OK, I started cleaning up this Champion blower. I don't want to break anything and have not yet. Has anyone had one of these apart? Particularly the small spiral gear?  The closed end cap appears it may be stamped steel and not cast? Which end should come first and or does the bottom big gear need to come out next? The bottom gear is stuck fast. The small gear and shaft turn as far as the gear teeth will let it. I probably could get the big gear freed up and turning but I'd really like to remove it to do a good cleaning if I can. I have worked with cast iron before and like I said, I don't want to break anything!

 

 

It's coming apart in spite of myself. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the end caps on the crank shaft are threaded! 

Well that's done. Now I'll have to find something else to tinker with. 

 

A coat of paint? How's it work?

Frosty The Lucky.

Oh no, No paint Frosty. I may hit it with some Owatrol oil or I may not. I like original. It has a little gear noise but it may quiet down as the gears wear in. I really should have had new bearings and races for the fan shaft. I put the ball bearings in a baby food jar with some sand and brake cleaner and shook the devil out of them for quite a while and it cleaned them up quite a bit. It needed a new wood on the handle and appropriated one from an old cream separator crank. The base was loose from the stand too like they always are. I cut out the old rusty carriage bolt and found a new one for it. It's tight now. 

Wasn't it originally painted red? Just razzing you, the age patina looks good too.

They make a little noise no surprise. Mine makes a gear hum like every other one I've heard that wasn't rattling. I'd just put new bearings in it they were made to be replaced.

What you using for oil?

Frosty The Lucky.

So far all that I have on the gears is some spray chain lube I had on the bench. I need to find a new oiler for the 1/8 NPT hole and squirt in a little 30w engine oil. Yes, I think whats left of the red is probably original. It must have been good paint because this thing has sat outside for years. Where would I find new bearings for it?

After measuring every part of the bearing, inside, outside Dia. thickness, you already know it's ball bearings, then find a bearing book and start looking.  I spent hours looking for odd bearings when I worked for a NAPA store that also was a tractor dealer.  Can usually find something.  Don't expect the counter people to do the looking.  There are a number of bearing companies as well, we use to joke Bearings R US. 

After measuring every part of the bearing, inside, outside Dia. thickness, you already know it's ball bearings, then find a bearing book and start looking.  I spent hours looking for odd bearings when I worked for a NAPA store that also was a tractor dealer.  Can usually find something.  Don't expect the counter people to do the looking.  There are a number of bearing companies as well, we use to joke Bearings R US. 

I probably already have modern type bearings on hand that would fit. But I'm NOT going to do that to it! I did not know if the original type were available?  They are loose ball bearings with fixed cup and adjustable cone like a bicycle. In web searching this style appears to be called a "cup and cone" bearing but most of the references I find pertain to bicycles. I guess if I had an old bike shop handy i would go look through their stash. 

Edited July 26, 201510 yr by Howard Raymond

If it's 100 yr old paint it's probably lead paint. Champion would paint their equipment any color you wanted for a charge, lots of hardware stores had equipment painted store colors from anvils, forges to shovels and hoes.

Were I messing with it here I'd pull the old bearing complete and drive into Anchorage to either Bearing Engineering or Besco and let them find a replacement. Grainger might have them too.

Frosty The Lucky.

If it works leave it be unless you have plans on building the next Ark!  Just said if you needed a bearing to make it work or work better there places to look. 

McMaster Carr has the balls. The race is shot, then you are out of luck.