Neil came over today with a little "rush job". As I didn't get the threading tool I'd ordered to work on Darren's parts because UPS reported a "train failure" coming from Michigan to Massachusetts, I was going to work on Neil's remaining parts. He showed up with a cast aluminum motorcycle wheel that he was trying to upgrade to a right angle Schraeder valve.
The hole in the wheel was just a little too large for the o-ring to seal, so we thought to bore (and counterbore) the existing hole to press in a step-down bushing. As necessity is the mother of invention, we fashioned a way to clamp it to the side of my Alliant milling machine. I quickly made a large aluminum "washer" to cover the bearing while allowing a 3/8" stud to pass through the 14mm bore. Luckily I have a bag full of 3/8-16 threaded T-nuts and found one that fit the slot normally used for the table stops. It worked a treat!
![[Image: IMG_2173-r_zps36a3327b.jpg]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/kenm10759/Dads%20shop/IMG_2173-r_zps36a3327b.jpg)
![[Image: IMG_2174-r_zps0f029950.jpg]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v466/kenm10759/Dads%20shop/IMG_2174-r_zps0f029950.jpg)
I wish I'd thought to lake more photos. We first made the stepped bushing far too long, it would have stood proud of the mounting surface on the inside of the wheel. So then I quickly made a split aluminum bushing to hold the stepped press-in bushing in the lathe, reaching over the larger shoulder O.D. to clamp on the smaller "press fit" diameter. Of course Murphy was in the shop haunting us all day, so we miscalculated something and somehow cut it a millimeter too short.
Of course we didn't know it would be too short until after we'd pressed the bushing into the wheel with a permanent Loctite product. (I had also made a quick, stepped press tool to insert the bushing.)
No way to press it back out from inside the wheel anyhow, so we straightened out the milling machine and deftly milled the boss where the Schraeder valve mounts. The new smooth-milled surface will give a better sealing surface for the o-ring on the valve anyhow.
It all took about 4 hours from start to finish, but it's PERFECT....as long as it holds air. I'll ask Neil (expat) to get a finished photo of the work.
The hole in the wheel was just a little too large for the o-ring to seal, so we thought to bore (and counterbore) the existing hole to press in a step-down bushing. As necessity is the mother of invention, we fashioned a way to clamp it to the side of my Alliant milling machine. I quickly made a large aluminum "washer" to cover the bearing while allowing a 3/8" stud to pass through the 14mm bore. Luckily I have a bag full of 3/8-16 threaded T-nuts and found one that fit the slot normally used for the table stops. It worked a treat!
I wish I'd thought to lake more photos. We first made the stepped bushing far too long, it would have stood proud of the mounting surface on the inside of the wheel. So then I quickly made a split aluminum bushing to hold the stepped press-in bushing in the lathe, reaching over the larger shoulder O.D. to clamp on the smaller "press fit" diameter. Of course Murphy was in the shop haunting us all day, so we miscalculated something and somehow cut it a millimeter too short.
Of course we didn't know it would be too short until after we'd pressed the bushing into the wheel with a permanent Loctite product. (I had also made a quick, stepped press tool to insert the bushing.)
No way to press it back out from inside the wheel anyhow, so we straightened out the milling machine and deftly milled the boss where the Schraeder valve mounts. The new smooth-milled surface will give a better sealing surface for the o-ring on the valve anyhow.
It all took about 4 hours from start to finish, but it's PERFECT....as long as it holds air. I'll ask Neil (expat) to get a finished photo of the work.