Earlier this week I had to get a cam follower out of a machine. The follower was sticking
at times causing the machine that rotates a part and inserts a stud to fail on the last
hole.

The sticking and failing on the last hole was a matter of geometry and physics. Sure
drove me nuts for a while. Can't go into since it is a manufacturing process.

Anyway, I needed to get this McGee cam follower out. It had a screwdriver slot but I
couldn't unscrew it. So I ground a screwdriver to fit the slot, used a arbor press and a
fellow tech to force the screw driver into the slot while I used a crecent wrench on the
square shaft of the screw driver (sears craftsman) to break it loose. I learned that
threadlocker was involved in this. Likely the blue stuff.

I made a 5c collet closer setup for my 6903 lathe. I fixed the hand wheel for tightening
it using permatex red. I *thought* it would release at 375F if I wanted to change things.
Well, my oven at 500F wasn't getting it done.

So I set the handwheel over a range burner and gave it the heat. My IR temp gun got wildly
differing temperatures from the 4130 draw tube and the alumininum hand wheel. Like a 200+
F difference.

I let it set for a while. That burner being on isn't a problem during a Michigan winter.
I kept trying it at times but the wheel was stuck. Finally, I smelled something. My
little pea brain thought that might mean something important chemically just happened and
for sure it did. That draw tube is at 630+ F. The aluminum is lying like a rug. Freaking
hot. My leather gloves didn't allow me time to unscrew the hand wheel before I really
needed to put this down and get that burning my hand glove off. OUCH! Note, I repeated
that sequence more than thrice.


A while back I repaired a cracked hub on a varidrive sheeve by boring it out, threading
the sheeve and threading a new hub securing it with Loctite red and dutch pins. I no
longer have any fear that the hub will ever work loose.

http://wess.freeshell.org/6903_chit_a_crack.JPG

http://wess.freeshell.org/driven_front_newhub.jpg
http://wess.freeshell.org/driven_rear_newhub.jpg
http://wess.freeshell.org/Driven_fro...b_dutchpin.jpg



Wes