[TheForge] OT - Grease/oil seals for a gear box

[Jerry Frost]

If you didn't leave enough clearance to install a seal 
there are a couple things you might try. There are flat 
seals with a flange intended to be driven into shallow 
bearing recesses. If you didn't leave enough in the 
bearing well to install one you can install it 
backwards with a gasket to seal it against the case and 
screws through the flange to secure it.

OR you can simply manufacture an O-ring retainer that 
is secured to the case the same way.

As long as the shafts are smooth an O-ring will last as 
long as a "regular" seal. We had probably 30-40 O-ring 
seals on the drill rigs and they rarely failed any 
sooner than "regular" seals.

Frosty
-------------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.


From: "Bruce Freeman" <freemab222 at gmail.com>


> I'm constructing a simple gearbox for a mechanism I'm 
> playing with.
> The gearbox itself is of no importance except as to 
> provide power to
> the mechanism, and the nature of the gearbox is such 
> that I cannot
> simply buy a commercial unit.
>
> Perhaps naively, I simply mounted sealed ball 
> bearings into
> appropriate recesses in the housingn, counting on the 
> small clearance
> between bearings, shafts and housing to  seal against 
> oil leakage.  No
> go.  The oil leaks right out pretty quickly.  Grease 
> works better, but
> also leaks.  Loss of grease is not a problem - the 
> potential for
> contamination of the driven device is the problem.
>
> Next I tried sealing between bearings and shafts or 
> housing with a
> medium-strength "lock-tight" product.  No go.  Oil 
> leaks right out
> when gearbox is run.
>
> I could go to a product like RTV rubber, but I'd 
> probably never be
> able to change out the bearings again if I did that. 
> Still I may
> consider it.
>
> I'm looking for other ideas.  I'd prefer not to 
> remanufacture the
> housings, but  could do that if necessary.  For 
> example, I'd have to
> do something like that if I went to O-ring seals. 
> However, I'm not
> convinced O-rings would do a better job, so am not 
> ready to take that
> particular step.
>
> How is this done in commercial mechanisms?
>
> Any suggestions would be appreciated.
>
> -- 
> Bruce
> NJ
>
> The total lack of evidence is the surest sign that 
> the conspiracy is working.