Stanley 2101A question

[Jeff Cord]

I just acquired a 2101A off of eBay and have a question about the plastic handle (the one you grip to turn the brace).
It binds to the brace so that it's hard to turn the brace.
Is there a way to clean/lubricate this so that it doesn't bind so much?
The rest of the brace is still in nice condition so there's no other work necessary.
thanks,
Jeff

[Sean Hughto]

You might ask this fellow:

http://www.sydnassloot.com/brace.htm

[Eric Brown]

This site has excellent info. Might help you some.
http://www.georgesbasement.com/

Eric

[Dan Andrews]

If it is just a little sticky I would try some silicone lube. If it is realy binding, I would try to work an abrasive such as fine sand or a liquid course car paint polish such as used in body shops to buff out clear coat paint jobs. You may have to remove some material internally to get it to turn freely. Good luck.

[Jonathan McCullough]

I had a brace with a sticky ratchet. I'm not sure whether the grease simply dried up like an old oil painting or whether someone gummed it up with 40-year-old bubble gum, but soaking the part in mineral spirits, then lacquer thinner did the trick. All the dried up white junk came loose and I cleaned the relevant parts with a plastic bristle brush. I'd dip the handle in a little container of mineral spirits for a day and see what that does. The mineral spirits won't harm the wood or the metal, but may start to dissolve whatever's in there. Maybe it's dried up grease or dirt or rust or a combination.

[Jim Koepke]

A lot of the Stanley 2101a braces used plastic handles. Anyone know if there are some cautions about any oils before using them here?

My 8" 2101a has a plastic handle. I do not have any idea how many different kind of plastic (or bakelite?) may have been used in the handles of these "Bell System" braces.

I have seen a lot of these around and almost have to laugh, because most of the ones I see are also stamped "Bell System," an entity that no longer exists. I used to work for one of the Bell System companies about 40 years ago. Just about every "phone company" truck had at least one of these on board.

jim