Ted E. Baer wrote:
> Does anyone remember the procedure for "ironing out" pits in hub
> bearing races? As a teen, I remember these super serious guys at the
> shop with the little wire framed glasses and scruffy beards repacking
> their old pitted Campagnolo hubs (which were laced to wheels) with
> Simi-Chrome--yes, Simi-Chrome. Then they would ride around on said
> wheels for a certain amount of miles in hopes of removing wear and
> pitting on the internal race of the hub shell.
>
> If I wanted to try this, (and I doubt many here recommend I do,) how
> much Simi-Chrome should I put in the hub before fitting balls, cones,
> and shaft? How tight should the hub be? Standard adjustment--(bit
> of pre-load?)
This wasn't done to remove pits but to polish the unpolished races in cheap hubs. I don't think this would work well to remove pits as the pits represent fretting damage that likely extends all the way through the case hardening on the races. If you were to polish the pits out, you would remove the all the hardening on the races so the balls would be running on unhardened metal.
If you do want to try it (not much to lose, I suppose), use disposable cones as well so you don't ruin a good set. Pack it just like you would with grease and use an electric drill instead of riding if you want to save time. 10 minutes or so ought to suffice.
--
-John Thompson (john@os2.dhs.org)
Appleton WI USA