Plough gauge stuck roller

[plusone]

Hi all. Hoping for some advice on fixing this plough gauge up, found it in an antique shop today. No makers mark that I can see, only mark is an inscribed gv, I think this is the old owners initials. 
while it has lots of wear and needs a good sharpen everything moves except the brass roller. I’m assuming that should be free moving. 
any tips on how to unstick it?

thanks. 

[fredk]

If you can get that wing-nut off the end, then the roller unit I'd dunk into some hot oil for a while. Really hot oil, either clean engine oil, diesel, home-heating oil or even home cooking oil. Keep the oil real hot. Eventually the metal will expand enough to allow the oil to get between the bar and roller and allow you to separate them

or, is that wing nut just tightened up too much?

[TomE]

Spray with Kroil Oil. Wait. Tap on the roller with a plastic mallet.  Repeat as needed.  Patience is the secret for restoring vintage autos.  Can make penetrating oil in larger quantities from a mixture of hydraulic oil and automatic transmission fluid.

Edited January 15, 2022 by TomE
more info

[MikeRock]

I used Duck Duck Go to search vintage plough gauges....  what a wonderful rabbit hole to wander around it...  Lots of links back to this site as well. 

Enjoy.

God bless

[dikman]

That looks a bit odd, it appears that the wing nut tightens up hard against the roller?

[chuck123wapati]

49 minutes ago, dikman said:

That looks a bit odd, it appears that the wing nut tightens up hard against the roller?

yup but there is plenty of space at the other end, if someone forced it on and tightened it down over a bunch of gook then it will be a bugger to get off. I use a soldering torch and PB blaster. then drill a hole big enough for the bolt head but not the brass in a piece of flat bar, put a nut on the thread end so you don't mushroom them and add heat and lube then tap the bolt through the hole in the bar with a hammer and flat pin punch.

Edited January 15, 2022 by chuck123wapati

[chuck123wapati]

17 hours ago, plusone said:

Hi all. Hoping for some advice on fixing this plough gauge up, found it in an antique shop today. No makers mark that I can see, only mark is an inscribed gv, I think this is the old owners initials. 
while it has lots of wear and needs a good sharpen everything moves except the brass roller. I’m assuming that should be free moving. 
any tips on how to unstick it?

thanks. 

 I use a soldering torch and PB blaster. then drill a hole big enough for the bolt head but not the brass in a piece of flat bar, put a nut on the thread end so you don't mushroom them and add heat and lube then tap the bolt through the hole in the bar with a hammer and flat pin punch.

[DrmCa]

I do not see any mechanical possibility for the roller to rotate, with the pictured design. If you badly want this to work, you may have to invest into replacement parts.

Until you get the formerly winged nut off you won't know. +1 for using heat and WD40 to get it off. Later, you might want to get a replacement steel nut.

[Squid61]

I don't see how that could ever have worked as a roller!  It must be missing something at the nut end between the roller and guide that allowed it to both tighten and roll.  Breaking the roller free needs to be done but that isn't going to make it roll.

[chuck123wapati]

2 minutes ago, Squid61 said:

I don't see how that could ever have worked as a roller!  It must be missing something at the nut end between the roller and guide that allowed it to both tighten and roll.  Breaking the roller free needs to be done but that isn't going to make it roll.

the bolt should have a shoulder you can see its thicker on the head end than on the nut end. you can see the clearance on the other end between the bolt head and the roller also. 

Edited January 16, 2022 by chuck123wapati