could happen, but I wouldn't count on it.

A decent machinist should be able to come up with a fix....drill it oversized and then make an insert with the correct thread, weld it to the nut, and call it good (or something along those lines).

It probably won't be a cheap fix, but the 231 is a cool vise and it would be great to get it back working considering the family history.

 

[kwoswalt99]

First off, welcome!
A decent machinist should be able to come up with a fix....drill it oversized and then make an insert with the correct thread, weld it to the nut, and call it good (or something along those lines).

Don't think that would be possible, with how thin they were.

 

[G-ManBart]

Don't think that would be possible, with how thin they were.

I probably described it poorly...it's not easy to describe.

Drill the hole in the original nut oversize, then cut a vertical section out of the front (where the screw first enters). After that you'd weld in section cut with the correct Acme taper. Essentially replace the front 1/2 inch of the nut with a new section. You'd have to open up the original threaded part so the screw wouldn't make contact.

In short, you'd wind up with a 1/2" deep threaded section rather than a 2" deep threaded section (ballpark, of course) but it should work for normal uses.

 

[lawdawg0931]

There is a screw and nut for a Rock Island 190A for sale.... I'm wondering, as long as they line up the same, if I can just replace both of these on my 231. Cost would be about the same as going to a machinist (I'm guessing).

 

[G-ManBart]

There is a screw and nut for a Rock Island 190A for sale.... I'm wondering, as long as they line up the same, if I can just replace both of these on my 231. Cost would be about the same as going to a machinist (I'm guessing).

If they line up the same it should be fine. The pictures of the 190A nut show it's got some numbers on it you could compare with yours. I'd probably want detailed measurements from the seller, and confirm the thread pitch is correct for your vise.