Getting an old vice apart

[Dr.Al]

A couple of days ago I picked up an old bench vice and a few leg vices (as described in the acquired post).

I gave it a soak overnight in a rubbish bin full of hot water & citric acid powder (albeit probably not enough citric acid powder as I was running out).

This morning I had a go at getting it apart. I've managed (with a lot of effort!) to get the screw out and the quick release mechanism. One bolt head sheared off, but I'll worry about that later: there's a bit of thread showing so there are a few options available.

The problem I'm having is getting the two halves of the vice apart (or to move relative one another even slightly). Here's what I've got:

I've tried judicious use of a lump hammer to try to get them to move relative to one another but that's done nothing at all.

I even tried making a big thick washer and using some M12 threaded rod (M16 wouldn't fit through the hole at the left-hand end of the casting as you look at the photo above):

You can just about see the washer on the right-hand side of that photo, but it's disappeared round the corner a bit as the M12 threaded rod has bent quite a lot!

I don't want to use the original leadscrew as the quick-release nut won't be rated for the sort of torque I need to put through it, but I'm running out of ideas regarding how to get it to shift.

Do I just need to wait for the next batch of citric to arrive and give it a much, much longer soak or does anyone have any better ideas as to how I could get these two castings apart?

 

[waddycall]

How about heating the fixed/female part?

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Bolt it to something firm.

Make some sliding wooden wedges.

Place them in from the sides and drive home until tight.
Then drill a series of shallow 10mm holes in them and fill with water.

Apply heat to the fixed jaw area. Until spit bubbles.

Tap the body with a hammer.
Using a block off wood between the hammer and the back of the sliding jaw, try to drift out.

The wooden wedges will loosen, just tighten up.
The water will make the wood swell adding more pressure.

Slow, but it works.

Soak in penetrating oil for a week.

Electroyolis to remove the rust, then gently bash with a hammer.

Donate to TYA MIS Vice fund.

I haver done a few with the above method in the past.

All have worked.

 

[Dr.Al]

How about heating the fixed/female part?

I doubt I could get enough heat into it to make a difference to be honest. It's HUGE and I don't have oxy-fuel (or much propane left for that matter).

 

[Dr.Al]

Bolt it to something firm.

Make some sliding wooden wedges.

Place them in from the sides and drive home until tight.
Then drill a series of shallow 10mm holes in them and fill with water.

Apply heat to the fixed jaw area. Until spit bubbles.

Tap the body with a hammer.
Using a block off wood between the hammer and the back of the sliding jaw, try to drift out.

The wooden wedges will loosen, just tighten up.
The water will make the wood swell adding more pressure.

Slow, but it works.

Soak in penetrating oil for a week.

Electroyolis to remove the rust, then gently bash with a hammer.

Donate to TYA MIS Vice fund.

I haver done a few with the above method in the past.

All have worked.

Sounds like an interesting plan, thanks! I'll try that and report back.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

There was one way I did used. But the images are 35mm.

Put two thick bits of metal in-between the jaws.

Tap one to m12.

Insert 2 bolts and screw them in against the other bit of metal.

Like a puller in reverse.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

I have used a Hot air paint stripper on a vive before and a pillar drill as I was to tight to buy gas.

 

[Kram]

These usually have some side to side and up down play, will it move if you tap from the sides? May be enough to dislodge the rust

 

[magnet]

I ve opened a seized vice albeit a leg vice by lighting a stick fire around it and cooking it.Split pallet wood being the fuel of choice. Maybe bung that little bench vice in your domestic oven on a suitable tray and wait till the other half is away out (might be hard at present) and cook it for a bit till its spit hot

 

[waddycall]

Bolt it to something firm.

Make some sliding wooden wedges.

Place them in from the sides and drive home until tight.
Then drill a series of shallow 10mm holes in them and fill with water.

Apply heat to the fixed jaw area. Until spit bubbles.

Tap the body with a hammer.
Using a block off wood between the hammer and the back of the sliding jaw, try to drift out.

The wooden wedges will loosen, just tighten up.
The water will make the wood swell adding more pressure.

Slow, but it works.

Soak in penetrating oil for a week.

Electroyolis to remove the rust, then gently bash with a hammer.

Donate to TYA MIS Vice fund.

I haver done a few with the above method in the past.

All have worked.

That sounds interesting. Can’t quite understand the wedges with water wells in them. Can you enlighten me oplease?

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

That sounds interesting. Can’t quite understand the wedges with water wells in them. Can you enlighten me oplease?

Wood expands helps to break the bond I'd assume

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

That sounds interesting. Can’t quite understand the wedges with water wells in them. Can you enlighten me oplease?

Water makes the wood swell up and adds side ways force onto the jaws.
I would say which way the grain should go.
I think end grain vertical

It is not a fast way, but it works.

The Romans used similar to spilt rocks on fracture lines.

@waddycall I am hunting for images of the vice I did it with.

 

[waddycall]

Thanks TYA. Where do the wedges go? In between the jaws?

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

@Dr.Al

@waddy

Not wood.

But one vice I did using metal wedges, heat from a electric paint stripper and a hammer.



Seized closed.
But it is spit balling hot.




2 wedges in. My mix of penetrating oil is drowning the moving parts.



Getting wider.

Until it came apart.

 

[waddycall]

 

[Screwdriver]

Chuck it on a bonfire. Then use wedges...

I had to press a Swindens apart with a hydraulic car jack once. Probably on here somewhere.

 

[Dr.Al]

There was one way I did used. But the images are 35mm.

Put two thick bits of metal in-between the jaws.

Tap one to m12.

Insert 2 bolts and screw them in against the other bit of metal.

Like a puller in reverse.

That sounds like a plan, although I'll probably do it lower than the vice jaws as I want to reduce the torque and just have as much thrust as possible.

These usually have some side to side and up down play, will it move if you tap from the sides? May be enough to dislodge the rust

I've tried that quite a lot with no success unfortunately.

I ve opened a seized vice albeit a leg vice by lighting a stick fire around it and cooking it.Split pallet wood being the fuel of choice. Maybe bung that little bench vice in your domestic oven on a suitable tray and wait till the other half is away out (might be hard at present) and cook it for a bit till its spit hot

Unfortunately, there isn't a chance in hell that vice is going in the domestic oven - it's WAY too big!

 

[Agroshield]

As Screwdriver says, heat, heat, heat. Another method of heat is a full week in a bucket of vinegar kept as hot as you can (i.e with electric heater). Afterwards, rattle it with an SDS chisel with the end lopped off and inserted into slug of something softer than the vice.

 

[hunter27]

1. Hang it from the garage roof by the front jaw.

2. Place your wife's best dinner set under it and leave overnight and I bet when you come back the next day it will have come apart on it's own !!!

 

[Screwdriver]

Found it: https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/restoring-an-old-vice.62042/