[Q] How to get thechuck body off a No78 brace

[Fromey]

I recently bought a Stanley No. 78 10" brace for £4 from the corner junk shop and am doing it up. I noticed today there is another 8" brace there in the rain, so I might pick that up tomorrow as well.

I've looked up braces in Aldren Watson's "Hand tools" and note that he advises to annually remove the chuck body from the ratchet end for maintenance. I'd love to do that, but it looks like it is riveted in (there's one large central rivet in the ratchet end instead of a screw that Watson depicts). I have also noticed what appears to be a grooved pin running transversely through the ratchet drive and I thought that might be the release mechanism, but I can't drive it out.

This is most likely simply a design feature as Stanley didn't intend these braces to be stripped down to this level. However, I thought I'd ask in case there is some trick to it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[AndyT]

Could you take a picture or two, for anyone who doesn't have that particular model but may have an idea?
On the other hand, braces are pretty robust and if the chuck opens and shuts, and the ratchet works, I'd flood it with oil but not dismantle further than it wants to go.

And that's a nice little drive-by gloat there - braces are a bargain!

 

[Mike.S]

I can't help with your question but in case it helps and/or is of interest, there's a very good description, with videos, of restoring a hand brace at this link. It's in several parts and i found it really useful when restoring my braces.

 

[AndyT]

That's a great tutorial Mike. Normally I prefer a minimalist approach to restoration, but I can see there's a good case for that sort of back-to-new treatment if it turns a common, unloved tool into one that makes you want to pick it up and use it with pride and pleasure.

 

[Fromey]

Thanks all. Yes, I've been looking at that blog for guidance (but stupidly until now I hadn't noticed how to advance to parts 2 and beyond). In fact, the brace he restores has the same sort of back to it and so clearly shows the issue I'm asking about. I'll borrow his picture;

As you can see, that rounded head isn't the screw that Walden writes about. Thus, I suspect you can't get it apart. I'll just do the oil flooding technique.

Lastly, I've just bought a No. 78 8" sweep for £4. In slightly worse condition that the 10" I've started on, but still very salvageable. I'll post pictures when I've finished restoring them.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Unless there's something seriously amiss with it, I don't think I'd do too much to it. A really good clean and oil should be all the ratchet mechanism (which is pretty bomb-proof) needs.

One fault that I did experience with my Stanley 78 (a rather battered example that I've had and been using for years) is with the jaw retaining spring (posh name for a bit of springy bent wire) in the chuck. It would be worth unscrewing the chuck cap completely, cleaning out all the old oil, grease, sawdust and rat-droppings that tends to accumulate within (white spirit will do nicely), and reassembling with a drop or two of clean oil. When you do, make sure the jaw spring sits nicely below the threads (you'll see what I mean when you dissemble it) - mine didn't, caught in the threads between body and cap, and made it very hard to turn the chuck cap. If the spring is misshapen, it's easy to bend it into proper shape again.

Other than that, there's not much that a good clean and a drop of light oil won't sort out. Full restoration is quite OK if you feel like it, but not an absolute necessity.