This evening I got given a free post vise! It's very rusted and needs a lot of work! The jaws of the vise won't react to being tightened or loosened so I'm after some advice on how to bring this bad boy back to life, please. I know I can get the majority of the rust off with the wire brush on my angle grinder but I doubt that'll do much for the harder to reach important spots.

Incase anyone's wondering on how I got it - I went to see an item someone is selling eBay, (and to try and convince him to sell it to me there and then and take it off eBay, which didn't work), and in passing he gave me the vise for free. I hope I can bring it back life because I've been after a vise!

Oil the pivot point and bolt, let it soak for a bit and try to open the jaws, if still locked up, try to loosen the pivot bolt a little and more oil on both the cheeks and pivot bolt. Work on opening the jaws and if worse comes to worse and loosening the bolt and lots of oil doesn't free the jaws, try to gently open the jaws with a heavy wood stick. It is by it's very nature a tough piece of metal and can take a bit of persuasion with a stick or wood mallet.  Unless it sat at the bottom of the Channel for years it will open with a little work.

Once you get it freed up you may want to remove the front jaw and clean the pivot joint of crud and corrosion to get it operating smoothly.

 

When I got my first vise and got it home I tore it apart until there was nothing else to take apart, cleaned the rust and grime off and put it back together, took a couple of hours and made a mess, but I got to know that vise and how it worked.

I would also recommend Gibbs penetrant... or a simple recipe of transmission fluid and lacquer thinner serves as a very good penetrant... Both work wonders when it comes to both rust and freeing up rusty bolts, and hinges...

Cheers fellas. Is there a difference between Automatic Transmission Fluid and Transmission Fluid?

This thinner stuff you mention, is that like white spirit or something? The only mechanical thing I've taken apart to this extent before is my bass drum pedal so this malarky is all new to me!

The thinners is probably cellulose thinners. It's basically just something to dissolve the ATF (which is effectively just an oil) and get it into the gaps by capillary action.

 

Acetone, cellulose thinners and Methanol have all worked for me, when I've needed to soak stuff. It's only really worth faffing about with if you are going to soak though, or you have thinners, etc, and ATF hanging around anyway.

 

Usually I use "PlusGas" if it's a case of needing to spray something on. I'm sure there are other proprietary products that are better (Kroil is supposed to be), but PlusGas is the best I can usually get hold of in the UK.

 

Gentle heat and penetrating oil usually works too, just slower.

 

I'm fairly sure "transmission fluid" will be ATF.

Kurgan,

On the bright side a leg vise is a little less complicated than a drum pedal and a lot beefier. Much harder to mess up.

You said the old tool bug has started, well pull the screw and box, get the jaw free, and have a good time learning your new old tool.

 

Pics are nice too !

 

Mark  

I agree with the above. Penetrating oils, take it apart, clean the parts and reassemble. 

 

I once took a rusted frozen up wagon vise to a reenactment, soaked the hinge area with gentle heat in my forge, let it cool slowly under the forge.  Being made of wrought iron it loosened up nicely without risk of damage in the fire.  

 

With a larger vise, I squirted it with oil at the joint and whacked it with a rubber mallet once a day for a couple of days and it came loose after a couple of days.  I then took it apart, cleaned it and reassembled replacing the nut and bolt at the pivot point so that the jaws would line up properly.