My most used piece of MOW equipment is my Railbroom. Over the years the brush part has become worn. I bought a bottle brush to replace it but I can’t figure out how to get the bearings and pulley off the old one. Has anyone done this before?
It looks like there is a brass ring that grips the twisted metal wire that holds the bristles. It is not crimped on. Could solder hold it on but let’s not damage the bearings with the heat? Maybe glue?
Any ideas on how to take this apart?
Maybe with some solder
use a bearing puller, or as can also be donesince it’s the bristles that need to be replaced. open your vice enough to slide the axle of the brush between the two jaws with the bearing on the top of the jaws. use a rod or center punch to drive the axle and sleeve out of the bearing. It is more than likely just pressure that holds the bearing in place
the other thing to check for is if the ends of the brass piece are peined over or flared out some. run a file around the edges to remove.
I’m starting to think it might be glued on.
The photo with the pulley shows the ends of the twisted wire that holds the bristles. It looks like the brass sleeve and bearing were put on possibly glued and then filed to remove a sharp bit. There is a bit of scoring on the brass sleeve.
I’m going to try as David suggested. Putting it in the vice and giving it some gentle encouragement with a hammer and punch. If that doesn’t budge it I will apply a bit of heat and a wiggle.
