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  1. #1
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    Default Antique Engravers Block

    Step 1. On repair & remake of engravers block.

    New part in stainless steel a bit more fine tuning to make it work a little smoother.








    Ever have one of those days where everything is going perfect....,,right up until the end when something goes wrong and everything you do after that makes things worse. Should have cut your losses and started again cos it would have been quicker and had a better finished product! I’m having them a lot lately.🤬

    Yesterday it was the mount hole ended up a bit off centre for the thread retainer so I have to take one side down.

    Today I decided to shrink fit the body of the key onto the handle and melted the bronze. Had to remake the bronze and ended up with a hole that didn’t line up. Lots of annoyances in between trying to salvage the original.



    Lots of other bits to make yet.
    False jaws (risers), pin plates, all the pins & holders, leather doughnut and wooden doughnut holder. Anti rotation loving pin.




    Cos I’m a sucker I’m also making the leather work tools to make the doughnut.

    Starting with a trim knife.


    *All work to be done after dark & during nap times when the baby is a sleep now the Missus has gone back to work.
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  2. #2
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    Default

    Late 1800's Adolph Muehmatt ~Maker "The REX" LW Géry Inventor New Orleans.
    Stamped with production number 74. I’ve seen a photo of one stamped 1441 so they made a few but how many have survived?


    I’m told this vise seems to be a pre-dated design to the 1909 patent of Muehlmatt:
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  3. #3
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    Default

    Would love to see a photo of the whole item

  4. #4
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    Default

    Here are some photos from the net of an almost complete one. I just have the top and bottom halves of the ball and mine is missing the bearings inside.




    Mines got a lot less chrome and a lot more rust.
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  5. #5
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    Default

    Thanks for that, the one I have is a, cheapie Chinese GRS copy all I could afford, if I could find one like yours and restore it would a worthwhile project

    This would be a appropriate post for the jewellery section

  6. #6
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by China View Post
    Thanks for that, the one I have is a, cheapie Chinese GRS copy all I could afford, if I could find one like yours and restore it would a worthwhile project

    This would be a appropriate post for the jewellery section
    This was cheaper than a cheap Chinese. But will end up costing more in labor. How do you find yours for quality? I hear a lot of people who own GRS bagbthe knock offs but they don’t own em. They could also be justifying paying the cost of an original.

    i didn’t know there was a jewellery section. I’ll have to go look for it.

  7. #7
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    Default

    Step 3. Straighten screw head so it does up straight and flush. It was bent so pushed the hardened washer off to be side and the edged of the screw head stuck out scraping the other half of the ball. Cleaned the rust off the wager and screw then decide to clean up the ball. I wanted to leave some patina as it’s over 100 yes old rather than to polish it to look new. As it was the “patina was getting all over me and everything else.

    I also fetteled in the screw locator in place blueing it until no spots rubbed.







    Gave it all a coat of coconut oil.
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  8. #8
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    One thing I haven’t figured out which way to tackle is the anti rotation loving pin.
    The pin is long gone and the hole in the bottom half is elongated so there is slop which isn’t going to be useable.




    1. I could weld or braze up the hole and attempt to re drill it. Keeping as original as possible

    2. Drill both halves out oversized and use a larger pin

    3. Drill it out and tap it and use a bolt instead of a pin. This way the pin isn’t removed just screwed up in to the top half. Complete modification.

    4. Drill a new hole in a new location in the bottom half.


    The ways and jaws are marked L & R. I’m not sure what the other bit is? It maybe a repeat of the serial number 74.
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  9. #9
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    Default

    The Chinese knock off is surprisingly good quite smooth on the ball section, the screw on the vice section is a little rough not really of any detriment and it most likely work in over time
    some of the Chinese knock offs seem to be becoming a lot better, I have not used a GRS so I can't truly compare the two, the price was less than half

  10. #10
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    You could also drill the locating pin and just plug it then re drill

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