I have a badly rusted vise. I think I posted about it a couple years ago when I got it. I'm finally getting geared up to give electrolysis a try, because everything else (heat, liquid wrench, time, vinegar, Coke, 10' cheater bar, sand blaster) has failed to get the screw turning. I'd have done it already, but even my 80-something grandmother has never heard of washing soda, and I have no idea where to get some. The web makes it sound common, but it ain't common around here, unless I'm blind.
I DAGS, and turned up absolutely *nothing* about Morgan except a couple of unanswered questions, which is pretty amazing. The way this looks, I can't believe it's a no-name cheapo, so I'm beginning to think it must be extremely old.
I'm trying to get some sense of how old it is, and how valueable in the great scheme of things. Something comparable would set me back better than $100 at least, so it's worth saving, but I'm trying to figure out if it's a $100 vise or a $150 vise. Based on the amount of iron in this thing, I'd say it's even a $200 vise, but it looks like the $150 Record has it beat on capacity, if not massiveness.
It says MORGAN VISE CO CHICAGO to the left of the screw, and MORGAN 10A VISE to the right. The jaws are 7" wide, and I estimate it would open to about
10" if I could budge it. There's a pop-up dog thingie on the front.It's *massive*. I'd say by eyeball the guide rods are better than 1" in diameter. I don't own a wrench, not even a Crescent, big enough to get around the nuts on the ends of the rods. It probably weighs somewhere between 40 and 50 pounds.
I don't know how advantageous massive would be, and the screw is significantly pitted after years of rust, so it might never be smooth and sure. Still, it looks like one hell of a vise if I can ever get it going.
If I can't find "washing soda" maybe try Drain-O? That's almost pure lye, isn't it? Yes, I realize it would be caustic as hell, and washing soda would be safer, but mostly I just want to get this thing working if I can.
Also, someone asked this several years ago, and never got an answer. I'll repeat the question. What color should this be painted?