Topic: powdercoating comstars gone wrong. Im an idiot.

[Flying J]

i didnt take the bearings out of the wheel before i powder coated it because i figured it would protect the threads and the bearing surface. But what it did was make a mess on top of the bearing retaining ring and now i cant get it off. Any ideas are welcome. Im going to try heat and a wire wheel. I hope i dont ruin it. Is the front a reverse thread or standard?

[Patrick]

Aircraft paint stripper, which you can buy at Walmart or Home Depot, melts powder coat.

[Industrial Cafe]

its standard thread, and try a wire wheel on a dremel, they're tiny and more detailed.

[mystic_1]

I'd cut it out at this point.  Drill most of the way through the retainer carefully in two or three places, using a bit that just smaller than the retainer is thick.  Then use a chisel to remove the retainer in chunks.  If you're careful you can avoid dinging the threads.

mystic_1

[Flying J]

Got it!!
I used the aircraftstripper and a propane torch along with my makeshift tool. Sombody realy should make a socket and sell it for this purpose.
Thanks for the fast help.

[Industrial Cafe]

awesome

[rzmike]

Not sure what size you would need, but here are some retainer removal sockets. Also work on wp fork caps and hyundai brake caliper pistons.
http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/tools/category/bearing_retainer_removal_and_installation_tools/

This is an awsome tool for removing the bearings

http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/partno/08-0269/

Mike

[Flying J]

This is what i used to get the bearings out. Worked great.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95987

[IainC]

Got some pictures of the whole wheels now that they are powdercoated?

[Flying J]

Ill post some when i get them on the bike. Right now i only have the front one done. I had a spare front so i had it done when i did my 550 rims. Here are a few pics by my 550. I was thinking about putting comstars on it.


here is my makeshift bearing retainer tool. You can see the rear bearing is not coming out as it bent the 2 screws and it still hasnt budged. Im going to try drilling the holes deeper.

[jtb]

Damn, that's almost the same reainer tool I've got.  Use shorter screws.

[mystic_1]

Im going to try drilling the holes deeper.

The small holes you drilled to remove the punch marks, yes?  two or three threads worth of depth should do it, say around 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep.

To keep your bolts from bending, you can use thicker bolts and file down the ends to fit the holes in the retainers.

mystic_1