# Unseizing cast iron wheels



## ColeyS1 (3 Jun 2016)

Does anybody have any tips for unseizing cast iron wheels ? I've been after some for a while and managed to get some cheap, thing is there seized.





They are like to be only used for decoration, so dont necessarily need to turn. I'd still quite like it if I could free them up and then cure/treat the rust. 
Googling suggests the safest way is to soak in oil. I'm impatient and wondered if there was a quicker/safer method.
Cheers

Coley


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## MattRoberts (3 Jun 2016)

That Mathias Berger guy who has been restoring some lovely old woodworking machinery had a problem with seized parts, and I believe he soaked the parts with wd40 to unseize


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## CHJ (3 Jun 2016)

Diesel Soak is good for penitrating, 

Heat with blowlamp see if expansion will break oxide bond, whatever you do don't hit with big hammer that cast could be very brittle and already have old stress cracks in it.

I freed up a smaller 6" wheel off an old field hayrack by electrolysis in a bucket, eat away at the rust enough to be able to push the axle out.


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## t8hants (3 Jun 2016)

You will need to be careful using heat as the axle can expand quicker than the surrounding wheel and crack the casting that way.
Unless you are in love with the stub axles, get somebody to drill and turn them out if there is no sign of movement.


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## dickm (3 Jun 2016)

If you go down the blowlamp route, make sure you play the heat on the wheel, not the axle, as noted above. Diesel and patience is probably your best bet. Don't think WD40 works particularly well on existing corrosion, it's intended for dispersing water, not penetrating. Or, as suggested, cut off the stubs as near the wheel as possible then drill them out, again taking care not to heat the stub more than the wheel.


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## Myfordman (3 Jun 2016)

Several youtube videos swear by 50-50 mix of Acetone and ATF.

Not tried it myself as I still have some Plus gas left. Certainly WD40 is next to useless as a penetrating fluid.


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## AndyT (3 Jun 2016)

I reckon the best answer for those is electrolysis. It will remove the rust and probably free them up as well. You need a plastic bucket, an old battery charger, some iron and some washing soda. There are loads of YT videos showing how.


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## heimlaga (3 Jun 2016)

Heating the hobs of cast iron wheels with straight spokes is usually a recipy for diaster. WD40 does work to loosen seized parts if you spray on more twice a day for 2 or 3 days. Soaking the entire part in diesel fuel for 2 or 3 days is better. There are some even better products on the market but they are hard to come by.

I would soak first and then remove the rust with a coarse wire brush on an angle grinder.


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## ColeyS1 (3 Jun 2016)

Thanks for all your ideas. I've put one in the electrolysis tank to see if it works. No fizzing yet  To be honest I didn't think it would penetrate deep enough but I spose the rust might not go right through.....
I'll leave it a few days and then try another of your suggestions if it fails.
Ta very much

Coley


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## woodfarmer (4 Jun 2016)

For soaking, I would use diesel. Given that the axles aren't precious I would be inclined to put the wheels in a lathe and machine away the axles,


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## Rorschach (4 Jun 2016)

Electrolysis, kill 2 birds with 1 stone, it will clean the rust off very nicely and it's the rust that is siezing it up anyway.


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## ColeyS1 (4 Jun 2016)

Went in workshop this morning to find a bucket of fizzing water. Must have only been in the tank for just over 12 hours but there was a fair ol pile of rust in the bottom




I thought I'd try my luck and see if it would turn. Maybe tomorrow :lol: 
Coley


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## t8hants (4 Jun 2016)

Now the rust is off inspect it for cracks, wheel castings like that were pretty poor from new, often full of air bubbles in the spokes.
I doubt very much if the electrolysis got anywhere near the two bearing surfaces of hub and axle.


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## Robbo3 (4 Jun 2016)

Hope you don't have the trouble that Keith Rucker had in removing corroded shafts from flat belt pulleys. Not exactly the same but the principals must be similar. One of them took over a week & he was using 30+ tons of pressure on more than one occasion.
Interesting video though. 

