Frozen rudder shaft Hinterhoeller 28

[deniseO30]

Impressive stuff!

[rbyham]

I still face removing old stuffing box just above rudder tube. Will likely angle grinder it off. Then I can see Shaft condition and go from there. Not sure if I have lower bearing. Time will tell.

[PorFin]

Originally Posted by rbyham

I still face removing old stuffing box just above rudder tube. Will likely angle grinder it off. Then I can see Shaft condition and go from there. Not sure if I have lower bearing. Time will tell.

Should go without saying, but...

Be very, very careful as you get close to completing your cut through the broken part -- you really want to avoid nicking your rudder post with the angle grinder (or whatever tool you choose to employ.)

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[rbyham]

Thanks for that warning. I was thinking to start with angle grinder and finish with dremel. I just wish i was 5'7" instead of my 6'2" for getting down in the port lazarette. The PO demonstrated how he could go down there feet first easily. Me has to go in head first and hang upside down. Oh well. I will take my time and tie rudder up first. I plan to attack it all this coming weekend.

[rbyham]

I am now thinking to attempt full packing extraction as a step prior to cutting the stuffing box off the shaft. Studying the photos I have come to believe that there are a few layers of rope still in there. If I can get them out I may be able to free the stuffing box and bearing. So for now Iwill belay the angle grinder. My question is what are some secrets I might employ to remove what has become a very hardened packing rope? I am thinking things like drilling, heating, chiseling with sharpened small screwdriver, etc. Ae there other efforts I can employ? Anything chemical? Thanks..

[deltaten]

Usta be a tool for pulling rear main seals like a skinny screwdriver iwith a threaded end..like a long shafted wood screw. Mebbe use a 3" drywall screw? or a dental pick...or a walnut meat picker? Tools abound...just ta find the right one!

[Hudsonian]

Look at the catalogue cuts from C.S. Osborne (Faster posted a link above). These are the standard tools for pulling packing.

The packing is probably a square flax braid. The flax (linen) is saturated with bee's wax. Over the years this can become quite stiff. It is easier to remove one ring at a time. Generally the flexible packing is cut to length, shaped around the shaft, and tamped to the bottom of the stuffing box. Each ring is put on top of the last in exactly the same way except that the joints are staggered. If there are three rings the joints are offset 120 degrees.

If you are lucky you'll hook into the packing near the cut. Try hooking the packing with two hooks, picks, or screws on opposite sides and working up one side and then the other.

As I said previously, if there's a grease cup on the stuffing box there will be a lantern ring. The lantern ring will be two piece and have holes in the upward face. You should hook into those holes to remove the lantern ring so you can get at the packing beneath it. Additionally, if the packing was greased the grease is porbably caked up. Use kerosene or some other solvent to remove the smutz.

Boiling water will make the bee's wax more pliable. Be patient. Be persistent. You'll get it.

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by deltaten

Usta be a tool for pulling rear main seals like a skinny screwdriver iwith a threaded end..like a long shafted wood screw. Mebbe use a 3" drywall screw? or a dental pick...or a walnut meat picker? Tools abound...just ta find the right one!

It's called a Gimlet - like a fine corkscrew.

[Faster]

Originally Posted by deltaten

Usta be a tool for pulling rear main seals like a skinny screwdriver iwith a threaded end..like a long shafted wood screw. Mebbe use a 3" drywall screw? or a dental pick...or a walnut meat picker? Tools abound...just ta find the right one!

From my link previous:



These come in various sizes, and even in threaded-end versions for launder rings.. use two at a time helps, but you need to match the tool to the packing size.

[rbyham]

Thanks for the help on tools. Where does one buy these?