The axle tubes are rusty inside. I'm planning to remove the rust by
swabbing out the loose stuff, and running a cylinder reamer into the axle
tube. I figure it's safe as long as I don't ream any surface where the
bearings or seals are press fit. I have a long drill-bit extension that
I'll mount the reamer on so I can get it far down the tube.
I've also been thinking about "pickling" the housing (at least the inside)
with acid after it's cleaned up, to help prevent future rust problems. I'll
have to do more research to pull that off successfully, though. I think gun
bluing is a similar process, at least in principle.
Of course, you can't just start dumping acid on metal parts and expect to
remove rust without eating the metal. The process has to be controlled with
acid dilution, limited exposure time, type of acid used, etc.. And, then
there are health risks from acid vapors and skin contact. (Read the
Material Safety Data Sheet for any acid you buy. Make the seller give you a
copy. He's required by law to have them.)
I did some experimenting with electrolytic rust removal a few months ago,
but none of it was successful. There was a TV show a while back, where they
were removing rust from a WWI radial engine using the same process. The
engine had been submerged in shallow salt water for a long time, and looked
horrible before they started. When it emerged from the tank, after several
days, it looked perfect. All the rust and corrosion and marine deposits had
been removed, leaving only shiny metal. (I think this was an episode of
Smithsonian World, where they were restoring the plane for display there.)
If you're interested in learning more about metallurgy and don't want to get
too bogged down in technical texts describing modern industrial operations
that the small-time do-it-yourselfer can't duplicate, try Lindsay's
Technical Books (815-468-3668). They're mostly reprints of really old
texts on metal-working, but they can be useful because they describe how to
accomplish things simply and cheaply. (My brother is a steam engine
aficionado, and he's collected almost every Lindsay-reproduced book on
steam. I'm planning to start collecting their metallurgy books. At least
until I can get the information I need on electroplating, rust removal,
casting, etc..)
If anyone has information or experience in rust removal (by non-mechanical
means) or plating, I'd love to hear about it.
(Also, if anyone can actually see this message, I'd appreciate a short
e-mail affirming that. So far my other messages on this list since changing
e-mail addresses have received no comment. Maybe they weren't really worthy
of comment, but I'm a little worried that something is still wrong with the
mailing list setup for my new e-mail address.)
Lee
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