Loctite for cast iron

Another question for the wisdom of the forum please. I am fitting a 3 phase motor and vfd to my VMB mill, so need a pulley for the motor. The existing motor pulley is unsuitable as it is "upside down" because of the peculiar drive system on the mill, and also has only 3 steps, so I am going to use the intermediate pulley instead. However this has a large hole through it to accommodate the ball races on which this idler pulley normally runs. The pulley is cast iron, the hole being accurately bored to fit 6204 bearings. The bearings of course were lubricated.

So I need to make a bush to fit the hole bored to fit the motor shaft. I plan to make this from mild steel and I'm hoping to loctite it in place. My question is whether loctite will bond well to the CI especially as it has been in contact with light bearing grease for a good few years? Obviously I'll do my best to degrease it, but might some residue remain in the CI which I understand is slightly porous? Any advice very welcome, thanks!

It's probably a silly question, but what is stopping you simply replacing the motor and using the original pulley?

Hi John, I've retained bearings in cast iron housings which where very greasy, all I've ever done was to wipe out all the grease with rag and then wash with paraffin and wipe dry and then finally clean with Loctite 7063 spray cleaner and have never had any problems with industrial loads.

I would say any solvent cleaner would be OK prior to applying the retainer, my old company that I used to work just used to get the Loctite stuff as a matter of course.

Regards Nick.

No problem.

I press and Loctite [ belt and braces ] bearing sleeves in all day long steel to CI, CI to CI, CI to alloy.

I am too tight to buy the loctite cleaner so use celly thinners [ free from body shop across the road ]

John,

If I have read your question correctly you wish to bush a pulley to allow it to fit a motor, if thats the case why dont you make the bush and press it into the pulley then at the join line between the bush and pulley drill a blind hole and then thread the hole and screw in a grub screw until tight, there will be no need to degrease anything for gluing.

Martin P

Hi Guy's...my two pence worth....

I keep a aerosol can of carb cleaner handy £3-5.....good for all delicate cleaning especially down blind holes...

MIND UR EYES it stings like crazy......a quick blow with an air line leaves it clean and dry.....ready for what ever u need and perfect for Locktite......

a bit like Tricoethylene, can u remember that.....sorry about the spelling.....

out of interest this product is still available at DIY centre's here in France ( by the gallon) I think it's banned in the UK or u need a licence to use it.....

Frank

Thanks all, it sounds like I'm worrying unnecessarily! I'll go for the degrease/loctite route.

Gary, the original pulley has 3 steps but the spindle has 4, and the motor is metric with 16 mm shaft whereas the 3 phase motor has a 5/8 in shaft.

The carb/clutch/brake disk cleaner I buy in the UK is trichloroethylene, as far as I can tell.

Neil

Hi Neil

That's correct Trichloroethylene which when I worked on the old buses in the late sixties it was used in the old fire extinguishers under the name of pyrene, we pumped gallons of it into oil coated clutches. We also had a de-greasing tank with it in and when boiled it came up as a mist and then was condensed by cold water through copper pipes, it cleaned anything including our overhaul's.

Stan

Even a bit of Meths works ok, and some shaft lock retaining compound, I'v used it on a pulley on a car cooling fan, it was a Willys Jeep, so quite a big fan to drive, it's still going nearly twenty years on.

Ian S C

Have used Tricho' myself before it was banned, good stuff, & used it to clean 'overalls' too but the downside to that was they eventually fell to bits (rotted the stitching ). You can get very similar stuff from Halfords ... 'Brake cleaner'... surgical spirit works nicely too... sold at chemists

George.