Mickeysteelworks Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 Hello Everyone!! First time posting on the boards! I found this leg vise rusting away at a local fish restaurant and saved it for the price of $50 (is that a good deal?). Everything is rusted closed, but the threads appeared to still be in okay shape. If anyone can give some advice on how to get it back to working (electrolysis, wd-40, wire wheel?) or any sort of info. Will have some better pictures in the coming days. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 Welcome to IFI! If you haven't yet, please READ THIS FIRST!!! There are several good threads on rust removal and vise restoration; take a look at those and see if the recommendations there are helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 If it can be restored to working condition it was a good deal. If it can't it was a bad deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted October 17, 2018 Share Posted October 17, 2018 For tongs I just put them in a 5 gallon bucket of used oil out of my diesel and forget about them for awhile. With a vise it depends if the threads are rusted or stuck from old dry grease and oil. If grease and oil some heat on the screw box could loosen things up enough to move. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 Mix up some automatic trans fluid and acetone 50/50 mix. Apply that liberally to all the moving parts for several days. It will cut the rust & crud, then disassemble it and use a wire wheel on an angle grinder to clean it up. To protect it brush on BLO. Looks like you will need to make a spring too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevomiller Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 I’ve done what both Dragon and Biggun do, except using diesel fuel, either with or without acetone or mineral spirits. Never tried electrolysis but probably would work well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFC Snuffy Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 There are some commercial products, notably Deep Creep by Seafoam and Kroil that are design to penetrate rusted hinges and loosen things up. A few others include Liquid Wrench, PB Blaster, good ol' WD40, and if you've the time, money, and space a soak like Evapo-Rust will do the job. Most of these are available at auto parts and/or home improvement stores. I really like Deep Creep, but I've not done a head-to-head comparison to see if it's better or worse than the others. It's always worked for what I've needed it to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 I use Kroil & PB Blaster and the 50/50 mix trans fluid & acetone works just as well and easier to obtain for me. They are all fine penetrating oils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stash Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 Any of the above penetrants will do the job for you- pick one and go for it. Don't be in a rush. A little heat can be helpful, too. As far as cleanup, Ive done electrolysis on a heavily rusted vise and it worked fine. Usually I hit it with a wire wheel pretty good and then oil it. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donal Harris Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 There are a number of YouTube videos which explain how to restore what appear to be totally dead tools. Some use electrolysis while others use vinegar or extended soaks in kerosene. One guy even used ice on a drill. Heat I had known about, but ice I had not. Should you open it up and find the screw shaft and box are stripped, there is even a video of a guy who replaced the screw shaft and box with a threaded rod and coupling, but he had access to a machine shop. If that were to be the case for me, I would just have to accept that I had a very cool piece for the garden. The only real problem I have ever had with getting a rusted shut tool to work again has been rust which has gone too deep. But usually that isn’t the case. It does require quite a lot of patience though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 There are a number of different ways to replace a bad screw/screw box; but all of them usually are more involved in time and money than buying another vise in better shape. Gone are the days when Sears&Roebuck sold replacement screws and screwboxes in their catalogs (US$2.90 to $5.45 depending on size in their 1905 catalog) The replacement I thought looked promising is to get an old screwjack (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/House_Jack_2.5_tons.jpg/220px-House_Jack_2.5_tons.jpg) and modify it to take the place of the bad one. Of course it could be just that I had a bunch of them on hand after a house repair... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobody Special Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 True, but we wouldn't be into smithing if we didn't like doing things the hard way for the joy of it sometimes. I've also had a couple of frankenvises that worked fairly well. If all else fails, and it's old enough, (to not be mild steel) he may have a perfectly good chunk of wrought iron to play with. I second (or fourth?) the acetone tranny fluid mix, with the addition that I like to toss jammed up bits in the back of the pickup after applying and drive around with them for a few days. The vibration and such seems to decrease the time it takes to penetrate the rust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 Lovely suggestion for the vibratory method; my front driveway could qualify as the motive source for a vibratory tumbler---nicely washboarded through the cotton fields to the main roade... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 There was a book on restoring tractors that recommended an ammo can (or oil drum) partly filled with kerosene and two weeks in the back of a pickup truck as a parts cleaner & rust breaker. Mo' travel on gravel = mo' better results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 For some reason.. LOL.. I've found even the most stubborn looking old items related to blacksmithing usually free up in short order... That's if they are rusted in the blind spots at all.. Reason this is??? Maybe because of the wrought iron? Maybe it's the old and nasty PCB laden oils they used for cutting and drilling.. Or the lead additives.. It seems to be more of a problem once the items have been cleaned and lubed with modern products and then put back out to pasture that it becomes more of a problem.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 30, 2018 Share Posted October 30, 2018 Perhaps it was the "flow through" oiling mentality that could leave a lot of hardened oil in places protecting the metal; but relatively easy to remove with modern solvents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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