[R-390] Autotuners

[Barry Hauser]

Paul wrote:

> My guess on removing them?  If you can get to the back side, like you can
> on the various RF decks, the right size punch will pop them out with no
> trouble at all.  I scavenged a junk 390A RF deck and removed all the
> bearings this way with no damage to them (that I could see) nor to the RF
> deck.  Of course, the RF deck is stainless steel, but my sense was that
> the forces involved were so small, even brittle pot metal wouldn't be a
> problem.
>
> I scavenged the bearings with the intent of seeing if they were the same
> as the ones in the R-391 autotune mechanism line shaft, but I haven't had
> a chance to look that closely yet.

I would not risk the casting with a punch. The bearings may have been
pressed in with some kind of glue.  They take up a large proportion of the
small protrusions of the casting.  Very high probablilty of snapping off one
of those.  Something like a miniature gear puller might work -- also heating
with a torch -- maybe the aluminum casting expands faster than bronze?

Anyway, I have a spare casting with shaft and bearings in good shape, so
I'll go that route first.  But, what I need first is to get a round tuit.
;-)

Barry