Montana Mongoose Vise Advice

[Gemrod]

Am I doing something wrong? When I tie a fly the knurled knob on the turning end will loosen up and fall off. Do they just do this.....am I doing something wrong by ignoring it as I tie a flie....or is there something I can do to stop that behavior?

Gemrod

[Joel D. Popham]

Gemrod,

I've had my mongoose for a year or so and have never experienced the problem you are referring to. If the knob keeps coming loose, I'd contact Griffin and see what they will do to repair or replace it. Good luck and Best Regards.....

[kengore]

Make sure you are adjusting both screws on the jaws for the best grip on the hook. The jaws should be close to parallel when the rear screw is tightened. If the jaws are not parallel the screws may not work properly, and you may not have enough contact with the hook to hold it well. Use the front screw to adjust the width of the jaw opening, the rear screw to apply pressure.

If this doesn't help you may have a defective vice. Griffin has an excellent customer service department and they will stand behind their product 100%. I have always had a good response from them.

After a more careful reading of your post it sounds like your trouble is with the knurled knob on the rotating handle, not the jaws. If this is the case you might try try some locktight on the threads. Use the type that is designed for disassembly, not the permanent type. You could also use a pliers to slightly deform one or two threads for a tighter grip.

As I recall I needed to do some fine tuning on the assembly before I had all the parts working in unison. They have made some changes to the design over the years, so your vice may not be exactly like mine. On mine the rotating handle screws in and out acting as a set screw. Tightening this set screw allows the rear knob to be snugged up tight.

I'm sure Griffin's customer support department would be happy to walk you through any problems. The mongoose is an excellent vise and has given me years of great service, you won't be unhappy with it's performance in the long run.

[Gemrod]

Kengore,
Thanks for the reply. I think you might have helped me solve it. I purchased it a long time ago but life has been difficult. So it sat a long time. For one thing I am doing it backwards and using the wrong knob to tighen the hook. Although I remember eons ago reading about how to set it. I just started using it from the seat of the pants.

You are also correct that it the other big knob on the turning end that falls off. I need to find my operating instructions. but....I was thinking I should not tighten it too tight....that it adjusts how difficult it is to rotate the mechanism. Perhaps all I have to do is screw it down tighter.

Well just tried it and it did get much harder to rotate. Backed off just a tad and perfect. But...don't know if it will stay. I think a combination of the non permanent loctite (which I didn't know about) and a loose handle attached to the stem will fix it right up for me. I must be rubbing the knob as I tie. The loctite...and a stand offish handle added will probably solve my problem of rubbing that knob/ I am probably loosening that knob by rubbing agfainst it...while not thinking about it and focusing on the fly and material I am trying to rotate onto it. I was wanting a hand crank anyway. I think Griffin even sells one for it. I will have to find out.

Thanks for the help Kengore. Also a heads up on the cust svc at Griffin. May give them a call anyway. I would like to have a handle added to my vise...so that I don't just have a straight rod sticking down....but a handle like on a fly reel that I can turn with a turning motion of my wrist....just like reeling in line.

Thanks again..

Gem

[kengore]

Glad I could help, here is a link to the Griffin web site. They have an accessory handle that might be just what you are looking for...

http://www.griffinenterprisesinc.com...ries-vise.html

[William Fitzgerald]

Glad I could help, here is a link to the Griffin web site. They have an accessory handle that might be just what you are looking for...

http://www.griffinenterprisesinc.com...ries-vise.html

Gemrod under contact us on Griffin web site use the 800 number -- Bernard Griffin will help you out.

[Gemrod]

Thank you Mr. Fitzgerald and Kengore. That information will probably fix me right up. Tomorrow will call them.

gemrod

[flybugpa]

Jim,
look on the package when you are buying the Loctite. It comes in different colors to signify its strength. ex. red = permanent, blue = removable, etc. i would suggest a light duty formula for a vise. Anyway that is how much strength they have and how they are rated.
take care,
heinrich

[Gemrod]

Thanks Heinrich, I didn't know that. I don't go to town that often. I wasn't on board about those different ones. I thought there was only one loctite and that was to secure them.
Thanks again.

Gem