Fray Brace

[Jim McGee]

I recently purchased a Sponsford style Fray Brace with the pewter bands on the handle. The pad at the head of the brace move stiffly. I suspect that there is a buildup of dirt and oil or corrosion in the ball (?) joint. There are not exposed screws holding the pad on the brace. Can I carefully pry the metal sleeve with an oil hole in it away from the wooden head and expose the joint?

240716

[Mike Henderson]

The Fray brace I have, which looks a lot like yours, has two screws that hold the metal sleeve to the wooden head. If there are no screws, I would assume the wooden head is a press fit on the sleeve. The problem with prying it off would be that it might not go back on tight. Try flushing the bearing area with a solvent, such as WD40, then lubricate with oil. See if that doesn't free up the joint enough to use the brace. I expect with a bit of use it'll get easier to use.

Mike

[I'll just add a comment that I really like my Fray brace. It's really rare when you need a ratchet brace, and I have a few of those for when I need it. It's just nice to use a brace that old and that nice looking. Here's a pix of mine - a 7" Fray brace. It's in pretty good condition - I bought it quite a while back, before they became as desirable as they apparently are now. I did clean it up - I didn't get it in that condition.]

240734

[Jim McGee]

Thanks Mike for the warning. I will try flushing it out. It's usable but a little stiff.

[Jack Curtis]

And if you can turn it at all, just keep turning, should loosen up after a while. That's what mine did.

[Ryan Baker]

Try unscrewing the wood pad from the metal base ... i.e. twist the whole wood part. If there aren't any screws going up into the pad, I have seen braces that had a threaded fitting fastened to the wood that screwed into the metal bottom piece, so it was all hidden once put together.

I would not try to pry the cap off, because that will probably just cause damage. I doubt it is a press fit. Most likely, if you run some oil up in there and spin it for a bit it will loosen up considerably.

Those are nice braces and are getting harder to find (and more expensive). They are still my favorite braces to use.

[Erik Manchester]

+1 on the threaded pad. I would lube the post and turn it a bunch, and not attempt to separate the wood from the metal.

[Jim McGee]

Thank you all for your kind help. I used a spray can of Brake Free an forced oil into the oil hole and turned the brace. With a lot of turning and oil the brace is know turing freely. Thanks again. I am glad I didn't follow my intinct to start prying to remove the pad. I never though that the pad would be threaded on.
Jim