In order to
disassemble the head, first loosen and remove the bronze screw, which
can be done with a wide-bladed screwdriver, preferably with a square
shank that can be turned by a wrench. It helps to force the screwdriver
blade into the slot of the screw with some sort of press or
woodworker's clamp, as the screw has rarely ever been undone
previously. Next, use a cold chisel to cut off the staked end of the
quill which has been forged over the hard steel washer, freeing the pad
so that it can be taken off the wrought iron frame of the brace. Use a
gear puller to extract the remainder of the worn bronze ring, and
replace with another ring that tightly fits onto the frame, and which
is the correct length to get a running fit of the pad between the steel
washer and the bronze ring while leaving enough of the quill to be
peened over the washer so as to hold the pad in place.
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B&D-187
Price: $45.00
plus shipping
Made
by Increase Wilson in New London, Connwcticut. There are a great many
of these braces still in existence, and most of them have the bronze
ring below the head that is meant to bear the force exerted on the bit
during drilling, but which was rarely lubricated adequately. This brace
shows the effect of such abuse, as there is a rim of extruded bronze
jutting out from the worn side as seen in the bottom center image at
left. On some of these braces, the bronze ring is almost completely
worn away, and I have had to disassemble the head in order to install a
new ring. The technique for accomplishing the replacement is recounted
at lower left.
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