I have a badly rusted vise. I think I posted about it a couple years agowhen 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 havedone it already, but even my 80-something grandmother has never heard ofwashing soda, and I have no idea where to get some. The web makes it soundcommon, but it ain't common around here, unless I'm blind.I DAGS, and turned up absolutely *nothing* about Morgan except a couple ofunanswered questions, which is pretty amazing. The way this looks, I can'tbelieve it's a no-name cheapo, so I'm beginning to think it must beextremely old.I'm trying to get some sense of how old it is, and how valueable in thegreat 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'dsay it's even a $200 vise, but it looks like the $150 Record has it beat oncapacity, if not massiveness.It says MORGAN VISE CO CHICAGO to the left of the screw, and MORGAN 10A VISEto the right. The jaws are 7" wide, and I estimate it would open to about10" 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" indiameter. I don't own a wrench, not even a Crescent, big enough to getaround the nuts on the ends of the rods. It probably weighs somewherebetween 40 and 50 pounds.I don't know how advantageous massive would be, and the screw issignificantly pitted after years of rust, so it might never be smooth andsure. 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 sodawould be safer, but mostly I just want to get this thing working...

Most grocery stores and/or hardware stores carry it. Arm & Hammer makesit, among others. The Arm & Hammer washing soda is a *BLUE* box, close tothe size of a breakfast cereal box. *Not* the little yellow Arm & hammer box,which is 'baking soda' (aka bicarbonate of soda)

How old is a Morgan 10A vise?

Oct 22, 2003 Last reply: 5 years ago 41 Replies

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jwhabdas 7 years ago

Just soak it in a bath of muriatic acid ( available from Ace Hardware ) for about a week or two it will dissolve the rust.

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Blasthoff 5 years ago

Sodium Carbonate (aka: washing soda) can also be had in bulk as "Swimming Pool PH Increaser". Just read the label to be sure. Don't confuse it with Sodium Bicarbonate (aka: baking soda) which can also be had in bulk as a pool chemical. They are not the same. Sodium Carbonate is used as an electrolyte in electrolysis for rust removal.

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