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pphkRJWjFY


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## Cheshirechappie (4 Jun 2016)

1) Measure up the split cotters and make a dimensioned sketch.

2) Hacksaw off the head and tail of the cotter, and file back to level with the shaft.

3) Using a small cold chisel or fox wedge, ease the retaining washer up, and off the shaft.

4) With luck, the wheel should now drop off the shaft - if not, block up the wheel and drift the shaft off with a large hammer and punch.

5) Clean everything up, make a new split cotter from mild steel, grease generously and reassemble.


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## ColeyS1 (7 Jun 2016)

Cheshirechappie":1sn56tji said:


> 1) Measure up the split cotters and make a dimensioned sketch.
> 
> 2) Hacksaw off the head and tail of the cotter, and file back to level with the shaft.
> 
> ...


I let it sit in the tank for 4 days and did what you suggested  it came apart fairly easy once the cotter was out.




1 down, 3 more to go !
Thanks for your help guys.
Coley


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## Cheshirechappie (7 Jun 2016)

Excellent stuff! No broken components, except the cotter - and at least that's pretty well the easiest to remake!


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## ColeyS1 (6 Jul 2016)

Just a few final pics to show them finished.




I gave them a good smearing of grease before assembly 




I got lazy and used some split pins instead of remaking the cotter pins. I used new self colour washers on the back of the wheels to reduce the hole from where the cotter pins originally were. Brushed on some rust curer so hopefully they'll last a bit longer before they seize again.

Coley

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk


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## AndyT (6 Jul 2016)

I do like the idea that even a garden ornament should be in working order. :wink:


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## bugbear (6 Jul 2016)

AndyT":1oy1tzgv said:


> I do like the idea that even a garden ornament should be in working order. :wink:



I would go quietly nuts if it wasn't.

BugBear


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## Wildman (11 Nov 2016)

soak in vinegar for a few days. be sure to rince well afterwards


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## RossJarvis (12 Nov 2016)

Strangely enough we had the same issue a month or two back. One of the Romanian guys soaked it in water for an hour or two, it worked, go figure?


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## ColeyS1 (12 Nov 2016)

Wildman":gcegcvn0 said:


> soak in vinegar for a few days. be sure to rince well afterwards


Yeah that would have done the trick, would have took quite alot of vinegar to completely submerg them  

Coley


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## ColeyS1 (12 Nov 2016)

RossJarvis":3gwyyczm said:


> Strangely enough we had the same issue a month or two back. One of the Romanian guys soaked it in water for an hour or two, it worked, go figure?


How bizarre,and to think we drink that stuff ! :lol: 

Coley


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## woodpig (12 Nov 2016)

AndyT":2spto07e said:


> I reckon the best answer for those is electrolysis. It will remove the rust and probably free them up as well. You need a plastic bucket, an old battery charger, some iron and some washing soda. There are loads of YT videos showing how.



Yes, that's what I'd try first.


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## MCB (13 Nov 2016)

ColeyS1":4w7diwr2 said:


> Does anybody have any tips for unseizing cast iron wheels ? I've been after some for a while and managed to get some cheap, thing is there seized.


I have used Shield Technology's RESTORE to remove rust from a number of different old tools. For small items I put them in an ultrasonic bath and let that run for a few minutes then left them for a week. After washing off the Restore and a stiff brushing, they were usable again.

MC


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## bugbear (14 Nov 2016)

ColeyS1":1vh68t91 said:


> RossJarvis":1vh68t91 said:
> 
> 
> > Strangely enough we had the same issue a month or two back. One of the Romanian guys soaked it in water for an hour or two, it worked, go figure?
> ...



Good info on the 'net;

http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html

BugBear


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## RossJarvis (15 Nov 2016)

bugbear":24al7p1w said:


> ColeyS1":24al7p1w said:
> 
> 
> > RossJarvis":24al7p1w said:
> ...



That ruins the old rhyme "I had a friend named charley, I have that friend no more, for what he thought was DiHydrogen Monoxide was DiHydrogen Sulpher Quadroxide" It really does lose it's rhythm. :?


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