Antique ex-freon now used as air compressor seen this type?

Hi, I enjoy lurking here and liked flying because of my ex-stepfather
flew private planes and built Osprey II later crashed it of pilot's
error (has three tanks, one was selected on empty.), survived with
minor injuries.

Anyway back to the attention on this odd compressor.

I have photo of thing:

http://www3.sympatico.ca/jpero/compr...compressor.jpg

And poorer photo:

http://www3.sympatico.ca/jpero/compressor/overall.jpg

Air compressor was cobbled together decades ago using old freon
compressor. Rather poorly I add.

Now I'm rebuilding this compressor because of head gasket blew and a
"hsss" leak from short pipe nipple, so it has to be shut down. This
thing has gasket made of lead foil. (!!) That thing made big racket
*CLACK CLACK CLACK*! while pumping and repeatedly cycles every hour
because of this leak. So the noise is driving me up the wall. :-) It
was the small end rod clattering on the wrist rods. But by jove that
thing pumps up to 120PSI cut off if you wait long time, all the awhile
pumping on 1 cylinder and both pistons doesn't have ring by design.
Regulator is set for 50PSI. Air is used to blow off built up dust on
customers' units under repair, TV, audio, TV projector etc.

Have questions on that "unique" compressor if you are willing. I have
many more photos of this in disassembly stages.

I have tried two other newsgroups for HVAC and other one
rec.crafts.metalworking with little success.

Thanks & cheers,

Jason (Wizard)

"Jason D." wrote

Anyway back to the attention on this odd compressor.

I have photo of thing:

http://www3.sympatico.ca/jpero/compr...compressor.jpg

And poorer photo:

http://www3.sympatico.ca/jpero/compressor/overall.jpg

Air compressor was cobbled together decades ago using old freon
compressor. Rather poorly I add.

Now I'm rebuilding this compressor because of head gasket blew

I have tried two other newsgroups for HVAC and other one
rec.crafts.metalworking with little success.

Thanks & cheers,

Jason (Wizard)

My thinking, is that unless you can come up with a data plate from the unit,
you are gong to end up having to cobble together what you need to fix it,
yourself. Cobbled unit, more cobble, right? g

Or bite the bullet, and go get a small oilless compressor, at a flea market
or such, and pay 50 to 100 bucks to replace it.

On the subject of the lengths we must sometimes go to, to keep old "stuff"
running, I have a story.

I have a 194? (2, I think) Gibson tractor. It looks to most people like it
is home made. The trans-axle looks like the rear end came from an old
pickup, but it is their own casting. I had something go wrong (input
bearing failed) in the transmission, and broke 2 1/2 teeth off the sliding
(spider or shuttle) gear. My choices were to try to find a gear from
another junker of the same vintage, throw the whole tractor away, or find a
way to fix it myself. I could not find a donor for the gear, and did not
want to toss the tractor, so I made up my mind that I would do whatever I
needed to do, to fix it myself.

I used a wire welder, and welded, and welded and ground and welded to make
sure there were no porous areas, until I had built up the gear in the area
of the broken teeth with solid metal, to the full outside diameter of the
missing teeth. About 3 hours, as I recall. I then sat down and made a
cardboard template from the other side of the gear, and ground and ground
out the built up weld, using a die grinder with a cutoff blade, until the
teeth re-appeared. I used the mating gear to keep checking my progress, to
get the mesh just right, by eye. Oh, this was a helical cut gear, by the
way, and done with a hand held tool, and hand held workpiece. It took about
3 1/2 hours as I recall.

It was not perfect, but it was serviceable. The over design factor of the
gear was probably 10 times the stress the relatively small engine would ever
stress the part. I did not heat treat it, other than normalize it, then do
a heat up to red, and a quick oil quench.

So, how set are you on making this old unit run again? g
--
Jim in NC


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.794 / Virus Database: 538 - Release Date: 11/11/2004

(Jason D.) wrote in message ...


Anyway back to the attention on this odd compressor.

Having had a series of "converted" refrigeration compressors used for
air compressors, a few comments.

The first, they're all small capaciity unless you have one of the
heavy duty "industrial strength" units. It is possible that you could
rebuild it, but more than likely, the piston is worn, and you might
have to grind it down, then have it plated, reground, and then you can
look at other things. The wrist pin, I think that's what you were
referring to, might have to have the same treatment, as well as trying
to bush the pin bores in the piston. It's all possible, but expensive
and/or time consuming.

