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I am going to have a look at this. Good suggestion. I might relegate it to the welding vice.@ceylonfj40nut could you do a simple "decking" of the mating surfaces on the "cheap" vise just to get it working better? It's not going to solve the lack of hold, but might make it easier to use for you or someone else if you decide to part with it.
Those swivel Reeds are really cool.
I am going to have a look at this. Good suggestion. I might relegate it to the welding vice.
That’s one of my favorite movies!!! Got to watch it now. Again!
@FARMAN33 thanks for the knowledge drop. Didn’t even realize it was a swivel vice until you pointed it out. I think I’ll just soak that area with PBlaster for a while. I hit the rest of it with that and it moves really nicely now.@Goldbug Your friend just "helped you out" to a fantastic vise. Swivel jaw Reeds of that size are very rare (I am guessing it is a 406). To give you an idea, I had a 407 in MUCH worse condition that I sold for $700!
The trick is going to be freeing up the top swivel. SLOW is the name of the game here. Swivel jaw vises are so rare because when they are not used regularly, they get stuck. Then, some clown with a sledge tries to free it and cracks the casting ruining it for all time.
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Hmm, thinking maybe I’ll just leave it be!@RUSH55 That Desmond is a handsome little vise. Crazy how much beefier it is than the Irwin (a good modern vise).
@Goldbug The first challenge will be getting the top pin out. You remove the dynamic and main nut, then create a "jack screw" that pushes the pin out the top (it is tapered). Then begins the slow process of moving it (incrementally) from side to side till you get full rotation. Slow Slow Slow!
It really is hard to think about those prices for low tech small tools and not shake one's head. I mean if they were made from a block and whittled by hand, sure, but a casting and then minor machining....? Sure, sure, if it's a run of 5 that may be expensive, but still, really...?