Yoon said: > I need your collective wisdom on (1) how to "unstuck" a > seriously rusted valve... > I tried WD-40... WD-40 is not a penetrating oil for rusted parts. It is merely a lubricant. I have seen cans of "PB Blaster" appear on a few machine shop workbenches, making me think that it is an improvement over traditional penetrating oils, like "Liquid Wrench". One trick I have used is to apply the penetrating oil, soak the rusted threads for a few days, and then use a hand torch and some water to heat up and then rapidly cool down the valve a dozen times, breaking the rust up so that the valve can be unscrewed from the tank. A large monkey wrench with a 4-foot length of "steam pipe" slid over the handle can help here. Assuming that the valve has a "standard" size and thread, one can replace it with a new valve. I doubt that the valve itself can be salvaged if it is so badly rusted. > Finally, I need to replace the dead-gum plastic gear in my > Hand Crank Radial 9/18 Maxan Extractor. Don't understand why > they put plastic junk in there in the first place. Most plastic gears are designed in with deliberate intent. Lots of motor and gear assemblies have this "feature", the most common being kitchen appliances, like mixers. The idea is that the plastic gear is a "mechanical fuse", protecting more expensive motor and remainder of the "transmission" from mangling. If this plastic gear stripped on a hand-cranker, then I'd guess that something else needs replacing, perhaps the spring that acts as a "clutch" for the handle has gotten sloppy, and also needs to be replaced. Does the handle disengage when you get the extractor "up to speed"? jim (Amish Tech Support) :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and other info --- ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::