Help. Axles very bent
- welshdragon
- Apprentice
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Fri Mar 24, 2006 2:00 am
Help. Axles very bent
I have 4 very bent axles that I didn't know were bent before polishing. I just checked them after chucking them in my drill and they are VERY bent.
My race is early next week and I don't have time to buy straight axles or the axle press.
Can anyone tell me how I could straighten these without buying a press? I live in Illinois and am willing to drive to someones house and pay them for using their press to straighten my axles.
I can buy replacements at Hobby Lobby from PineCar but I have a feeling that theirs are bent as well.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Frank
welshdragon@ameritech.net
My race is early next week and I don't have time to buy straight axles or the axle press.
Can anyone tell me how I could straighten these without buying a press? I live in Illinois and am willing to drive to someones house and pay them for using their press to straighten my axles.
I can buy replacements at Hobby Lobby from PineCar but I have a feeling that theirs are bent as well.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Frank
welshdragon@ameritech.net
Re: Help. Axles very bent
First i would check the axles out of the drill. Sometimes the drill chuck does not hold the axles stright due to wear inside the jaws of the drill chuck. Roll the axles on the edge of a flat surface letting the head of the nail hang over. If they appear stright doing this re-chuck them in the drill leaving only about 1/2"of the shaft exposed beyond the chuck.
HOPE THIS HELPS
STANG68
HOPE THIS HELPS
STANG68
- welshdragon
- Apprentice
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Fri Mar 24, 2006 2:00 am
Re: Help. Axles very bent
You can see that they are really bent. They bend about 1/4" out. That's unacceptable in my book.
Any suggestions on how to fix them?
Any suggestions on how to fix them?
- Stan Pope
- Pine Head Legend
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- Joined: Sat Jul 05, 2003 7:01 pm
- Location: Morton, Illinois
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Re: Help. Axles very bent
I live in central Illinois, near Peoria. Email me if I can help.
Since I work for free, I choose my jobs!
Since I work for free, I choose my jobs!
Stan
"If it's not for the boys, it's for the birds!"
"If it's not for the boys, it's for the birds!"
Re: Help. Axles very bent
Drill a hole in the closed jaws of your bench vise with a #43 bit. This results in a half-circle shape in each side of the vise. Then put the axle in the hole and tighten it as much as you can. Then rotate it 90 degrees, and do it again. Repeat for two full rotations. Be sure to clean any burrs off of the vise after you've drilled the holes. Its a good way to put scratches in your axles if you are not careful. If you scratch them, you will have to polish them again.
You can also try purchasing just the wheels and axle sets at the scout shop. Get 3 or 4 sets, and sort out the straightest axles. THen try the vise thing. Then return the unused sets when you are done. And make sure each set you return still has 5 wheels and axles.
You can also try purchasing just the wheels and axle sets at the scout shop. Get 3 or 4 sets, and sort out the straightest axles. THen try the vise thing. Then return the unused sets when you are done. And make sure each set you return still has 5 wheels and axles.
- pinecarpro
- Master Pine Head
- Posts: 123
- Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2006 7:46 pm
Re: Help. Axles very bent
welshdragon
First they may not be as bent as you think. When they put the spade on the nail it flares the end of the nail so when you chuck in a drill press it wobbles really bad. Just grind the end of the nail to a bullet point then re-chuck. Most of the time this works if not slide the whole nail up in the chuck and tighten down as hard as you can this should straighten.
PS the bullet end also helps sliding into axle hole straight
Pinecar
First they may not be as bent as you think. When they put the spade on the nail it flares the end of the nail so when you chuck in a drill press it wobbles really bad. Just grind the end of the nail to a bullet point then re-chuck. Most of the time this works if not slide the whole nail up in the chuck and tighten down as hard as you can this should straighten.
PS the bullet end also helps sliding into axle hole straight
Pinecar
- welshdragon
- Apprentice
- Posts: 11
- Joined: Fri Mar 24, 2006 2:00 am
Re: Help. Axles very bent
Thanks for your help. I'll try chucking it in my drill first. If that doesn't work I'll try the vise!
Thanks again,
Frank
Thanks again,
Frank