I have one of the oilless compressors, and find it the most irritating
little prick anyone could ask for. It has been replaced, but with
components I found in the scrapyard. A few months ago, I found a
Sears compressor, complete, but complete with holes in the bottom of
the tank. Meaning rusted through, useless and also dangerous. The
tank went back to the scrap, but anything that could come off, did. A
couple of months later, someone came in with an industrial size tank,
the compressor gone, and plastic dripping out of the ends of the
motor. "Presto-chango", and I now have a 60 gallon compressor. It
takes the sears compressor about ten minutes to build up the 100
pounds, but I have the "kick-in" set to 80 pounds, not a problem since
my air lines are regulated to 60 pounds. It runs for the ten minutes
maybe twice a week, but I have a steady supply of air, and a lot less
noise that the oilless "rapper" that I hate.

Jim, until you've tried to find the treadle and lower pulley for an
1890's WF&John Barnes lathe, you haven't discovered what hard to find
is. (I'm still looking.)

"Lennie the Lurker" wrote


I have one of the oilless compressors, and find it the most irritating
little prick anyone could ask for.

I agree, with the noise part, but they are great for outside use, in
construction, mainly trim work. Leave the little prick outside, and run the
hose in a window.

Jim, until you've tried to find the treadle and lower pulley for an
1890's WF&John Barnes lathe, you haven't discovered what hard to find
is. (I'm still looking.)

I don't know the significance of that particular part, but understand
anything 1890, must be really hard, unless millions were made, and it is
bulletproof. Why don't you make one. Oh, sorry you need the lathe running
for that. ;-)

It is good to see you are back for a while. Take care.
--
Jim in NC


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.794 / Virus Database: 538 - Release Date: 11/10/2004

Anyone tried http://www.emachineshop.com/ for making unobtanium parts?


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.796 / Virus Database: 540 - Release Date: 11/13/2004

"Morgans" wrote in message ...


Jim, until you've tried to find the treadle and lower pulley for an
1890's WF&John Barnes lathe, you haven't discovered what hard to find
is. (I'm still looking.)

I don't know the significance of that particular part, but understand
anything 1890, must be really hard, unless millions were made, and it is
bulletproof. Why don't you make one. Oh, sorry you need the lathe running
for that. ;-)

The lathe was originally foot powered, could be worth a bundle if
complete, scrap price if not. This one's not. That old, they don't
have to be running, just complete. The treadle and pulley would
increase it's value by a factor of ten.

Having a lathe isn't a problem, I only have 11 now. Three not
running, some of the others not in use, just stored.

11 lathes, 3 milling machines, 3 surface grinders, 6 drill presses,
not much room left for me.

How about the treadle and so on from an old sewing machine?

My Mum's old Singer is still going strong and it has heaps of control when
used from slow speeds to flat out!

11 lathes, 3 milling machines, 3 surface grinders, 6 drill presses, means
you will only need 23 sewing machines and a few extra for the odd extra part
you need. Some of them even will have a lot of nice timberwork that could be
used for other projects as well. Hope you don't have a fabric aircraft in
you hanger when you pick them up 'cause it will take a month of Sundays to
sort it all out!

Hope this helps,
Peter

"Bushy" wrote in message ...
How about the treadle and so on from an old sewing machine?

Way too light. and too small, the lower pulley, as close as I can
tell is about 24 inches dieameter, almost 4 inches thick with three
steps for the different belt speeds. Uses a 1"wide by 1/8" thick flat
leather belt. There were more that were pedal powered than treadle,
but mine is set for both, don't know which it originally had. I've
seen and run a lot of Barnes drills, but this is the only Barnes lathe
I've ever seen, in 44 years of machining. Nice little machine, the
old machines had a charm and grace in the curves that modern
manufacture doesn't.

Man, you still lurking?!

I've been around these parts 5 years and you still pop up sometimes


"Lennie the Lurker" wrote in message
om...
"Bushy" wrote in message
...
How about the treadle and so on from an old sewing machine?

Way too light. and too small, the lower pulley, as close as I can
tell is about 24 inches dieameter, almost 4 inches thick with three
steps for the different belt speeds. Uses a 1"wide by 1/8" thick flat
leather belt. There were more that were pedal powered than treadle,
but mine is set for both, don't know which it originally had. I've
seen and run a lot of Barnes drills, but this is the only Barnes lathe
I've ever seen, in 44 years of machining. Nice little machine, the
old machines had a charm and grace in the curves that modern
manufacture doesn't.

"Fly" wrote in message ...
Man, you still lurking?!

I've been around these parts 5 years and you still pop up sometimes

Still here, just celebrated the third anniversary of the last time my
foot stepped into a cockpit. Metalworking, machine questions, repair
methods for same, no problem, I'll answer what I can. Bankruptcy by
tow plane, we ain't gonna go there again. I almost opened the "Fright
locker" of taking a flight this summer, but fortunately, circumstances
worked in my favor, preventing me from opening that can of worms
again. (Towplane down twice, prop strike on a runway light the third
time, I ain't supposed to do this.)

(The sound of six hours of machining time falling through crack, into
deep hole in ground, hole closing behind it. Oh well.)