Removing a large stuck hydraulic piston - GIF

[Jon]

Removing a large stuck hydraulic piston.



Previously:

https://www.homemadetools.net/forum/...215#post101010
Chinese employees working inside a hydraulic press - video

[Frank S]

Really smart filling a cylinder with compressed air then beating on it to dislodge the gland. NOT!

[ranald]

Really smart filling a cylinder with compressed air then beating on it to dislodge the gland. NOT!

I used compressed air to remove concrete headstones from moulds as 99%+ were previously unrepairable. The local authority, I worked for at the time of my idea, were supposed to pay staff ($300) that saved money, earnt them money, or reduced complaints. In return, they owned any idea/invention that staff came up with ( had to sign an agreement before employment. I saved them heaps but the manager refused to pay me the $300 as he thought it was someone else's idea. I had simply reversed a woodworking theme of suction to a table. Idiots; as I had heaps of ideas but didn't share after the successful implementation of the compressed air through a tyre (tire) valve stem without receiving the lousy 300$.

[suther51]

Some times works to separate 5 gal buckets, just not as much a cardiac work out with out all that adrenaline in the video.
Eric

[tooly]

I used same method to separate fiberglass moulds works very well.
As for companies taking advantage I can understand your position,I had an idea to save a big food company loosing product on the conveyor line due to the product jamming on the line prior to a change in to a storage tray system and incoming units crashing and destroying themselves. I spotted a method of relieving this but the company did not offer any reward so they lost out on saving costs. Stingy companies get what they deserve.

[bimmer1980]

I'd be curious to know how much air pressure they had built up in there. With that size of cylinder, even a moderate air pressure would build up quite some force.

Obviously nobody thought thru what would happen when came apart!

Not even safety glasses....

[Toolmaker51]

I used compressed air to remove concrete headstones from moulds as 99%+ were previously unrepairable. The local authority, I worked for at the time of my idea, were supposed to pay staff ($300) that saved money, earnt them money, or reduced complaints. In return, they owned any idea/invention that staff came up with ( had to sign an agreement before employment. I saved them heaps but the manager refused to pay me the $300 as he thought it was someone else's idea. I had simply reversed a woodworking theme of suction to a table. Idiots; as I had heaps of ideas but didn't share after the successful implementation of the compressed air through a tyre (tire) valve stem without receiving the lousy 300$.

At a fabrication/ manufacturing company right here in Kansas City I implemented a full inspection tools inventory with Excel. Gauges, instruments, assembly fixtures. Every item had its name [ID], or brand, associated part number, description, size, and storage location in columns. Each item used strictly equal language; (ie), not gauge or gage, fixture or jig, calipers weren't micrometers, etc. Fully Ctrl-F searchable, any correct term would highlight those matches; indicating last user. If you didn't know correct identification, hovering cursor over a title activated a nice little JPEG of it. All the shop personnel appreciated the simplicity and usability.

The expediter-semi supervisor [known here as dufus1] gave me a handshake.
I emailed my reply. Describes another industry, message is the same.

[ranald]

At a fabrication/ manufacturing company right here in Kansas City I implemented a full inspection tools inventory with Excel. Gauges, instruments, assembly fixtures. Every item had its name [ID], or brand, associated part number, description, size, and storage location in columns. Each item used strictly equal language; (ie), not gauge or gage, fixture or jig, calipers weren't micrometers, etc. Fully Ctrl-F searchable, any correct term would highlight those matches; indicating last user. If you didn't know correct identification, hovering cursor over a title activated a nice little JPEG of it. All the shop personnel appreciated the simplicity and usability.

The expediter-semi supervisor [known here as dufus1] gave me a handshake.
I emailed my reply. Describes another industry, message is the same.

