I started today by sleeving the worn end section of the fan shaft . Some
here may recall I was asking about helical gears . Well , I'm not sure how
much wear is actually on this gear , but we ain't replacing it . It is an
integrally machined part of the fan shaft , so there's no way to replace it
without replacing the shaft - and that part ain't available .
ANYway , the end of the shaft that carries the thrust bearing - a ball in
the end of the shaft - was worn , nominal is .500" and it was under .450" ,
so I machined it down to just over .4375 and pressed/loctited (red) a .625"
OD/.4375" ID sleeve over it .
The fan end is worn about .010 under , I'm not sure yet what I'm going to
do with it . Probably clean it up with the minimum amount removed , then
make a new bushing and sleeve the fan itself .
The rest of the blower seems to be in pretty good shape aside from worn
keyways . Those will probably get cleaned up and have new oversize keys
fitted . The only restriction placed on this project is that he doesn't want
the original patina disturbed . He wants it left rusty on the outside .
Works for me ...
I don't think he plans on using this much , but a hand cranked forge
blower could come in handy ...
--
Snag