Any workshop engineers/metal spinning gurus here?

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  • My pedals axles are a bit fucked so I was toying with the idea of getting someone to spin me up some replacements out of stainless steel bar. Just wondering if
    i)this is sensible/stupid/possible with stainless
    ii) going to be time consuming and therefore unaffordable

    The pedals are good, but spare parts aren't available.
    Oh and they're cartridge bearings, so no need for bearing surfaces or any of that guff - just a bit of thread cutting on the inside at the outer end to accept a bolt and some flats obviously for the pedal wrench.

    Any engineering expertise much appreciated

  • For information, the correct term is "turning" if you need to ask a machining firm to do it. Metal spinning is a process for forming thin sheet metal.
    The threads being left and right handed will present a problem for the threads to be formed using readily available dies to most engineering companies. This would probably mean the threads would be cut using a thread cutting tool on a lathe, a time consuming process.
    Will you provide the engineering drawings with machining dimensions, tolerances and surface finish requirements?
    There are many grades of stainless steel for this application something like 304 or 316 is fairly easy to machine.
    It will be stupidly expensive for a production run of a set of axles.

  • Which pedals?

  • Ok cheers - last time I was in a workshop I mentioned 'turning' and they got all arsey saying that turning was for woodworkers!
    But anyway - I would be able to provide the original article, so no drawings - but nothing that couldn't be measured with a micrometer anyway. For machining dimensions, tolerances and surface finish requirement - would it be unreasonable just to say "copy this one"? I don't want to get all AutoCAD on them just for a couple of axles - i.e. I doubt I'll be approaching the biggest company in town for this job, maybe just a jobbing metal worker.
    Tolerances, well - I'd just want them to make it the same as the original that I'd provide, i.e it's to fit a 63800 deep groove roller bearing at one end, so obviously the diameter at this point has to be 10mm +/- as little as possible! The other end would have a different diameter, but again, I'd refer them to the original.
    It's 316 so I presume no big deal?
    Oh and they're Suntour Superbes dmczone
    Cheers freezing77


  • These or the earlier model?

    Have you looked into spindles from MKS, the manufacturer?

  • Yep, that is them.
    I noticed that Bens or whatever they're called do replacement axles for RX-1s and they specifically state that they won't fit Suntour Superbes.
    I was thinking that if it was a relatively straightforward job then I'd pop up to a bloke I know in the sticks and get it done - an excuse for a rural bike ride and a bit of mucking about in a workshop, and a bit of a treat for myself in the form of some nice new axles.
    But if it comes to sourcing parts form Japan etc. or knocking up working drawings in autoCAD I'll probably just save up for some RX-1s.
    They're lovely pedals as I'm sure you know, so I was looking to keep them tidy for as long as possible instead of buying new ones...

  • Three pairs of Superbe Pro pedals have sold on eBay in the last week.

    Priced from £31-£47

    That might be an easier option.

  • Yeah I noticed a few pairs... I was considering buying a set for spares, as all the ones that have gone recently have been in fairly average nick.
    But then I thought that if I could do a bit of a restoration project for about about the same money I'd rather do that, you know, adding the personal touch blah blah.
    But yes, I've got my beady eye on the eBay....

  • An engineering company is going to charge you shitloads for 2 parts.

    A good idea is to find someone you know who's at a college involving lathes and ask them to knock them up for you. I had to learn how to use a lathe as part of my uni course, they gave us a week to build a high pressure, air powered, single piston engine. I had it done in 3 days and spent the rest of the time making a new seatclamp and fancy bolts for my BMX.

  • how about starting with an existing axle made of stainless that can be machined down to fit? i guess flat mtb/bmx pedals are slightly bigger/stronger. that way you have the crank thread already done.

  • how about starting with an existing axle made of stainless that can be machined down to fit? i guess flat mtb/bmx pedals are slightly bigger/stronger. that way you have the crank thread already done.

    genius! would probably be easy enough to do it yourself that way.

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Any workshop engineers/metal spinning gurus here?

Posted by Avatar for Richard_Cheese @Richard_Cheese

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