Tascione

Finished my first pivot and it came out great.

Second one, snap, drill bit broke off.

Any ideas how to get that drill bit out? Should I just make a new arbor?

The arbor measures .095, and I have a rod .094. Is that close enough?

Is the wheel and pinion friction fitted? Any trick to removing them without damage?

Locktite for securing to the wheel and pinion new arbor?

Thanks,

Barry

I had a similar occurrence. I was able to soften the bit with my torch and drill it enough to fit a new pivot. I used piano wire so did not have to re harden the new pivot. I used a centering bit in my Sherline to start the new hole in the arbor. If you are at the point of tossing it and making a new arbor, it would certainly be worth a try.

What did that torch do to the arbor, or to the wheel with the heat transfer?

I held the arbor in a large vise and heated the end with a butane torch. I think the vise absorbs a lot of the heat from running down the arbor. In this case, I just applied the heat to the end of the arbor to where the bit was broken off in. I don't know if the arbor was hardened as I was just concerned with trying to drill into the end far enough to anchor a new pivot.

While you can make a new arbor, might I suggest cap pivots? These can be had from various suppliers such a Ronell Clock. I think Timesavers may have them as well. You could also make your own. While cap pivots may not be the choice for most repairs, in this situation I feel that they would be perfectly acceptable.

Just my 2 cents...

Jim