V E R Y INTERESTING-Thanks for posting. Side track= reminds me of early 80's when i was somewhat more tech savvy & working in admin. I set up & correlated & intrepreted some very sensitive data on a program called Lotus 1 2 3. BCCouncil had (if i remember correctly) the first 3 personal computers in the southern hemisphere that were also mainframe terminals. (they had over a 1/2 billion budget back then after loosing about 50 percent to an electricity board), Only a few personnel were allowed/authorised to use the computers/terminals. Someone hacked/saw my log-in & leaked some data from one of my spread sheets. Of course, I was a suspect, as it was my spreadsheet: anyway they mucked up some of the figures given to media & I was able to prove my innocence or lack of corruption. LOTUS 123 was the Excel of the day & not as it was claimed to be "USER FRIENDLY". No one wanted to be my friend or shake my hand unless they were not fraudulent as I gathered lots of financial info proving theft. Eions ago. LOL

[Toolmaker51]

re:

Removing a large stuck hydraulic piston.

Warning

Sitting here Sunday morning, thoughts centered on manufacturing and industry, as usual. Wondering if 'our' first decades around mechanical equipment was equally hazardous or at least misguided. Likely, such was the case.
Being first or early in a field is some kind of reasonable excuse. That was 90 to 160 years ago.
Everywhere there are industrious workers; jobs to do, supporting families, and probably not set up for every imaginable task, mishaps will occur.

I'm appalled videos like these appear, a few decades into age of readily accessed information. Always onlookers, hands folded, idle spectators without concern, just nothing better to do. Not to mention someone recording same....If the audience has any supervisory role, that's even worse. Guy in center screen, grey leisure suit was appropriately dressed; being the last to react. Lol.

Maybe a thousand of us watched this. Must be a third realize what happened. Paused video, I don't see a pressure line, but no question cylinder is charged. Blast doesn't show fluid, just condensation. One mechanic knows it won't take much, prodding via long handled 6-8 pound sledge, standing far back as possible. But an assistant squats right at separation zone. No evidence of maintaining parallel orientation piston to barrel, restraining the barrel, or whether plain old gravity was tried first. Surely not intentional or considered, what did the suspended rod impact? Obvious with a crane on site, this isn't a remote location or backyard.

So what benefit is this age of information? There are government bodies wanting it restricted, monitored, censored both inbound and out. Oddly enough, might be those who need it the most. History has many instances of information restricted, banned, even collected for destruction; always with nefarious intent.

Secondly, recall the HMT post about our first exposure to catalogs, machinery's handbook, devouring really anything crossing our paths about engineering and mechanics. So even with change in format, feeds urge to consume AND RETAIN it, our interests and daily work combine to feed and house us.
I don't think you have an industrialized nation otherwise; just drones and worker ants.

Come to think of it, lower creatures are genetically disposed to perform tasks. A life just community oriented not as individuals. The higher creatures teach skills to their young.

[Frank S]

You cannot expect every maintenance facility to have the proper equipment for repairing hyd. cylinders.
In my machine and fabrication shop I made a lot of custom hyd cylinders so to test them I also had a 30 ft long test stand made out of a large "H" beam with a small hyd pump and tank I could use it for either testing or tearing down. A good friend of mine was leasing a small area from me for his hydraulic repair business( mostly pumps valves and motors). His business fit mine like a glove. But one day he had a very small at least small to me hydraulic cylinder to tear down. I was busy so he decided to tear it down his self which he often did. Instead of mounting it in the test stand he just clamped the little 15 lb cylinder in a vice then used compressed air to blow it apart. That in itself would not have been huge deal if he had strapped the rod do it could not take off like an unguided missile, but 175 PSI shop air against a 4" diameter piston was enough to send it to the roof 25 feet above. We all know that if something goes up once it looses vertical momentum it is going to come down somewhere which it did right on top of a thick steel fabrication table. The only real damage was that our hearts must have briefly stopped.
After that it didn't matter how small, if a cylinder couldn't be pulled apart by hand or a small pry bar it was put in the test stand.