Before I make a start I want to show you all that I meant by the statement I made in my previous post.
Most of the cleaning is either old grease someone used in the past or oil and dried sawdust which time clogs up the drive threads making it difficult to use your vice.
When I stripped this vice, I was shocked at what I found best described as years of neglect see for your selves. I have clean out the top two thread in the clutch housing just so you can see the thickness of grease and sawdust that has clogged up the clutch over the years making it very difficult to disengage the clutch to open or close the vice.
The clutch housing on this vice is enclosed, making it a poor design IMHO, all the sawdust gathers inside and it gets stiffer to use the last owner just kept adding oil to make it work again, After a time the oils and sawdust become crusted, hence why it now left soaking in white sprites to soften till next week. In the meantime over the weekend start to clean the rest of the vice.
The re-build. Am I glad that all the cleaning is now done, the clutch housing design made it extremely difficult to clean out, it was very time consuming, don't want to do that again? Anyway, it's done now.
I made reference in the other vice thread as to what was the difference between the 52/1/2e and the 52 1/2 that if you knew to let me know, well now I can tell you now.
The 52/1/2 has a manual hand operated quick release lever, the 52 1/2E has an automatic hand operated quick release lever, i.e. with the quick release lever move it to the left and the clutch disengages release the lever it springs automatically back to the right and the clutch automatically re-engages locking the clutch on the spline.
With this vice52/1/2 you have to move the lever to the left to disengages the clutch and that is all that happens, to re-engage the clutch onto the spline you have to move manually the quick release lever back to the right to lock the spline, to re-engage the clutch onto the spline.
Left, vice reassembled looking into the enclosed clutch housing, when the lever is moved to the left the clutch has disengaged from the spline, middle to lock spine move lever back to the right as seen here with the clutch re-engaged onto the spline. Right vice now assembled and ready for painting, Now all you need to do is replace split pin the end of spline your vice is now completed.
In conclusion.
The record 52/1/2 is obviously the forerunner to the 52 1/2E Now having refurbished the two vices which IMHO is the better of the two vices, with any doubt at all it's the 52 1/2E with its automatic quick-release lever. The latter vice being a revamped version which is a much-improved version and far superior vice in all aspects.
Being a professional joiner I have always used the quick release vices and now after refurbishing a manual vice and seeing how it all works inside I can't see myself working with one automatic vice and one manual vice fitted to the same bench.
The 52 1/2, I intensely dislike the enclosed clutch housing on it. I don't like the manual lever at all and the way it's assembled inside the clutch housing, I suppose for someone say a DIY er or the occasional weekend worker yes it would be fine for them, but not for me, ah well nothing ventured nothing gained. enjoy.
