disassemble retracable casters

mickyd · Post by **mickyd** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 5:15 pm

baddlad wrote:just curious, where do I get new ones? Or can I reuse the old ones?
I did a search on Home Depots website and couldn't find them.

Jeff

Reuse them.

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:28 pm

As Mike said - re-use them! I will add forever, provided you can find the old ones.

It's called organization.

My lack in that category is why I have several of the same size.

baddlad · Post by **baddlad** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 10:09 pm

Great thanks, that makes it easier than trying to find the same size somewhere.

Jeff

thainglo · Post by **thainglo** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 11:16 pm

Recommend getting a good set of pin punches if you are going to be doing serious work on your SS. You'll need two kinds: the pin punch is flat with a small nipple on the end that helps distribute the force as you are banging it out of the whole. Second is a pin starter that is hollow on the inside and fits over the roll pin as you start it in the hole to reassemble. The starter keeps the pin from mushrooming out as you hammer it back in. I bought a set from Brownells for around $40 - there are a variety of roll pins, I believe most common is 1/8"

Handy tip is to take entry end of the pin and add a small bevel from the grinder to help guide it into the hole.

mickyd · Post by **mickyd** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 6:34 am

baddlad wrote:I wanted to clean up all the rust on the caster parts, so I was going to take them completely apart, and there is some kind of hollow pin that holds the bottom rod in place. Has anyone taken that out and how do you do it, without damaging things? Does it need a special tool? I was just going to try to jam a nail in there but thought I better ask first. Thanks in advance for any help on this.

Jeff

If you haven't taken them apart yet, I'd suggest that you take photographs or do detail sketches of each leg prior. It would also help if you mark the orientation of each component with a marker so that it's easier to put back together. I just did mine tonight and it is very difficult to get everything back together correctly unless you have good photographs / markings. You'll save yourself A LOT of time and frustration.

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 2:48 pm

Good point Mike! - - Or -- Don't take all of them apart at the same time! That way you can compare the dissembled one with the one that's still together:D

mickyd · Post by **mickyd** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 6:17 pm

charlese wrote:Good point Mike! - - Or -- Don't take all of them apart at the same time! That way you can compare the dissembled one with the one that's still together:D

Even having one completed assembly to compare to was difficult. I had a good photo of my very rusty assembly from my Greenie restoration thread to compare to which made completing the left leg a breeze. But then for the right leg, I was on my own. What makes it hard is the other leg is really part mirror image and part inverted image and part regular view. From the operators view, the left leg assembly rotates clockwise, the right side counterclockwise. The cams can be put on in two different ways AND they need to be oriented correctly both to themselves AND relative to the foot lift. The foot lift can also go in in two different way. Taking all that into account, and it being the first time doing it made me think of Scotty on Star Trek....." Engineering to the Bridge....Captain I don&#8217]my brain[/B]) is breaking apart at the seams". It was very taxing mentally, especially at 3:00am (man, I'm enjoying this vacation!!). I only made one error on the right side, that being the foot lift was off 180 degrees so I just had to remove the spring pin and rotate around. This whole process embarrassingly took about 2 hours! Maybe I needed coffee.

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 9:01 pm

I had similar issues when making the control rod - the one with the pedal - out of 1/4" rod. Had to be careful where I flattened areas for the set screws in the cams. Also had to drill two holes for the pedal rollpin in order to get it right.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 9:42 pm

charlese wrote:I had similar issues when making the control rod - the one with the pedal - out of 1/4" rod. Had to be careful where I flattened areas for the set screws in the cams. Also had to drill two holes for the pedal rollpin in order to get it right.

I think the 'original' rods HAVE two holes!;) Makes them ambidextrous!

1/4"?????? Mine are 1/2";)

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Sat Apr 25, 2009 9:53 pm

[quote="JPG40504"]I think the 'original' rods HAVE two holes!]
You are correct! Now I have to go back and correct my thread on making your own control rods. Geeze! It wasn't even a typo. I had been remembering wrong.

But my old rod only has one hole in it. The rod I bought and fabricated now has two. The hard part was to drill a hole straight through the center, so the rollpin would go through and fit the pedal.

I'd hate to be the guy at SS that has to keep the bars labeled right and left. Are you sure they aren't interchangeable?