The two factors would be "can you lift it" and "what happens if you drop it".
Lifting it is, as people have said, not too hard, but the consequences of it slipping half-way up could be very unpleasant.
I would tie some ropes around it very tightly to create some handles, and lead a long rope...
I think I'd expect to pay anything between £75 and £150 depending on how keen they were to get rid of it ! They don't attract huge ranks of buyers because they're bigger and heavier and less portable than modern fast-revving machines, but those old compressors are lovely old things and way...
I don't have specifics but a good thing to be aware of is that dust masks and vapour/gas masks are different things. Dust masks are trying to stop particulates - very small bits of stuff - so they are essentially very fine physical filters, whereas vapour (eg solvents) is effectively a gas -...
The key thing for you right now is to try things. Different things. 5 days won't make you a pro but it might just get you interested enough to start properly down that road.
Take any opportunity you can to experience different jobs : just get close to professional people, and watch, even if it...
I also think starting off with a decent machine (Cros-Arc 291, I think it was) which has been properly set up, makes a huge difference. In case it helps the MMA above was 4mm plate at 100A with a 3.2mm rod (6010 I believe), and the MIG was 3mm plate 23V at wire speed of 11 (cm/sec I presume ?)...
Hi All -
Thought I would give a quick (unsolicited) mention for Dave and the guys at Allied Welding where I did a (one day) starter welding course yesterday.
I usually learn best by just working things out for myself but the more I read about welding the more I realise how much there is to it...
Many thanks all for the comments on my questions above (doing MMA and MIG etc) - especially eddie. Understanding the electrical-level differences between the two processes makes things much clearer. I guess the great thing about inverters driven from very controllable transistors is that you can...
OK so two questions spring to mind from this discussion so I'll ask them here rather than start a new thread :
1. It seems to me that both MMA and MIG welders are basically a current source, with a 'ground' clamp, and an electrode which is either a plain welding rod in a holder (MMA) or a more...
When looking at compressors I see some single and some twin cylinder. The twins have two pistons/cylinders, arranged in a ""V. Looking closer it's apparent that some of those are "twin pot" designs where the motor/crank is simply driving two pistons in cylinders of the same size, and they're...
Inching forward with this but have successfully got it apart :
Conrod on the left : clamped a socket in a vice, resting on a block, rested the big-end on it, and tapped the outer race down with a smaller socket. Came out remarkably easily, didn't even need to use heat.
Cut into the inner...
In case people are interested in the history of these -
Since I've been looking, I've seen quite a lot of this basic unit - here's what's on eBay at the moment :
It's all the same basic pump, a small but well-made (cast-iron cylinder and head) unit, small capacity, splash lube, direct drive...
I'm intrigued by the 'run a seam of weld' option. Never come across that before (and I don't have a welder, although it's something I want to learn so am looking for some good hands-on tuition, reachable from Surrey-ish area...). I would have thought the heat would expand the bearing, which is...
I can get a replacement bearing - I am wondering if it's worth doing the replacement, but the track of the balls on the outer race is very visible and there's some pitting. It seems pretty hard to feel how much runout there is in bearings of this type. I did consider just getting a replacement...
OK OK.. we do seem to have come quite a long way off topic. So how about climbing back on with some more thoughts ?
Here's the bearing, split :
The pound coin is in there for scale. Since the bearing is likely the original one, I'd like to replace it - ones of the right size are available...
Got it. This is a Broom Wade compressor from the 1960s so I don't think it's "cheap as chips" manufacturing. Although it's a small compressor so probably not done to the same tolerances as some of their larger ones and I can see just being able to slap a bearing in there that will cope with...
OK, that's interesting. But split-shell-type bearings don't allow any movement. Why would you use a ball-bearing in this context ? Not being picky, seriously interested. Lower friction given it's a small motor driving it ? or it's too much effort to try and constrain the piston twisting around...
Like I said, a sheltered life. Thanks for the feedback everyone. I've worked on motors and drill presses and lathes that have bearings, but all the piston/crank assemblies I've seen have had conventional split ends with bearing shells etc. Now I just need to find some new piston rings.
Stripping down a compressor and looking at the conrod, it has a bearing at the crank end of a type that I've not seen before :
I didn't think bearings were supposed to do this, but maybe I've led a sheltered life. The conrod swings quite happily around on the bearing, in any...
...and just to follow up, I used some autosol to lap it properly and then some graphite grease, its working perfectly now. I probably cleaned it too zealously in the first place.
thanks all for the help !
I’d be very interested in a pointer to piston ring for-sales or any specs for them ?
Strangely, I started taking one of the poppet valves out to check it this afternoon, it seemed quite grubby and next thing I knew the whole darn compressor was spread out on the bench in its component parts...