Need help identifying a brace please

[rick carpenter]

I bought a brace that's missing a head and I don't see anything that identifies the mfr. I don't know enough about braces to make a good guess but it might be a Millers Falls 8" 163. The wrist handle has metal collars that are circumfrentially grooved and no radius curve. The ratchet is completely open, the teeth are visible from pawl to pawl. The chuck shell has two bands of knurling. I did a vinegar soak of the ratchet, jaws, and shell to remove surface rust, and though I did not scrub the shell to bare metal, I could not see any marks on it. The alligator jaws do not have a spring, though if they are supposed to I wouldn't know how it fits. I did not clean the shank so I can't see any marks. Can anyone help me identify it so that I can get a head for it? I spent 50 whole cents for it, and my personality will enable (force!) me to go to great lengths and more expense than worth it getting a head in order to make the 50 cent price something to brag about.

My next question will be how to lessen the slop in the wrist handle, there's not too much up and down movement but it seems wallowed out for what seems like a lot of radial movement.

Thanks.

228953228954228955

[Jim Koepke]

There may be one similar to that in my accumulation.

I will try to remember to look later today.

As I recall, it is an off brand (Baker or Douglas?).

jtk

[Andrae Covington]

I think you're on the right track, but even if it's a Millers Falls, nailing down the specific series can be difficult. If not the 161-163 series, it could be the 421-423, or the 631-633, or the 1661-1663. Take a look at the shank for marks, but the Millers Falls braces I have are only lightly stamped, or unreadable/missing. The jaws look like the springless alligator jaws from 1914+, so there would be no spring.

The sweep / wrist handle is supposed to be loose enough to rotate independently of the shank. If it seems too loose you might be able to fix it, but I'm not sure how. I've never tried to take one apart. They were assembled in different ways, so figuring out how to disassemble without destroying...