davem1111 2,030 #26 Posted April 22, 2022 (edited) I took off the retaining "crescent" at the front, and unwound the thing this far. It started to hang up a bit and I didn't want to damage it so I stopped, but I think the last few threads are just gunked up. It doesn't seem to have the tab at the front, but it has the cross-shaped part that goes down into the bench, or in my case the piece of 2x6 it sits on (I haven't had it bolted down). I hadn't noticed before that the crescent has "Parker" clearly on it.... it's sitting on it near the front. Edited April 22, 2022 by davem1111 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
formariz 11,987 #27 Posted April 22, 2022 Tab is there. Its the cross shaped part. The very end of screw will be the least used part and therefor tighter at end. Also important to keep it totally aligned and straight as it comes out or you may break the nut as screw exits it. That is definitely an early one. Does the handle move freely within the head or is there a bit of friction, keeping it in place when vertical? 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davem1111 2,030 #28 Posted April 22, 2022 11 hours ago, formariz said: Tab is there. Its the cross shaped part. The very end of screw will be the least used part and therefor tighter at end. Also important to keep it totally aligned and straight as it comes out or you may break the nut as screw exits it. That is definitely an early one. Does the handle move freely within the head or is there a bit of friction, keeping it in place when vertical? The handle moves very freely, i.e. it won't stay "up", it is quite reactive to the force of gravity If anything, I wish it didn't move so freely because where I have it now, the handle drops down and blocks the top drawer. I wouldn't permanently mount it over a drawer anyway, and now that I know how rare and valuable this vise is, I will probably pop into Harbor Freight and buy a new one for day-to-day use. I have a much smaller one but these big ones sure come in handy when working on big iron. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lynnmor 7,305 #29 Posted April 22, 2022 11 hours ago, davem1111 said: It has a lot of "slop" in the threads - when you change directions, like from loosen to tighten, it takes 2-3 turns before it starts to move in the other direction. That slop might be an easy fix. It may be that the thrust faces are worn badly and they can be repaired. A worn screw or nut would need replacement and that can be done with a fair amount of work. Even if you don't want to do a repair, at least take it apart for a complete cleaning and lubrication. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
formariz 11,987 #30 Posted April 22, 2022 19 minutes ago, davem1111 said: The handle moves very freely, i.e. it won't stay "up", it is quite reactive to the force of gravity If anything, I wish it didn't move so freely because where I have it now, the handle drops down and blocks the top drawer. I wouldn't permanently mount it over a drawer anyway, and now that I know how rare and valuable this vise is, I will probably pop into Harbor Freight and buy a new one for day-to-day use. I have a much smaller one but these big ones sure come in handy when working on big iron. Another indication that it is an early one. Parker patented a spring inside head that would keep handle in place. Later on there was another patent where a screw on end of head was used. Probably from around 1879. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
