Hey. wondering if anyone knew of a Spray or Cleaner that’s good for the Rails and V Wheels. Main I used my air compressor wand thinking that was going to remove the dust, but that stuff seems to be solidified to the wheels???
Taking all suggestions other than:
Air Gun - Tried That
Stiff Bristled Brush - Tried That
Soft Bristled Brush - Tried That
Plastic Razor Blade - Tried That
I vacuum, and then use a micro-fiber cloth and if need be a cotton swab.
So spraying a degreaser may not be a good idea huh?
I blow with the air hose, then hit it with the shop-vac. I keep shop paper towels (the thicker blue ones) for a wipe of the v wheels and v’s. There also some isopropyl alcohol on hand to get the fine stuff that crusts to the wheels and v’s. But when the material is dusty, keeping the Sweepy at the right height helps a lot.
Any cleaning material used would need to be safe for both Delrin and rubber.
Alright guys…just go ahead and point me to the replacement pack (if carbide or someone sells them) as well as a tutorial or video on how to go aboout replacing them, because it;s so caked on, the whole machine sounds like a Bus on a Bumpy road when moving : (
We have them in our Maintenance Kit:
I turn my machine (SO3) off and use a stiff nylon brush while pushing the gantry around to clean the v-wheels. Works good for wood. The Aluminum might get embedded so cleaning after every job might work better than occasional cleaning. The sprays might effect the bearings eventually and the air just moves the chips around. The brush leaves the flakes under the wheels so easier to clean up.
It is a dirty job but someone has to do it.
Has anybody ever made a tutorial? video or typed on how to go about replacing them in the event one needs to? in my head I’d need to take the whole darn machine back apart…so hopefully someone figured out a way to “not” have to do “that”?
You can remove one V wheel at a time and replace them — it’s pretty straight-forwards.
how do you even remove them though Will?
Use a wrench to hold the nut, loosen the bolt w/ a hex key, then pull the bolt and the V wheel and washers should drop off — replacement is the reverse.
Hey thanks. let me try one and see if I can get it
This video shows adjustment, so you can infer some from there.
Hey thanks, I really appreciate that
ok, so I think I remember watching that particular video, it’s showing how to “tighten” or “adjust tension”.
I’m trying to learn how to “remove” them for either better cleaning or replacement.
I just tried sticking my allen in while turning wrench counter clockwise and I swear I spinned that thing around for an entire two minutes without the wheel even looking like it wants to come off??? What am I doing wrong?
Do you have a wrench on the opposing nut?
yes, the allen wrench on one side and a combo wrench on the other turning it counter clockwise, is that wrong
To be clear only the bottom v-wheel adjusts. The top wheels do not adjust. When replacing the v-wheel be sure to replace the washer that is between the plate and the v-wheel. I find that getting the bolt, washer and v-wheel and eccentric nut lined up and the bolt started without letting the washer drop is hard. So I stick an allen wrench in through the eccentric nut side and then push it out with the bolt. That way the washer does not fall out.
The reason the washer is so important is it spaces the v-wheel away from the plate. If you leave out the washer the v=wheel binds against plate and will not turn properly.
After getting the bolt washer and v-wheel slightly tightened use the allen wrench to hold the bolt steady and use a wrench to adjust the eccentric until the v-wheel just touches the rail. You should be able to push on the v-wheel and the wheel just move the gantry or Z axis. You want it to just touch plus a little but not flatten out the tire. Just enough contact to move the gantry or Z axis. If the wheel just spins you do not have it tight enough. If you cannot get the gantry or Z axis to move you likely have the v-wheel too tight. It is a Goldilocks thing it has to be just right.
If you look at the eccentric nuts there is a divot at the highest spot in the eccentric circle. So have that divot pointing down and that gives the least amount of tension on the eccentric. That will help get the bolt, washer and nut aligned and slightly tightened without interfering with getting things aligned up when the eccentric would in the tightest position on the plate.
The picture is the HD Eccentric Nut which they put on newer machines. Older machines have smaller eccentric nuts and I am not sure they have the divot. However you can visually look at the eccentric and put the thinnest part facing up
im having difficulty even getting the v wheel to remove. not sure what’s the issue. It seems to just be spinning and spinning but not coming off
