-8-
By opening the vise jaws just enough to slide the key in you will be making the key lay right in front of
the step portion of the top vise jaw - effectively pushing the key out of the vise jaws and clamping
on the remaining .105” of the key.
CHANGING THE TOP VISE JAW
To change the top vise jaw unscrew the painted key clamping knob a few turns. Unscrew the large knurled
knob located below the painted key clamping knob a few turns. Slide out the top vise jaw. Look for key cutting
chips and brush them away before reinstalling the top vise jaw. Reinstall the top vise jaw in the reverse order.
NOTE:
When reinstalling the top vise jaw you should push on the face of the top vise jaw and hold it firmly
against the vertical step on the bottom vise jaw. By doing this you will insure that the top vise jaw is installed
perfectly parallel to the bottom vise jaw. This is especially important when using the face of the top vise jaw as
reference surface when cutting keys like Ford double-sided and when using the step jaw - especially when cut-
ting Medeco keys on a Rytan RY256 RAMM key duplicating machine for standard and Medeco keys
.
Always change both vise jaws to standard or the step jaw configuration. If you change only one – your depth of
cut will be off either plus .037” or minus .037”.
Check the knurled knobs securing the top vise jaws for tightness often and recheck the parallelism of the top
vise jaws - especially when using the step vise jaw configuration and when cutting key such as Ford double-
sided.
TOP VISE JAW REPLACEMENT
Either top vise jaw may be replaced at any time – you do not have to buy top vise jaws in pairs or sets. Inspect
your top vise jaws for uneven clamping and referencing surfaces. Replace when jaws appear worn. Accelerat-
ed wear occurs when you clamp double-sided steel keys such as Volkswagen. Clamping pre 1984- ½ Ford dou-
ble-sided keys too far to the right into the vise jaws causes wear to the left edges of both top and bottom vise
jaws. The damage is due to the “wedged” shaped milling of these keys as you approach the bow of the key.
See figure 3.
BOTTOM VISE JAW REPLACEMENT
Remove the top vise jaws. The bottom vise jaws are secured by two #10-32 x ½ long socket head cap screws.
Use a 5/32” Allen hex wrench to remove the screws. If you have difficulty accessing the bottom screw you may
remove the top plate. #6 – 32 x ¼” long socket head cap screws.
To remove the top plate you must first remove the key clamping knob assembly with the 3-piece radial thrust
bearing and the knurled knob. Use a 7/64” Allen hex wrench to remove four #6 – 32 x ¼” long socket head cap
screws. See figure 4.
Remove bottom vise jaw from 1” diameter plunger. Wipe plunger and carriage surfaces clean with a lint-free rag
or paper towel. Bolt a new bottom vise jaw onto the plunger, loosely - do not tighten the two screws at this time.
Use Sta-Lube Super White Multi-Purpose Grease (available in Auto Parts Stores). This is a Lithium grease,
Grade 2, 350 °F water resistant lubricant.
Coat all steel sliding surfaces (back side of bottom vise jaw and plunger and all aluminum mating surfaces on
the carriage). Also apply this grease to the 3/8” threaded hole in the plunger.
Gently slide the bottom vise jaw and plunger assembly into the carriage from the top. Snug up the two screws
securing the bottom vise jaw and check that the assembly slides up and down in the carriage – do not tighten
the two screws at this time.
