CL Reed 204 1/2 vise desecrated!

[larryq]

I picked up a Reed 204 1/2 on CL a month or so ago for $35. I opened and closed it smoothly about three inches and it didn't have any cracks so I figured what the heck.

Well, it pays to open a vise completely before buying. When I got home I made a shocking discovery-- the screw had had about three inches cut off! As a result the vise only opens a little more than 4.5 inches-- enough to fit a 2x4 in there but nothing wider.

The guy who sold it to me had owned it a year in storage. It was his neighbor's, who had passed away. So I'm positive the seller had no idea the screw had been cut or why. The vise is undamaged otherwise and I can't think of why someone would cut the screw, so it's hard for me to think the screw was bent somehow during use and needed to be trimmed off?

One more thing. The swivel base has a giant screw on the bottom that I cannot get off. I've used PB and let the base sit in an electrolysis tank for three days and no luck. Is there a trick to this? I'm using a slice of sheetmetal and a vise grip as a jerry-rigged screwdriver, the slot is so big.

[-Brent-]

It's hard to tell but the screw looks broken/snapped, rather than cut. I can't imagine how that'd happen either.

[bigcaddy]

I wouldn't suggest you do this with one of your good sockets but try to find one that you can sacrifice for the task of removing that screw.

Get a piece of flat stock that will fit inside of the slot then cut that to fit inside of the socket. Weld it in place, inside of the socket, and use a big breaker bar to bust it loose. It would be similar to an improvised drag link socket

You could also fab up a similar setup with a piece of 1 1/2"? pipe doing the same method and weld on a large T handle for leverage.

[kartracer55]

That definitely broke in use

[Bruce Lancaster]

On that huge screw...get a drag link socket, common as a used tool, probably still available in truck sizes. This would typically be a 1/2 drive socket forged as a really huge screwdriver. Grinditdown to an exact fit, go at it with a hammer type impact driver...NOT by just wrenching.

[Outlawmws]

Get some penetrating oil and some heat on the screw too. it my have been put in with Locktite.

And on the screw looking like a break...