[TheForge] Drying Borax (was: Welding flux?)

[Jerry Frost]

On 7/24/2013 8:59 AM, Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer wrote:
> On Jul 24, 2013, at 12:31 AM, Jerry Frost wrote:
>
> On 7/23/2013 10:27 PM, Peter Fels & Phoebe Palmer wrote:
>> On Jul 23, 2013, at 7:40 PM, Jerry Frost wrote:
>>
> That's right you did say bearing races. How wide are they?
>
> There are 2 sets side by side for 3" total width.

I'm starting to clip out the old stuff. <grin>


And there isn't but less than an inch between the rolls and the post of 
the press. Soooo, the heated bar trick isn't going to do it and a torch 
would screw up the heat treat on the races.


>
> The entire width of the broken pieces was sufficiently intact to span 
> between side plates and i had to work to pry them out with an angled 
> prybar. 



Okay serious trick three. You'll need the "Big Hairy" jack bolts to be 
long enough to have washers on the outside too, because the following 
technique WILL open that puppy up so control will be an issue.

Only jack a little outward pressure on the plates. Then weld some 1/2" 
thick, well scarfed stiffeners between the roll pins on each plate, The 
stiffener needs to run the whole length of the roll plates from where 
it's bolted, welded etc. to the frame post, almost to the outer edge. 
When the stiffener is welded in the weld beads will do what they always 
do and pull. Direct and control the pull and you can open the roll 
plates with a minimum of sweating. Unfortunately you WILL need that can 
of paint. Sorry about that.

Maybe the best gauge of spread will be the jammed in rollers themselves. 
Just stop spreading the plates when the rolls drop out.

Then there is potential method #? Crank it out on the jack bolts, back 
one plate with a heavy something like a sledge and give the other a 
sharp smack with a heavy hammer, repeat on the other side. Ease off the 
jack bolts and mic the gap. That might be all it takes but . . .

>>   Spreading the plates is a different thing, even hydraulics will have some spring making fine adjustments harder. I'd think a pair of long hefty bolts with between the plates would make a decent screw jack you can keep spread consistent.
>>
>> Hah! That's why i asked you Jerry!  I do have some big, hairy old bolts, nuts and washers that might generate enough even force. Good!
>> I'll give it a try...sneak up on it for sure. Thanks!
>>
>> I'd crank it out a bit at a time and when the right distance use a torch to heat the inside of the plate so it wouldn't want to rebound as much. Just opening it to the right distance isn't going to do it, it will rebound no matter what below bringing it to way too high a heat but measuring it after this move will tell how much rebound is happening so the next stretch will be much closer.
>>
>> Heat! On all that pretty gold paint? ( slap forehead), now Jerry, don't you have any sense of propriety?
> My proprietary sense got knocked out of me, one more good thing that tree did. So don't use the torch, slip some heated steel in against the plates. It only has to do a little stress relief, not heat treat it. You only want them to relax a bit, become more cooperative. Of course a torch would be faster and easier but you'd probably have to drive to Burbank to find the right color gold paint.
>
> Would have to take the whole thing apart to get heat to the right surfaces...Trying to avoid that if possible.
>
> Thanks for the brain picking Pete, it's good therapy and feels good. After a while a TBI survivor starts to thin THIS is the new normal but you have to keep pushing back the veil. The harder I push the farther it parts. some things come easier than others so I take on the things that come hard. And I'm such a basically lazy guy too. <sigh>
>
> Delighted at the progress you continue to make Jerry...Sometimes i wish i had an excuse as i see my battered brains slipping away with time.
>
> Jer
>
> I'm afraid it's just something we have to get used to or maybe fight. 
> I don't know but I'd much rather NOT this excuse, I much prefer my 
> Grandmother's, she just didn't care, she'd say what she wanted when, 
> where and to whom. (did I get the whom right?)

Jer