[NathanB]

I bought a couple of old Jorgensen handscrew clamps model 4.
They are really dirty, the screws are rusty and one of the jaws has a rather large dent in it. I thought I would take them apart and clean up the wood jaw on a belt sander but turns out you cant take the handscrews out without removing the handles which i don't really want to get into. So I might just sand it by hand to clean up the surface. There is no way I will be able to get the dent out. I am thinking I might return it for a different one but it may work fine as is. Any tips on cleaning up and lubricating the threads?

 

[Joeb41]

Without seeing a photo it's hard to say what to do about the dent. I'm thinking about making some sort of cut to remove the dented area and glueing in a piece of hardwood then sanding it flush. As for the threaded parts a hand wire brush or a small wire wheel in an electric or cordless drill and WD 40. Those are great clamps and worth the effort.

 

[Fred Hargis]

Depending on how deep that dent is into the wood, you might be able to steam it out. Remove the finish aroun d the dent to allow the moisture to penetrate, then sprinkle a little water on it, cover with a damp cloth and put a hot iron to it. The steam will force the wood fibers to expand filling the dent....but only if it's not too deep. You could also try just putting a little water on it and let it sit overnight, but the hot iron method is a little faster