Since today would otherwise have been a total write-off due to the cold about to get colder, I decided to go digging into my other 20V Drill tote bag and see if I had a second 12 inch extension for getting into deep places with screws and bolts and other instruments of attach and detachment. Come to discover that yes, I did and they were identical, meaning both in length and in possessing a spring loaded chuck that locks the drill bit or whatever into position and keeps it from falling out. So, out to the shop I went.
By coupling the two extensions together, what I got was a composite shaft that, at about 24 inches in total length, was long enough to run a small diameter wire wheel down a tube that measured around 21 inches.
I expect that most of you are aware that mandrel mounted wire wheels come in two basic shank shapes, round and hex. My extensions take the hex shape, same as most of the bits that I have. The chucks, which are a quick-release or posi-lock design using a spring loaded locking collar, also accept the hex mandrel. At that point the question became, do I have an 1-1/4--1-1/2 diameter wire wheel mounted on a hex mandrel? Turned out that the big blue bin that stores all my mandrel wheels and wire brushes and assorted other stuff like disposable paint brushes for fibreglass etc., had two of them stashed in there.
Loaded the first one into the chuck and tried to stuff it down the throat of the tube; Uh-uh no go. So unchucked it and tried the second. The second was the same diameter, about an inch and a half, but was thinner in overall thickness with less bristles. Apparently that made it more flexible as it would actually screw itself down the throat of the tube!!
At that point the final problem became depth. If I drove the wheel down too deep it would pop out the other end and not want to return. So I did a fast guesstimate as to how far in I wanted to rock and roll, deducted an inch or so for the threads at the lower end, and then measured down the shaft from the face of the wheel to where I wanted to stop and wound a strip of masking tape around the shaft at that point. Worked.
Both tubes were totally sludged up with I dunknow what and it took repeated passes with Deep Creep and then WD40 as a rinse agent to clean out the Crud. After that it was blue shop towels and use the shaft like you would to clean a muzzle loader. Multiple passes and then candle the shaft to the light to see what's to be seen. Lather, rinse, repeat. Did have to stop part way through and rinse out the wire wheel as it had become almost full of crud itself and needed a good bath and rinse to clean the bristles.
Two tubes later, they were both clean to a point where I could call it quits for the present. Both of them will get additional attention using my double shaft assembly as a gun barrel rod and blue shop towel soaked with either varsol or brake cleaner or both? as needed before they go to the assembly table and get a fresh set of guts. The goal is to have a patch go through the tube and come out as clean as when it went in. Think of it as a session in long gun barrel cleaning only the barrel is a lot larger in diameter!
For now they are wrapped up in the shop version of swaddling clothes and sit on top of my S-10 project parts tote box, and waiting for me to get back on them. That is already on the delay list as I just received my warning notice for shifts going forward into February. Bleah.
Nick
