Will brass steady rest pads hurt chrome rod?

[protrxrptr17]

I got a job boring a very large chrome plated cylinder rod. The customer told me that it was 8" outside diameter. I had planned on making a cathead (I think that is the term) to use in the steady to protect the finish. Well, they bring the material, it's 8 1/2". My steady will just barely accept the rod by itself, no room for a cathead. The rod is 8'' over length. That would be good because I could scratch it up on both ends and cut off after boring, but with the extra 8" my lathe is just shy of clearing the boring bar and the carriage will hit the steady. I have to bore the existing 3 1/2" bore to 4". The rod is 60" long now. Finished length is 52". Yeah, I know that is a mighty deep hole to bore, but I got that problem solved (I think). The tolerances are very loose and surface finish doesn't matter. It's just an oil passage. Can I cut it to length, use brass pads under my chuck jaws and let the steady ride on the chrome? The raw material was very expensive and I CANNOT ding it at all. Any suggestions?

[tc26]

When I worked in a hydraulic shop, we all ran well oiled leather between the chrome rod and the brass on the steady rest arms. You can use a strap and hit all three arms with one piece of leather. Keep rod and leather well oiled and free of debris during your operation.

[scadvice]

... better than roller bearings with delrin pressed on the outer race because you have to turn inside edge lips on both inside edges to keep them from walking off and they can roll over chips ect (PS- anyone out there ever wants to know how make a roller bearing set to replace the pads, PM me, there is a learning curve).

The leather will be somewhat self wiping and protect from chips.

Another thought is adding a spray misting unit with 5 wt spindle oil in it (If you have one laying around) spraying on the pad running area. Just mist very lightly so it doesnt spatter to much with alot of air. It will blow chips off the contact area and also constantly cool the leather, Plus, if it does get too hot, it will smoke and warn you before damaging the finish.
Steve

[protrxrptr17]

Well, I just finished up this job. I talked to the customer and he said it would be ok if the very ends of the part got rubbed a little. The only time seals will touch the ends is during assembly. Theres a barely noticeable groove or two. The idea I had for tooling worked pretty well after some trial and error. I took a piece of 3" stress proof and welded 2 tool bits lengthwise on either side of it. Took a few tries to get the geometry right, but overall the job went pretty smooth. I came in just about right for my quote and I didn't have to spend any money on tooling. It also helped me get my foot in the door for future jobs with this customer. They told me they couldn't get anybody else in the state to do it. Thanks for the suggestions, I will be getting some leather for future jobs even though I didn't use it this time.

[vlmarshall]

Congrats! I'm glad to hear it went well.

[chenry]

turned more chrome plated rod than i care to think about. it is always handy to
know what the thickness of the chrome plating and the condition of the material underneath. chromed and induction hardened will run on bearings, just keep the chips out of it.

the best way is to make a set of shrink rings out of bearing bronze. @ 1/8" wall thickness. heat and slip on the rod. go to town

other things that have worked

take a strip of teflon ptfe wear strip and wrap it around the shaft and clmp it between the opening of the steady.

bearing races and green loctite

ymmv