Problem with post vise

[rthibeau]

I agree with the general consensus on the soaking in warm oil gambit....that and a bigger gorilla than the one what stuck it in the first place. If it was cheap enough, I'd be happy to take it off your hands so you wouldn't need to bother.

[Mike Turner]

Thanks for all the replies, I now have the pics to show what is up with this vise. It appears that the screw maybe almost all the way out maybe an inch or so of thread still in the box. The thread on the screw is in good shape.

So now what do you all think?

[rthibeau]

looks like the screw is bent

[Mike Turner]

Richard I was looking at the photo with it on the ground and it was bugging me. The screw is in cockeyed in the box. The screw is straight.

[ThomasPowers]

The screw does not appear to be excessivly worn but the system has been greatly abused as you can see where the screw box has cracked and the last bit started to peel off.

Someone probably tried to over tighten it when it was almost fully open.

I would clean the screw as much as possible, oil and try to close it while apply a goodly ammount of pressure on the system to close---need a press or make up one with a C frame and a bottle jack.

It may have been sprung in which case a new screw and screwbox are in your future.

If it is just the last little bit that is bad you could trim the screw box back to "good" and use it like that.

[Mike Turner]

Hi Thomas the problem is I can not turn the screw at all. I am tempted to try and force it to unscrew it but thought I would see what others thought first. I have been soaking it with penetrating oil for a few days.

[agsolder]

I would anchor it to the post where you plan to use it, give it a good daily soak with B'laster (try your local NAPA dealer), best penetrant I've come across, for a week or maybe two, and if that doesn't free it up, using a pipe wrench and a cheater, but gently, I next try gentle heat on the box. Patience is the key when reincarnating old rusted, jammed tools. I once bent the handle on a big old (U.S.-made) Ridgid pipe wrench loosening a vise in this shape, but it did eventually come free.

[JWBIRONWORKS]

Mike,
At this point I beleive I would wrap a water soaked rag around the screw and heat the Female section As quickly as possible. Have a pipe wrench handy and with someone still heating the female section I would try to unscrew it. The damage is done...I don't think you'll hurt it much more.

Good Luck

John

[ThomasPowers]

1 further method, check to see how much screw engagement is there and if very little saw the screwbox just abaft the end of the screw and then remove the part stuck on the screw---grinder/saw/whatever.

This is of course a "Nothing else worked approach".

[Paragon]

I would lean towards what Thomas said.. but if there is a lot of screw left, I would cut the "box" at the crack around the whole thing and not cut through to the screw. Get rid of that part. Then go from there.

Sounds like the vice got fubar'd and was left to rust in a corner. I don't see how anything else could be holding it... without looking at it myself.