Removal of swingarm bearings

[robert]

With tig adding filler is usually not needed.

[Ken in Oklahoma]

With tig adding filler is usually not needed.

Robert, it isn't clear to me whose post you're addressing. Are you talking about ME109's post just in front of yours?
where he said:

"It would be interesting to do a comparison to see if the addition of weld metal is necessary to aid in shrinking the shell."

Or was it my post in front of his? When I made my post I was wondering if deposit of metal was really needed to properly shrink the bearing shell, and since a TIG doesn't necessarily need to deposit metal, as you pointed out, my thought that there was less "accident" potential in "welding out" a bearing shell. With a stick welder I seem to be especially prone to strike an arc where I don't want to. And when trying to "weld out" a bearing I just might accidentally weld part of the shell to the surrounding metal.

And what I took ME109 to be saying is that just heating the bearing outer shell with the TIG arc might not be enough to shrink the shell properly. Rather some added material just might be necessary in order to provide more white hot metal mass to do the shrinking.

Ken

[Duane Ausherman]

The outer race can be make to shrink with just heat. I have removed a few with my gas welder. Just heat it up to "puddle" a bit, allow it to cool and out it will fall.

I don't like it because it takes far longer and will ruin the paint for sure. Using arc to quickly deposit some additional material will/can work very quickly. If I wish to keep the paint, then I wrap that part in a wet rag. One doesn't need to do much welding, say 1/3 of the way around is enough.

[enigmaT120]

I used the Cycleworks tool for the job. It works well. It works on wheel bearing races too, at least ones like mine where there's no need to cook anything.

[robert]

Ken, I just threw that out to see where it would land. As long as the race turnes red they may fall out without getting to puddle stage.

[ME 109]

Ken, I just threw that out to see where it would land. As long as the race turnes red they may fall out without getting to puddle stage.

And with an appropriately sized tig, that could be done very quickly.
I like to get the earth clamp onto the bearing shell so as to avoid any arcing from frame/swing arm to bearing shell.

One of my favourite tig welders years ago was a Miller, foot pedal amp control with a water cooled hand piece.
I made a boat load of wake board towers for ski boats using 65mm od stainless tube which involved joints requiring filler rod, and joints that didn't.

It's a nice way to weld.

[robert]

Ken, I just threw that out to see where it would land. As long as the race turnes red they may fall out without getting to puddle stage.

And with an appropriately sized tig, that could be done very quickly.
I like to get the earth clamp onto the bearing shell so as to avoid any arcing from frame/swing arm to bearing shell.

One of my favourite tig welders years ago was a Miller, foot pedal amp control with a water cooled hand piece.
I made a boat load of wake board towers for ski boats using 65mm od stainless tube which involved joints requiring filler rod, and joints that didn't.

It's a nice way to weld.

I went nuts recently and bought a Miller Dynasty 200DX with wireless foot controll. You can weld a razorblade to a railroad track.

[Steve in Golden]

I made a boat load of wake board towers for ski boats using 65mm od stainless tube which involved joints requiring filler rod, and joints that didn't.

Hmm, none of my joints require filler rod, at least not that I know of. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

[ME 109]

I made a boat load of wake board towers for ski boats using 65mm od stainless tube which involved joints requiring filler rod, and joints that didn't.

Hmm, none of my joints require filler rod, at least not that I know of. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

Depends on the joint and whether weld reinforcement is required.
Reinforcement is a build up of added weld metal.
The towers I made required filler rod on the tube intersections and where a threaded boss was welded into the tube end, the boss was left 2 mm proud of the tube end, which provided the filler material, as well as rounding the end if the boss giving a nice finish.

[Steve in Golden]

I made a boat load of wake board towers for ski boats using 65mm od stainless tube which involved joints requiring filler rod, and joints that didn't.

Hmm, none of my joints require filler rod, at least not that I know of. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

Depends on the joint and whether weld reinforcement is required.
Reinforcement is a build up of added weld metal.
The towers I made required filler rod on the tube intersections and where a threaded boss was welded into the tube end, the boss was left 2 mm proud of the tube end, which provided the filler material, as well as rounding the end if the boss giving a nice finish.

Thanks Jeff. I was actually thinking of another sort of joint...

I know next to nothing about welding and greatly admire those who can do it.