Thread: Green River Bolt-Cutter and Nut-Tapper.

It arrived on a pallet in the first week of January, 2015 (yeah and I've only just got around to posting about it ).

I don't know how, but the trucking company managed to break off one of the feet .

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And one thing that was not obvious from the pictures was that the machine was heavily corroded and completely seized.

WR6.jpg Four of the dies, showing deep pitting.

With the help of copious quantities of penetrating and lubricating oils I was able to get the bolt gripper jaws working.

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And eventually got it stripped right down.

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And it's stayed like that, in pieces, in the way, for most of the last 7 1/2 years.

Cheers, Vann.

Hi Vann,

Well that was an interesting post from you about your nut and bolt machine

and thanks for all the lovely photos but,

Is there to be a happy ending here or are you going leave us all in suspense???

Graham.

Lets hope it’s not quite as long a time of arrival to the time of posting.

Originally Posted by macg

...Is there to be a happy ending here or are you going leave us all in suspense???

Well not a happy ending, but I intend to post more of the story...

Originally Posted by christos

Lets hope it’s not quite as long a time of arrival to the time of posting.

...hopefully in a couple of days (I was out today and when I got home I forgot to take the photos wanted for the next post, before it got dark).

Cheers, Vann.

Interesting machine Vann.
Nice to see someone else working to a relaxed old tool schedule.
[When I was asked what I was going to do when I retired (15 + years ago) I said I was going to work on my PHD (where PHD = Projects Half Done). I'm proud to announce that that project is now half done ]

Four years ago I found a photo of a complete one.

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So now I know what the bolt gripper handwheel should look like. Same for the handle - although the shape of its bottom end, where it engages the teeth on the base, is still in doubt (I think there may be a pawl under there).

I suspect that one has just the one die remaining. Unfortunately I didn't record where that machine is located.

Cheers, Vann.

I decided to try the bare steel look on this machine, instead of painting it. I cleaned all the rust off most of the parts, and to keep rust at bay I wiped them over with a thin coat of boiled linseed oil.

I also recently (last year) brazed a piece of cast iron onto the broken foot - and earlier this week cut, ground and filed it to shape (and drilled a new bolt hole).

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I probably should have brazed up the three holes in the 'well' in the deck at the same time - but didn't. I no longer have access to a working oxy-acetylene set.

Heating the casting for brazing burnt off the linseed oil. As the brass will show through a new BLO coat I'm considering cheating by painting that one foot black. Or should I just see if it develops a patina?

Cheers, Vann.

The body of the gripper cleaned up well.

WR-15.jpg WR-16.jpg Note the boiled linseed oil finish.

The gripper slides in 'ways' in the main casting. I've done nothing towards making a handle. I've acquired a few handwheels over the years - I should check them out to see if there's anything better than the 'ring in' that came with this machine.

The screw for the jaws has survived very well - considering that steel components exposed to the elements usually rust far worse than cast iron parts. The end is a bit munted where it has be adapted for the replacement handwheel.

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But the base of the gripper jaws are in a bad way. Each of the sides are cracked or have a repair where they have broken.

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Originally Posted by macg

...Is there to be a happy ending here...

Due to the obvious weakness in the jaw castings, and the heavy corrosion to the dies (I believe they were stored partly submerged for a considerable time) I don't think this will ever be a working machine again.

I could have them repaired, or even have new jaws cast. But for the cost versus the few times I'll use it, it just isn't worthwhile (and I have too many other things to spend my available funds on). My intention now is to reassemble it as a non-working exhibit.

Cheers, Vann.

Hi Vann,

good job on the clean up so far,

As a good clear sealer on iron and steel objects I have found a couple of good coatings of Penetrol to be very satisfactory.

It is not cheap but, it goes a long way.

I have used it on my post drills and other such items, being a clear finish it allows the remnants of old paint colour to show through.

Graham.

I made a holder for the dies by drilling eight 2 1/8" diameter holes through a piece of timber I dressed.

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After I'd made it I found another die . Can't be helped and the plank wasn't long enough for one more anyway.

The dies are mostly heavily corroded, so much so that I've had to work out sizes by inserting BSW bolts of know sizes. The exception is 7/16" which I assume was the one in the chuck during the time the rest lived in a bucket of water.

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I can only get the dies out of three - in spite of many cycles of heating and many applications of penetrating oil.

The other interesting piece is the tap holder that fits the chuck. It too is seized, though I did manage to get one of the four screws (in the face) loose.

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The poor condition of these is another factor influencing my decision to make this a non-functioning exhibit.

Cheers, Vann.

Hi Vann,

have you tried electrolysis as a method to remove the rust??

Graham.

Originally Posted by macg

have you tried electrolysis as a method to remove the rust??

They've had lots of heating and cooling cycles, and I even tried a couple in molasses. But I haven't tried electrolysis yet.

My main objective at present is to get it reassembled, in case SWMBO's cunning plan to move next Summer comes to fruition. When (and if) I get most of my many projects sorted, I may come back to this one and try electrolysis.

Cheers, Vann.