Well, apologies to any and all who might be taking a look at this rebuild project. I've been traveling this summer, and having had to farm out some machine work, I had an extended period with no updates. But I haven't abandoned the work...
So, in the meantime, I have been sandblasting and cleaning parts, and have collected the parts that had to have machining. Renews my commitment that I have to find a lathe--but probably not until I have built a new shop. That will be a story in itself.
First, some good news from the clean up. A prior rebuild of this jack painted everything dark blue--and I mean everything. I've mostly been scraping and sandblasting to make a good base for repainting. Some rusty parts have been cleaned using electrolysis. After a rebuild by a good local hydraulic shop, using a parts kit sourced on eBay, I started to get the cylinder ready for paint. I found to my amazement that the original decal was still on the barrel, and if I was careful I could chip the paint off and preserve what was left. Believe it or not, the best tool I could find to carefully take off the dark blue with minimal damage to the decal was my thumbnail. Whew... Here is how the cylinder is looking now...
[URL=http://s1212.photobucket.com/user/DMSKAuto/media/Walker%20jack/IMGP0001.jpg.html]
[/URL]
And a close up of the decal, which I think I will leave as it is, since it is original and has some "patina":
[URL=http://s1212.photobucket.com/user/DMSKAuto/media/Walker%20jack/IMGP0002.jpg.html]
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Next, here is an update on how I am solving the two worst problems I found on the jack. The first is the axles for the rear swivel casters. As seen in the earlier photos, the original axles were worn almost half away from use under weight. There appeared to be no original bushings...just a steel wheel on an axle. I decided to upgrade to a more robust solution, using sealed needle bearings, two per wheel, with new axles made of hardened steel. I sourced the shaft material and the bearings from McMaster-Carr. If anyone wants the specs, post up and I will be happy to provide the info. Both the wheels and the caster shells had to be bored. The wheels were bored to accept the needle bearings, and the shells were bored to take a light press fit from the new axles. The axles were cut to length and grooves machined for "E" clips, for a neater, more compact assembly and ease of future rebuilding...though I think this assembly will outlast me! The rated capacity of components used totals more than the capacity of the jack (2 ton). Here are the pieces for the rear casters:
[URL=http://s1212.photobucket.com/user/DMSKAuto/media/Walker%20jack/IMGP0004.jpg.html]
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[URL=http://s1212.photobucket.com/user/DMSKAuto/media/Walker%20jack/IMGP0007.jpg.html]
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Next problem was the badly worn handle pivot bore in the right side casting (see above...) My solution was to have the handle pin turned down to fit a heavy duty steel/bronze alloy oil impregnated bushing (also sourced from McMaster-Carr). I had the machine shop turn the down the pin, and bore out the oval hole in the side casting to specs for a press fit of the bushing. This solution is also substantially more robust than the original steel pin to casting design, due to the "super oilite" bushing, and it will resolve the side-to-side play in the handle. Here are how the parts look now:
[URL=http://s1212.photobucket.com/user/DMSKAuto/media/Walker%20jack/IMGP0005.jpg.html]
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[URL=http://s1212.photobucket.com/user/DMSKAuto/media/Walker%20jack/IMGP0006.jpg.html]
[/URL]
Well, that's about it for current updates. Here in Michigan it's already feeling like fall. I need a couple of nice days to finish part prep and do some painting...then assembly. Thanks for following along! More to come.
So, in the meantime, I have been sandblasting and cleaning parts, and have collected the parts that had to have machining. Renews my commitment that I have to find a lathe--but probably not until I have built a new shop. That will be a story in itself.
First, some good news from the clean up. A prior rebuild of this jack painted everything dark blue--and I mean everything. I've mostly been scraping and sandblasting to make a good base for repainting. Some rusty parts have been cleaned using electrolysis. After a rebuild by a good local hydraulic shop, using a parts kit sourced on eBay, I started to get the cylinder ready for paint. I found to my amazement that the original decal was still on the barrel, and if I was careful I could chip the paint off and preserve what was left. Believe it or not, the best tool I could find to carefully take off the dark blue with minimal damage to the decal was my thumbnail. Whew... Here is how the cylinder is looking now...
[URL=http://s1212.photobucket.com/user/DMSKAuto/media/Walker%20jack/IMGP0001.jpg.html]
[/URL]And a close up of the decal, which I think I will leave as it is, since it is original and has some "patina":
[URL=http://s1212.photobucket.com/user/DMSKAuto/media/Walker%20jack/IMGP0002.jpg.html]
[/URL]Next, here is an update on how I am solving the two worst problems I found on the jack. The first is the axles for the rear swivel casters. As seen in the earlier photos, the original axles were worn almost half away from use under weight. There appeared to be no original bushings...just a steel wheel on an axle. I decided to upgrade to a more robust solution, using sealed needle bearings, two per wheel, with new axles made of hardened steel. I sourced the shaft material and the bearings from McMaster-Carr. If anyone wants the specs, post up and I will be happy to provide the info. Both the wheels and the caster shells had to be bored. The wheels were bored to accept the needle bearings, and the shells were bored to take a light press fit from the new axles. The axles were cut to length and grooves machined for "E" clips, for a neater, more compact assembly and ease of future rebuilding...though I think this assembly will outlast me! The rated capacity of components used totals more than the capacity of the jack (2 ton). Here are the pieces for the rear casters:
[URL=http://s1212.photobucket.com/user/DMSKAuto/media/Walker%20jack/IMGP0004.jpg.html]
[/URL][URL=http://s1212.photobucket.com/user/DMSKAuto/media/Walker%20jack/IMGP0007.jpg.html]
[/URL]Next problem was the badly worn handle pivot bore in the right side casting (see above...) My solution was to have the handle pin turned down to fit a heavy duty steel/bronze alloy oil impregnated bushing (also sourced from McMaster-Carr). I had the machine shop turn the down the pin, and bore out the oval hole in the side casting to specs for a press fit of the bushing. This solution is also substantially more robust than the original steel pin to casting design, due to the "super oilite" bushing, and it will resolve the side-to-side play in the handle. Here are how the parts look now:
[URL=http://s1212.photobucket.com/user/DMSKAuto/media/Walker%20jack/IMGP0005.jpg.html]
[/URL][URL=http://s1212.photobucket.com/user/DMSKAuto/media/Walker%20jack/IMGP0006.jpg.html]
[/URL]Well, that's about it for current updates. Here in Michigan it's already feeling like fall. I need a couple of nice days to finish part prep and do some painting...then assembly. Thanks for following along! More to come.
