Newbie... Which comes first

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Steel_city_man
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Newbie... Which comes first

Post by Steel_city_man »

My two son's and I have been building cars for a few years... each year we learn a little more... Well my older son has moved on to Boy Scouts, but my younger son (Wolf Cub) and I are now leagues ahead.

I think I have a simple question (based on all the mathematics I have seen in some of the other answers :scratching: )

I have a Pro Axle Press, and a Pro Rail Rider tool that I use with it to slightly bend the axles.

My question is this.... what do we do first, bend the axles or polish them? I am concerned that if I polish them first, I will nick them when pounding them in the press. But, if I bend them first, I will not get a good polish job due to the wiggle I will get when chucked in the drill.

Thanks, Martin
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Vitamin K
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Re: Newbie... Which comes first

Post by Vitamin K »

I think it would be very hard to consistently polish axles after bending. I would polish first, then bend. However, I've never used the Rail Rider tool, so I'm not certain how badly it might nick the axles.
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sporty
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Re: Newbie... Which comes first

Post by sporty »

Remove the metal crimp marks on the axle. Sand & Polish first.

However after final polish and prep. Before you bend.

You can do the following.

Add a coat of wax on the axle.

It prevents oxidation. That starts right away.

But you can leave on the coat and bend. Before wiping off the wax.
so apply the wax. Leave a little thick if u want. Let dry. Then bend axle. Wipe off the Extra wax after the bend.
Last edited by sporty on Fri Jan 02, 2015 9:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
ngyoung
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Re: Newbie... Which comes first

Post by ngyoung »

Dont bang on them. If you age going to use that tool use a vise to press the two halves together.
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LightninBoy
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Re: Newbie... Which comes first

Post by LightninBoy »

I agree with others ... polish first. Then bend.

What I do to protect the finish during the bend (and to give more bend) is cut a thin strip of a business card and put it between the tool and the axle.

And I also press the tool in a vice rather than pound on it with a hammer. I get much more consistent results that way. Much easier for the cubs too.
Steel_city_man
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Re: Newbie... Which comes first

Post by Steel_city_man »

Thanks!

Not sure if I can get a business card in there but the vise advice is great!

What kind of wax, like car wax (Turtle Wax), I am always concerned about applying things to the axles for fear it will affect the way the graphite works later. I have used metal polish and/or pumice mix when preparing in the past.
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whodathunkit
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Re: Newbie... Which comes first

Post by whodathunkit »

LightninBoy wrote:I agree with others ... polish first. Then bend.

What I do to protect the finish during the bend (and to give more bend) is cut a thin strip of a business card and put it between the tool and the axle.

And I also press the tool in a vice rather than pound on it with a hammer. I get much more consistent results that way. Much easier for the cubs too.
I agree with LightninBoy and others as well.

During the de-burring process of the BSA axles..
Some are removeing too much material from the running surface of the axle.
This reduces the degree of bend..
The axle press tool clamps the axle on the untreated (large) portion of the axle.
The pro rail rider tool is contacting the axle to bend it on the treated smaller portion..
Thus reducing the bend potential of the axle.
Steel_city_man wrote:Thanks!

Not sure if I can get a business card in there but the vise advice is great!
What kind of wax, like car wax (Turtle Wax), I am always concerned about applying things to the axles for fear it will affect the way the graphite works later. I have used metal polish and/or pumice mix when preparing in the past.
The bussiness card tip from LightninBoy: Is the fix for the tools.
(If to much material has been removed from the running surface of the axle as well.)

Mothers billet polish or Brasso metal polish are some good polishes to try.
Some metal polishes but not all.. will leave films on axles that are hard to remove also.

Sporty, likes his wax also..
So I think the wax he would be talking about useing on the axles would be something like.
Meguiar's NXT generation tech wax 2.0 ( :idk: ) ;)
What type of automobile can be spelled the same forwards & backwards?
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Stan Pope
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Re: Newbie... Which comes first

Post by Stan Pope »

whodathunkit wrote:During the de-burring process of the BSA axles..
Some are removeing too much material from the running surface of the axle.
This reduces the degree of bend..
The axle press tool clamps the axle on the untreated (large) portion of the axle.
The pro rail rider tool is contacting the axle to bend it on the treated smaller portion..
Thus reducing the bend potential of the axle.
Your actual bend can be checked using a graphic that VitaminK and I produced. See Measuring the Bend Angle of Bent Axles. Then add the calling-card shims to the tool and repeat the bend treatment as needed.
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Noskills
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Re: Newbie... Which comes first

Post by Noskills »

I wrap nail in painter tape before bending to protect it. You can also to a final round of polish with a bend nail. It's not as good but it can be done. We reuse our bent nails and re polish each year.
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ngyoung
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Re: Newbie... Which comes first

Post by ngyoung »

A lot of people using graphite stand by using pledge to coat their axles. It holds graphite nicely and i suppose your also protect the surface from oxidation.
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whodathunkit
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Re: Newbie... Which comes first

Post by whodathunkit »

Don't forget that it can also be used to cover up the sanding or lathe marks on the wheels also.
What type of automobile can be spelled the same forwards & backwards?
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