frankvw
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2009
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I'm in the process of refurbishing a malt mill, which is based on a three roller assembly imported from China. It's this model:
Being Chinese, it's not brilliant quality The rollers and bearings are made of mild steel, not stainless, and due to circumstances beyond my control it was packed away in storage for two and a half years without having been stripped, cleaned and wrapped in plastic first. Since malt flour attracts and retains moisture, and naturally contains phosphates that react with water to form phosphoric acid, it's not surprising that corrosion has taken its toll.
The bearings especially are a problem. They never were good to begin with (but I never got around to replacing them with proper ones) and they have seized up completely.
My problem is that due to rust and the swelling, caking and sticking qualities of the malt flour lodged in the gaps, I can't get to move two of the bearings out of the recess that they are set in.
One is set into the aluminium chassis plate (which is about 16mm thick):
The top bearing has been removed, the bottom one is still in there. The bore of the bearing is exactly the same size as the hole in the recess, so I can't push it out.
The one in the steel roller is even more problematic: I can't get behind the bearing at all:
This is what the other end of the roller looks like with the bearing removed:
So I need any and all advice and suggestions on how to remove these bearings. I don't care if the bearings get destroyed in the process since they're junk and will be replaced with proper ones anyway, but I cannot risk damage to the chassis plate and the roller.
Ideas, anyone?
// FvW
Being Chinese, it's not brilliant quality The rollers and bearings are made of mild steel, not stainless, and due to circumstances beyond my control it was packed away in storage for two and a half years without having been stripped, cleaned and wrapped in plastic first. Since malt flour attracts and retains moisture, and naturally contains phosphates that react with water to form phosphoric acid, it's not surprising that corrosion has taken its toll.
The bearings especially are a problem. They never were good to begin with (but I never got around to replacing them with proper ones) and they have seized up completely.
My problem is that due to rust and the swelling, caking and sticking qualities of the malt flour lodged in the gaps, I can't get to move two of the bearings out of the recess that they are set in.
One is set into the aluminium chassis plate (which is about 16mm thick):
The top bearing has been removed, the bottom one is still in there. The bore of the bearing is exactly the same size as the hole in the recess, so I can't push it out.
The one in the steel roller is even more problematic: I can't get behind the bearing at all:
This is what the other end of the roller looks like with the bearing removed:
So I need any and all advice and suggestions on how to remove these bearings. I don't care if the bearings get destroyed in the process since they're junk and will be replaced with proper ones anyway, but I cannot risk damage to the chassis plate and the roller.
Ideas, anyone?
// FvW
