montanafordman
Well-known member
Alrighty... Lesson learned today..
I installed a new grinding wheel on my bench grinder yesterday and I had it off the pedestal and placed on my workbench while I was doing some work on it. Anyhow I fired it up on my workbench and dressed the stone right there, not considering the consequence of the wheel dust going EVERYWHERE. It just so happens my double stack 26" toolbox is next to my workbench and two of the lower drawers were not shut all the way - and now I have grinding stone dust in the ball bearing slides...
I can feel and hear it when I open and close the drawers.
Now I feel like an idiot. I tried removing the slide and flushing it with some tri-flow spray lube, wiping it down and putting a little super lube on it but there is still some grit in the works. Without soaking and the inability to complely disassemble the slide it might be easier to just replace those slides. I guess there are worse things and bigger mistakes in life. Part of this is a consequence of a small garage. It would be nice to have a large shop where everything is spread out. Better yet have a separate room for grinding/ sandblasting - another room for paint, and another room with a lift for mechanical repairs, degreasing, and assembly. Wishful thinking paying my mortgage for a 1.75 car garage in SeaTac suburbia hell.... Sigh... Just had to rant and confess my dumb move. Keep that grinding dust away from ANYTHING important! In the future I will move it outside for such tasks or heavy grinding.

Now I feel like an idiot. I tried removing the slide and flushing it with some tri-flow spray lube, wiping it down and putting a little super lube on it but there is still some grit in the works. Without soaking and the inability to complely disassemble the slide it might be easier to just replace those slides. I guess there are worse things and bigger mistakes in life. Part of this is a consequence of a small garage. It would be nice to have a large shop where everything is spread out. Better yet have a separate room for grinding/ sandblasting - another room for paint, and another room with a lift for mechanical repairs, degreasing, and assembly. Wishful thinking paying my mortgage for a 1.75 car garage in SeaTac suburbia hell.... Sigh... Just had to rant and confess my dumb move. Keep that grinding dust away from ANYTHING important! In the future I will move it outside for such tasks or heavy grinding.
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