- Joined
- Feb 17, 2013
- Messages
- 4,409
A couple Sunday afternoons ago, done with my chores, I decided to take a break and peruse Craigs List. Lo and behold, there was an ad (just two hours old) offering a 6” Kurt milling vise for $80. I immediately phoned the seller and asked him to please consider it sold, and that it would take me about 3/4 hour to get over to Scottsdale from here in Tempe. I figured that even if it was just a “Kurt-style” (ie, Chinese knock-off), it would probably be worth the price.
Wowsers! It was a genuine Kurt, and in great shape for its age - very few “autographs” no hammer dings on the handle, etc. Just a bit dirty. I paid immediately, and took my treasure home. Turns out the seller was downsizing and preparing to move.
I disassembled it, cleaned up, etc.
About the only thing I found imperfect was that the nylock setscrew (which helps retain the half-moon “segment”) was not holding position well. The nylon locking element was pretty well worn away. Went to the Kurt website. Mine’s a very old 6 incher (D6 model), and I couldn’t find it on the site. But I did find info on a the D675, a very similar vise. The setscrew is the same, so I ordered one, plus a maintenance/repair parts kit, total cost $25. Imagine my delight when I discovered that they ship for free!
One of the main differences between the D6 and their more modern vises is the addition of various seals meant to keep swarf and other nasties out of the nut and needle bearing. A set of seals came with the kit. I decided to try adding these to my vise.
First off, there’s an O-ring that protects the needle bearing at the crank end of the screw. I calculated the required groove depth from the ID of the vise’s opening, the cord diameter of the O-ring, and the OD of the flange on the screw shaft. The taper on the flange (visible in the photo) was already there, so I started just inside of it
Next was a “brush seal,” used to keep swarf form getting into the nut past the screw shaft. The brush seal has to be “wound” on over the screw threads to get to the straight section of the shaft. I used a scrap of 8 gauge steel, bored through to clear the screw threads. I then bored a 1.5” dia. x .125” deep pocket for the seal, drilled to clear #8 retaining screws, then drilled/tapped the face of the nut. Newer vises probably have a pocket on the nut to hold the seal. Since mine does not, I lost about 3/16” of vise opening by adding the plate, but I think it’ll be worth it.
Finally, the kit contains a Zerk fitting and plug plate for the open end of the nut. Again, this requires a pocket in the nut, which my vise does not have. I cut a piece of 1/8” aluminum to fit, attached it with screws, and used a threaded Zerk. That end of the nut is now sealed!
Here’s my new treasure, ready for another lifetime of use:
Wowsers! It was a genuine Kurt, and in great shape for its age - very few “autographs” no hammer dings on the handle, etc. Just a bit dirty. I paid immediately, and took my treasure home. Turns out the seller was downsizing and preparing to move.
I disassembled it, cleaned up, etc.
About the only thing I found imperfect was that the nylock setscrew (which helps retain the half-moon “segment”) was not holding position well. The nylon locking element was pretty well worn away. Went to the Kurt website. Mine’s a very old 6 incher (D6 model), and I couldn’t find it on the site. But I did find info on a the D675, a very similar vise. The setscrew is the same, so I ordered one, plus a maintenance/repair parts kit, total cost $25. Imagine my delight when I discovered that they ship for free!
One of the main differences between the D6 and their more modern vises is the addition of various seals meant to keep swarf and other nasties out of the nut and needle bearing. A set of seals came with the kit. I decided to try adding these to my vise.
First off, there’s an O-ring that protects the needle bearing at the crank end of the screw. I calculated the required groove depth from the ID of the vise’s opening, the cord diameter of the O-ring, and the OD of the flange on the screw shaft. The taper on the flange (visible in the photo) was already there, so I started just inside of it
Next was a “brush seal,” used to keep swarf form getting into the nut past the screw shaft. The brush seal has to be “wound” on over the screw threads to get to the straight section of the shaft. I used a scrap of 8 gauge steel, bored through to clear the screw threads. I then bored a 1.5” dia. x .125” deep pocket for the seal, drilled to clear #8 retaining screws, then drilled/tapped the face of the nut. Newer vises probably have a pocket on the nut to hold the seal. Since mine does not, I lost about 3/16” of vise opening by adding the plate, but I think it’ll be worth it.
Finally, the kit contains a Zerk fitting and plug plate for the open end of the nut. Again, this requires a pocket in the nut, which my vise does not have. I cut a piece of 1/8” aluminum to fit, attached it with screws, and used a threaded Zerk. That end of the nut is now sealed!
Here’s my new treasure, ready for another lifetime of use:
Good thing it wasn't a 4" curt, I need one.
