It's been quite a while since I posted anything about this machine. I've been busy with other things and have only worked with it off and on. I've worked through a couple of mechanical problems and it's a nice working machine, except for the drive mechanism. With lubrication the motor seems fine and runs smoothly when disengaged. The rubber drive wheel though, had the dreaded flat spot from being pressed against the handwheel, maybe for decades. Additionally, the rubber had shrunk and cracked from drying out over the years.
The set screw on the old drive wheel will NOT come loose. I've tried everything. Penetrants of all kinds. Heat. Cold. And good old brute force, at least up to the point of doing harm.
Another issue was that in holding onto the drive wheel, trying to get the set screw loose, the rubber separated from the brass part underneath it. The shrinkage of the rubber caused the rubber to pull back from it and it came loose. The old rubber turned freely on the brass part of the drive wheel.
I decided to take a new approach. If I can't put a new rubber drive wheel on the motor, maybe I can put new rubber on the drive wheel. I've always kind of wondered if you could replace the rubber on one of these drive wheels.
A trip to Auto Zone yielded a section of rubber tubing that seemed like it might work. I had to buy a foot, when I only needed 1/2 an inch or so. It has an inside diameter of 5/16 of an inch. And I got real rubber. There are types of tubing that are synthetic materials and don't have the grip that rubber does.
I removed the old rubber carefully from the brass underneath it. It cracked apart pretty easily.
(Brass Drive Wheel Without Rubber)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]548827[/ATTACH]
I was surprised to see the grooves that run around the brass part of the wheel. I would think that grooves parallel to the axis would grip the rubber better.
I cut a half inch section of the tubing, being as careful as I could to get a good edge on both ends. I had to grind down the outer brass flange a little bit, to allow the tubing to be pushed over it. I had a sealant called Permatex Ultra Black (available in auto stores), which I used to lubricate the rubber in slipping it over the flange, as well as to bond the rubber to the brass when it was cured.
(Preparation For Tubing)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]548828[/ATTACH]
The tubing slipped onto the brass part with only a little difficulty. Once cured, it is bonded securely to the brass. No slippage.
(New Rubber On Drive Wheel)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]548829[/ATTACH]
What started out as a dusty, dirty machine with several mechanical issues is now a clean, shiny, smoothly running machine. A White expert might notice the slightly smaller diameter of the drive wheel. Most people wouldn't even notice. The effect of this will be that the machine will run slightly slower, which can be easily compensated for with the foot controller. A benefit is that it will have a little more turning power or torque delivered to the machine.
With the drive wheel working satisfactorily, I'm going to call this restoration complete.
John