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)

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