Help with Record Vise

I recently purchased a Record bench vise labeled as SQ5. It has 5 inch wide jaws, a small anvil behind the fixed jaw, cast in (fixed) pipe jaws below the standard ones and a non-swivel base.

It is unused although its manufacture must have been several years earlier...

There is a small pictorial on the moving jaw that shows how to open the jaws: turn the screw 360 degrees and pull the moveable jaw outwards - a quick release. To tighten is the reverse (I am guessing here as the other pictorial, if any were present,is missing): close the vise until the jaws and work are in contact and then turn the screw to achieve a firm grip?

If only it worked! Sometimes it does but usually it is a fiddle around, jiggle this, etc. Both opening and closing are frustrating. Once closed it grips securely. Not much to see underneath; it is fairly well enclosed by the casting. Screw has visible grease.

Any hints, thoughts, appreciated.

The Record quick-release used to be lever at the side of the screw and, as far as I recall, worked pretty well. That version seems to have disappeared since Irwin took them over. More's the pity because I'd love to get get one.

(It seems impossible to get any kind of QR vice here in North America these days. We used to get the Records occasionally but since the Irwin takeover they've disappeared in favour of the Irwin brand mark. And that doesn't include QR models).

Perhaps the QR version you have is part of the "Irwinisation (*) of Record". In which case I'm not too surprised ii's problematic.

(Perhaps I should say "Irwinization"

Edited By Sid Herbage on 03/07/2012 18:28:33