Wireless Set No. 52 Canadian - Project

[David Dunlop]

This part of the project was starting to raise my eyebrows and heart rate more than I felt was attractive.

Andoc-C was discontinued 15 to 20 years ago and from reading between the lines of the limited documentation on line, the main reason seemed to be that by that time, most smaller, electric high speed motors had switched to sealed bearings. If they failed and the motor died, there were no bearings to repack.

I ended up contacting ExxonMobil directly, the original makers of Andoc-C to find out what replacements they could recommend and they were very helpful.

Andoc-C (ExxonMobil refer to it as ‘Andok-C’) was discontinued without a direct replacement. It was a very firm NLGI 4 grease with a sodium complex thickener and a mineral base oil with a viscosity of 93 cSt at 40 degrees C. Based on the data I provided them for the 52-Set Dynamotors, they recommended a pair of NLGI 3 grease products that are currently available, the specifications of which come pretty close to the original Andok-C.

The first is Unirex N 3. This is a grease with a lithium complex thickener, for higher speed bearing applications as in smaller electric motors, using either roller or deep race ball bearings (as are in the two Robbins & Myers Dynamotors) and if the motor is mounted in a vertical position, the grease will not leak out the seals.

The second recommendation was Mobil Polyrex EM 103. This grease comes with a urea based thickener, a slightly narrower operating and spec range than the Unirex N 3, and is designed more for much larger, industrial electric motors. This latter focus shows up when you start pricing both greases on-line. Mobil Polyrex grease is very hard to find in quantities less than 15-kilo pails. On the other hand, the Unirex N 3 is readily available in standard grease gun cartridges.

So I am going to go with the Unirex N 3 product. The one other thing ExxonMobil commented on was I need to be sure to clean out all the old grease before repacking with either new grease. The sodium based Andok-C will not be compatible at all with either current grease as far as water/moisture is concerned.

One more step closer to being able to restore the main Supply Unit assembly.


David

[James D Teel II]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

I ended up contacting ExxonMobil directly, the original makers of Andoc-C to find out what replacements they could recommend and they were very helpful.
David

It's pretty sweet that this corporations are willing to help. So many this days would just ignore you or tell you that you're out of luck.

[David Dunlop]

I finally got the available data on the Shakeproof Washers sorted out and into a spreadsheet, copy attached.

I am sure there are a lot more Shakeproof washers out there, but this list was assembled simply from the washers identified in the Hardware List for the Wireless Set No. 19 Mk III Cdn and the Hardware List for the Wireless Set No. 52 Canadian.

The Shakeproof washers found in the 52-Set have been highlighted for quick reference but please bear in mind, many or all of these highlighted items can also be found in the 19-Set Mk III Cdn.

Hope this helps a bit.

David

[David Dunlop]

I removed the two Shakeproof No. 18 Cowl Fasteners from the front panel this evening, so this panel is now free standing and ready for restoration.

The tricky part of removing these fasteners is getting the old Cross Pin out of the stud. I have found a two-step process that works pretty well when the Cross Pins are intact and straight. I manoeuvre the panel and fastener over one end of my bench vise such that the stud rests along the opening of the jaws, which are open only enough for the pin to fir into the gap. While holding that all in place, I then tap one end of the Cross Pin gently down until it is reasonably flush with the stud. I can then put a small set of vise grip pliers on the exposed end of the Cross Pin and tug it straight out. The current maker of the Cross Pins does not recommend twisting the pin as you pull, as you run a really good risk of snapping the pin and will end up trying to drift it out with a small pin punch. Doing that runs the risk of oversizing the hole in the stud and the replacement Cross Pin will no longer stay put.


David

[David Dunlop]

Hi James.

Yes, when original suppliers are still around, and are still proud of their corporate history, it makes a huge difference when working on projects like this, so far after production.

David

[David Dunlop]

This is a photo of the front panel plate from this assembly showing the bend in it I will have to remove. The bottom end of the plate is to the left of the photo.

I think it should straighten out just fine with a little hammer work one morning down the road.

David

[David Dunlop]

I started removing the paint from the front panel of this assembly today, The paint had cracked along the bottom section of the panel where the bend in it took place, and it seemed like a good test area to see how easy the task would be to remove the lower section of paint.

Considering this panel was repainted in 1966, it was pretty much guaranteed a lead based paint had been used, so I was not interested at all in sanding it down. I also was not in the mood to bundle up and drive over to the nearest hardware store for a can of stripper, so decided scraping it off would work just fine. By setting the panel at the front of a large brown paper bag, I can scrape towards the bag and all the little bits fly happily into it, and not my pail of fresh tea at the side of the bench.

The red oxide primer that turned up on the back of the grey paint chips confirmed this was indeed a 1966 rebuild. A grey primer was used by Canadian Marconi for all their paint priming of the other front panels on the 52-Set. Whoever repainted this panel at 202 Workshop did an excellent job. Once all the paint is removed, I will do the straightening of the panel and give it a light sanding before repainting it.


David