A new tool for me in the war with frozen drill chucks etc.

[everettdavis]

In my best Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith, (George Peppard of The A-Team) impersonation: "I love it when a plan comes together". I stumbled across a tool that should make my grease zerk technique rock.

As I wrote in another post sometime back, I have taken out set screws on frozen keyed shafts, added penetrating oil (ATF & Acetone) into the hole, replaced it with a grease zerk and forced it into the frozen shaft with trailing grease from a grease gun. Now I have the ticket to make that even better when I come across the next Mark V which hasn't moved in 20 years and the drill chuck, saw arbor or sanding disc etc. seems welded on the quill shaft.

The tool is called a Grease Joint Rejuvenator and I found it at Northern Tool. The Grease Joint Rejuvenator allows a clogged grease fitting or joint to take on fresh grease by injecting light penetrating oil into the grease joint to unclog the zerk. Mine won’t be clogged so it will go right in.

Grease Joint Rejuvenator Northern Tool.jpg (126.69 KiB) Viewed 4505 times

I will use this tool to repeatedly hydraulically force ATF & Acetone mix through the new grease zerk and into the rusted shaft assembly to free up the frozen shafts on Shopsmith and other items.

So it’s out with the setscrew, in with the zerk, and inject ATF & Acetone mix.

Grease Joint Rejuvenator.jpg (162.02 KiB) Viewed 4505 times

Grease Joint Rejuvenator Northern Tool.pdf

(330.13 KiB) Downloaded 1014 times

[everettdavis]

For those who have PM'd me there are several thread types of Shopsmith set screws and you will need the appropriate thread zerk to match.

Don't use an angled zerk if you are going to use the zerk cleaning tool. Hammering on it will break it off and make a bigger problem.

I prefer stainless steel zerks with long threads, but they will need screw in all the way and snug the base to what you are screwing it into before you start hammering on the plunger of the cleaner.

I also put the PDF of the cleaner in the post because it needs to be read. Need to know how to get air bubbles out of the tool before you use it, and a few important safety items, like not having the plunger rocket back at your face after hitting it.

As always, we seem to be thanking Dusty for plowing the field for us.

He prepared an excellent list of set screws and sizes for Shopsmith gear, which will tell you what equivalent zerk thread sizes to have on-hand.

http://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/maint ... 15721.html

Long thread zerk.jpg (8.22 KiB) Viewed 4444 times

Short thread zerk.jpg (8.21 KiB) Viewed 4444 times

[JPG]

I would suggest a short thread 'zerk' in all cases. 5/16-18 would be the most common need.

[everettdavis]

I noticed today that Northern Tool here has the IPA Grease Fitting Cleaner Item# 403100 normally $39 on sale for $29 locally for anyone thinking about one of these.

Others have PM'd me about the unit and I can tell you watch so you don't confuse it with the IPA Grease Joint Rejuvenator Kit — Model# 7863 Item# 27227 which is $69 also at Northern Tool. The $29 one is just fine.

I also have used it for what it was intended on a tractor opposed to a Shopsmith, and swapped the 50/50 mix of acetone/atf I suggest for the Shopsmith for straight mineral spirits using information one of their reviewers provided on a hay bailer he was working on, and that works well for cleaning a grease zerk.

For Shopsmith I would stay with the 50/50 mix since generally we are fighting rust and adding the Zerk to get it in. JPG's suggestion to use the short thread is a very good one, just make sure you have the proper thread.

As I posted earlier in another thread, sometimes a little influence of just adding the 50/50 mix in the hole and re-threading the allen screw you took out as a packer can be an effective hydraulic ram as well if you repeat the process a few times to force the rust remover mix into the problem areas.

First things first though – an arbor stuck on the quill shaft is a Secondary Issue.

Turning the shaft by hand first should give you an indication that things are in order inside the headstock before you power it on. If something has been in place long enough it’s rusted to the shaft, you should attend to the lubrication of the headstock before you turn it on anyway.

That cleaning and lubrication will include the speed control sheave on top, and the idler sheave (spring loaded sheave) on the motor, basic belt inspection etc.

If something isn’t right turning things by hand, you should be able to feel it, and running the motor is just going to make it worse, often far worse.

I also should mention that if your headstock is operational (lubricated and everything known in working order), you can let it run with the solution and allen screw in place for about 5 minutes to use vibration and inertia to help distribute the mix.

On saw arbors which will have a saw blade installed that means you need to first install the table, upper and lower saw guards, and lock the table, carriage and headstock before turning it on and to make sure the speed is suitable for running the saw blade.

If you find you have to slow it down before turning it on to be safe, you should always spin the quill by hand to force the pulleys and belts inside the headstock to rotate as you slowly turn the speed dial to adjust speed to a safe setting for a saw blade etc. Failure to do that can bend some things in the speed control mechanism. Get the speed right, then turn it on afterwards.

One can also just follow the procedures to remove the quill with the arbor and saw blade still on it, and submerge the blade and arbor in a pan filled with acetone/atf mixture overnight on your service bench. The acetone will begin to evaporate, but it is that viscosity property that helps draw the atf into the rusted areas and free it up.

[TooTall]

Everett,

Thanks for that tool tip!

I've been unscrewing zerks, cleaning out as much as possible with a pick and spraying Amsoil MP in, letting it sit then using grease to push. . . but I'm going to pick up that tool.

I've got a zerk on my 3-point bucket bearing that I need it for . . . so I don't have to remove the bearing housing.

Thanks,
Terry

[everettdavis]

Just read the caution in the instructions.

Equal opposite forces.... you force it down... if liquid goes in... good... if not, the same compressive force of any air pocket you compressed will decompress the plunger back into your face, at velocity.

Start gently and increase the percussive pressure over time once you know what you're dealing with. Take..... your..... time......

Don't get in front of, or right over the tool! Wear eye protection. Squirts happen.

Everett