Dick_Morris wrote:gwrdriver - Harry, you've been quiet for a while. Glad to see you're still kicking.
Hi Dick,
Yes, very much still kicking. It's been a busy year so far, lots of projects including a detached workshop building . . . and I don't feel I need to render an opinion on everything, only when I have something helpful to contribute.
Can you cut 35 teeth with a Spindex easily (not 36 only?) The odd number of teeth on a lubricator ratchet wheel was set by LBSC many decades ago so that all of the ratchet teeth would be used making the wear on each ratchet tooth the same with time. if you had an even number of teeth (say you had a 36 tooth ratchet and the pawl arm advanced the ratchet every two or three or four teeth per stroke) then the same ratchet teeth would be used over and over again wearing out some of the ratchet teeth while not using other teeth on the ratchet wheel.
I have only done this with a dividing head to get a 35 tooth ratchet but maybe I am doing it the difficult way again.
I can show you a few or did I throw them all out already?
Bill,
I will admit to making 36 tooth lubricator ratchets also but then I had access to Richard's Industrial heat treating furnace (super expensive) and so all of the heat treating and tempering we (he) did on the ratchet wheels was perfect.
gwrdriver wrote:BTW, I heated mine from the underside of a piece of black steel sheet, to bring it all up to red heat equally without burning up the teeth.
Probably a good idea, as it helps eliminate decarburization from an oxidizing flame when a controlled atmosphere isn't available. Prolonged heating would also be a bad idea, for the same reason.
H
Wise people talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.