Balls

[francist]

Yeah, Modolo was good stuff. I keep thinking one day I’ll use them on some machine somewhere but that’ll never happen. If you have a use, David, just let me know. I’ve got enough projects for several lifetimes.

Hmmm, betcha they’d make a really funky pair of pick-up tongs for the trash detail somewhere.....

 

[Dusty]

Hi francist, don't give up looking because your something like me with all sorts of odds ends tucked away. Bill

 

[Dusty]

Know any goose hunters? #2 steel shot is 3.81mm and #1 shot is 4.06mm or there abouts. All's I have right now is a box of BBs. I'll contact some friends to see what they might have laying around.

BTB - Haven't seen any abandoned/trashed bikes in the alley since the JHS behind the house closed. In fact I've never seen the alleys so nice and neat before. Lot of people with time on their hands I guess.

Craig

Good idea, wouldn't know if bird shot would work until I try it. Bill

 

[Dabbler]

hey, @francist I still do! I have a 1979 Zeuss bicycle with all Zeuss components still going! Never could afford a Titanium BB, though. I had built a tour de france carbon bike a few years ago, and after 2 years it got stolen. So no more expensive bikes for me!!!

 

[francist]

No way, that’s crazy! I practically wore a hole clean through the floorboards at Russ Hay bike shop yearning over a Zeus crankset drilled with lightening holes. I think the big ring was 53 teeth or something and surely would have blown my spindly little legs to smithereens, but I sooo wanted it anyway. That’s real classic equipment, that is.

And now the real surprize, hey @Dusty guess what I found....

There’s one in the jaws and five loose above the caliper so six all in. And that’s all I have, so no dropping any

They’re yours if you want them, or if you want to sit and see if you find some locally that’s ok too. Just PM me with a mailing address if and when you’re ready.

-frank

 

[YYCHM]

How do you interpret that caliper to read 3.94 mm?

What piece of kit produced the bearings?

 

[Johnwa]

Amazing calipers. And here I thought you needed digital to read imperial and metric!

 

[Dusty]

@francist, Frank you have a PM and yes I would sincerely appreciate the six 3.94mm balls. Bill

 

[francist]

How do you interpret that caliper to read 3.94 mm?

What piece of kit produced the bearings?

It does take a bit of getting used to, that’s for certain. Here goes: first off there are two scales on the beam, both start with “0”. The lower scale is inches so that’s straightforward, the upper scale is metric and you can see three hash marks but not a fourth. Now look at the dial face, and for metric we’re looking at red numbers and the red pointer (black is inches) . There are two zeros on the red scale though — what gives? Okay, when the calipers are zeroed out and fully closed the pointer is at the top zero where you would expect it, right. As we open the caliper the red pointer will rotate clockwise and at the point where it reaches the bottom red zero that’s 1mm. Coincidentally, the first hash mark division will also show on the upper beam scale. Open the caliper further so the red pointer now reaches the upper zero again (we’ve made full revolution of the red pointer now) and the beam scale shows two hash marks so 2mm. See how this works? For every 1/2 rotation of the red pointer you’ve opened the jaws 1mm. So for our three 3.94 mm dimension we’ve gone one full revolution for 2mm plus a half revolution for an additional 1mm but we’ve stopped just shy of the second complete revolution and the red number scale reads “ .9” and two small hash marks. If we look at the dial face again it shows that each scale division on the dial is equal to 0.02mm, so two of those means we’re at .9 + .04 = .94 plus the 3 whole mm equals 3.94mm. Easy eh? Want to double check my math? Convert 3.94 mm to inch and you get 0.1551... inches which is where we’re at at the black Imperial scale as well.

As for the source of the bearings, I think I bought them at Oak Bay Cycle but can’t remember what for. I can remember going there and the guy taking some out of one of those little plastic parts drawers to sell, but why I needed them I can’t recall. None of my bike stuff is a match, so I may have been fooling around with something else and just bought the balls there. Would have been 40 years ago by now I’m sure. It’s weird that I had the six though as I’m sure I would have asked for an even number to begin with, which makes me think I never even used any.

-frank

 

[Dusty]

@francist, Frank you have a PM and yes I would sincerely appreciate the six 3.94mm balls. Bill

@francist Hey Frank an update on two of your balls, read on. My Craftex B2227L lathe came with a slight flaw where I could never face anything correctly without said facing being highest at the center. My conclusion was there's far too much creep (if that's the word) between the compound slide sliding nut, and leadscrew. So I came across this video (slide locking screw upgrade) several years back with plans to do the same and it worked.

Over the past month I've spent twenty minutes here and there working on the project even with my lame leg. Unfortunately I paid the price at night trying to sleep so I had to be extremely careful not to over do standing.

Rather than using identical sized grub screws (#10 - 32NF) that are used by the manufacturer in the compound slide I installed M6 - 1.0 x 12mm long grub screws. That saved my from buying a #10 - 32NF tap, besides I'm overly cautious using smallish fine threaded taps in cast iron. Drilled and tapped the two new holes in the compound slide on my mill/drill. My (M6 - 1.0 x 12 mm) grub screws have a concave like indent at the business end so your balls fit perfectly. Debated whether to use sticky grease or go with Loctite to hold the balls in place so I went with grease. My cross slide doesn't appear to have any movement, plus I also have a carriage lock.

Bottom line everything worked out perfectly, problem solved me thinks.

 

[YYCHM]

Yea!!! @Dusty is back at her. WOW, you started this thread May 2020. Don't over do it Bill.

 

[Dusty]

Yea!!! @Dusty is back at her. Don't over do it Bill.

Thanks Craig I needed that reminder, knee won't let me sure taking it's sweet old time to heal. Perhaps that's a good thing my friend.

 

[francist]

Hey, glad to hear you got that project worked out. I think about it every now and again, especially when I find a loose ball rolling around to add to my bearing drawer!