Cleaning and Adjusting Shop Tools

Let this post serve as a reminder for those that are building to take some time every so often to refurbish, reset, realign, re-tighten, replace, repair, reassemble, or recondition all of the various tools you are using during the build.  Especially if they have been sitting idle for long periods of time.

Spent the past couple of days cleaning, adjusting, and reconditioning various shop tools in preparation for upcoming build tasks. After being a bit surprised by the blade drift of my band saw when I trimmed down my pitot tube mast a few posts ago, I pulled out my instruction manual for my Ridgid BS14002 14 inch band saw and starting checking all the numerous adjustment points. I was a bit shocked to find that my blade tension, tracking, and guide settings were way off, loose, or just not correct. I have no idea how it got this way. I also realized it needed a good cleaning. I also think I need to replace the rubber tires that fit around each wheel with some urethane ones, since the rubber ones (stock) are starting to crack, and there are some reviews that indicate that the vibration associated with this particular saw can be solved by several modifications, including new urethane wheel tires.

I then set out to change the 80 grit sanding belt and corresponding sanding disk with new ones that I had purchased from Ace Hardware a long time ago.Theses are made with aluminum oxide. which, as I have posted long ago, is about the only type of sand paper that you want to use with aluminum to avoid corrosion. The sander also needed a thorough cleaning. The instructions to my sander said that to replace the disc you peel off the old one (had to use a paint scraper for that.) Then you have to "remove" the old glue residue, but they don't tell you how to do that. So I started with a razor blade, and that did not work well. Then I switched to mineral spirits, which softened the glue up a little but did nothing to remove it. Then I went to Acetone - same result. Then I remembered that I had to some goo gunk or something like that in a small squeeze can. So I tied that. This softened up the glue a bit more but also did not remove it very well.

Then I went back to the razor blade. The glue starting coming off, but not without a lot of effort by me. I finally got all the glue removed from the disc, and applied to new one - 80 grit just as before. I also have heavier and lighter grades in case those are ever needed - probably for some fiberglass work I am expecting.

After all that, my thumb and finger tips are tingling and won't stop - sure hope that goes away soon. That was just a little too much work to get rid of some glue. In hindsight maybe I should have stuck with the paint scraper. Trying to do this on a rotating and moving piece of metal is also not the safest thing in the world. Very easy to slip and really do some damage. Oh well, I guess its just the way of things.

The last item I worked on was my pneumatic paint shaker that I got from Harbor Freight a long time ago. I cleaned off the dirt and cobwebs and disassembled the oiler that came with it. Then I replaced all the teflon tape on the various fittings for the oiler, and reassembled them on the shaker. I then had to try to locate my instruction manual because I could not remember how much air pressure it was designed to use. I finally found it with the manuals for the two spray guns that I use - still sitting on my work bench.

I needed to verify that the shaker still works, because as I reported in my previous post, the next steps for my LE work include priming all of the LE ribs and skins, etc, prior to riveting them together. My Akzo Nobel Epoxy primer has been sitting in my garage for the past 3 years through the hot and cold. The primer was already at the end of its service life when I bought from ACS long ago (a sore subject with me to this day, but one without much of an alternative). The last time I used it was for the main wing ribs and rear wing spars. I opened up the can that contains the pigment, and noted that the liquid portion was sitting on the top, and all the pigment was separated and sitting on the bottom of the can. The hardener/catalyst in the other gallon can also appeared to be viable, and smelled just as bad as I remember it.

Anyway, since it has sat unused for so long I am not even sure that it is still viable, but I am willing to test it, since this stuff costs $200.00 a pop. If it still works to my satisfaction I will use it to prime the LE ribs and skins.

The shaker requires 50-70 psi to operate. So I put the can with the pigment in the shaker and starter 'er up. After about 4.5 minutes I checked the contents, and although there were alot of air bubbles, it seemed to mix the pigment OK. SO the next step it to try it out on some metal and see what happens.