Post by RiliI'm after some really high quality allen keys or skate tools that will allow
me to take off wheels and do skate and bearing maintenance.
5/32 and 4mm are almost identical sizes but 4mm is slightly larger which
means that it will fit the heads of sockets better and be slightly less
prone to stripping.
Post by RiliThe allen key must be really hard and not strip easily. Are there any really
funky allen keys that are super hard?
One hint is if the wrench is bright silver in color or a dull gray/black.
A bright silver color is frequently zinc plating with clear chromate
conversion. This prevents rust very well.
However, if you use it on a hardened material, the plater has to bake the
parts midway through the process to prevent hydrogen embrittelment. The
embrittelment will cause parts to break in half rapidly the first time they
are tightened.
A screw with this problem is likely to have the head fall off in an hour or
so but there is no way to tell until it happens.
With proper techniques in manufacturing, hardened parts can be zinc plated
without the embrittelment problems
Chrome plating can be used and can give a hard surface but it tends to flake
off when stressed.
A dull gray/black color is likely to be zinc phosphate which doesn't prevent
rust as well but does not have the embrittelment problem for hardened parts.
(it can have it but only if it is used within 48 hours of plating)
Most real (rather than the freebies that come with the skates) allen
wrenches are hardened. I generally like the screwdriver and allen bits with
1/4" hex shanks. They all seem to be hardened well.
---- You didn't say what kind of skate hardware you are working with. If
you are having a stripping problem, I will guess that you have 2 or 3 piece
axles.
1 piece axles are generally used on speed or high end rec/fitness skates and
usually have an extremely deep socket which is hard to strip,
3 piece axles (screw - spacer - screw) are a pain in the posterior,
especially if the spacer is aluminum. The hex in the spacer tends to be
weak.
2 piece axles are the most common on skates other than racing frames.
Because of the small diameter of the screw needed to go inside the axle, the
hex socket (which is larger than would be standard for that thread size)
must be relatively shallow.
The custom made screws are not usually hardened (most standard internal hex
screws are surface hardened).
It is possible that you could replace them with a standard button head cap
screw that is surface hardened. If you do, you will probably need to get a
different hex key for them and you may need to use a washer under them to
get a larger bearing surface.
---- Most people (including me) over tighten small screws. In a factory,
the use of a torque limiting driver prevents that common tendency. The
larger then normal hex on the axle screws tends to encourage over
tightening.
Rollerblade had a great idea in the mid 90s. The screws and frame had a
wave surface that let it lock in place without being over tightened.
One way to be sure that the screws doesn't back out when assembled but not
over tightened, is to use a little thread locking liquid on it. They make
thread lockers (Loctite is a very common brand) in several strengths. You
only need one of the weaker (generally called removable) versions and only
need to use it every 2 or 3 times that you assemble the parts.
Post by RiliAlso need the other stuff that allows you to take out the bearings really
easily.
The tools depend on what size of axles you have. 6mm (1/4") axles have a
different spacer design than 8mm (3/8") axles.
With 6mm axles, you can push the bearings out with a 1/4" shank hex bit.
The tip of the bit fits inside the spacer but the corners of the bit are
large enough to push on the spacer and small enough to fit through the 3/16"
ID of the bearing.
I have a ratcheting skate tool that stores 4 bits in a handle that is made
to fit in the palm of the hand.
Unfortunately, the handle has a deep socket for the bits and they don't
stick out far enough to push the bearings out all the way. My technique
with it is to use it to push all the bearings out as far as they will go and
then take the bit out and just push them out the rest of the way with my
thumb.
With 8mm axles, it is more difficult since you can't just push on the
spacer.
I use a 3/8" cotter pin (with the loop flattened to provide a good surface
to push on) to push the far bearing out. You have to angle the pin sideways
so that it catches one edge of the far bearing.
I have seen racers use a screwdriver handle from a 1/2" socket wrench set.
The square end fits in the bearing and they twist the handle sideways to
twist the bearing out of the wheel. This seems to me to be abusive of the
bearing and the wheel.
There are tools that are 3/8" diameter with a groove near the end. You hook
the edge of the near bearing in the groove and pull.
--
Bill Fuhrmann
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P.S. I have been studying the various fasteners and other common parts that
we use at work and am learning way too many small details about them. We
have THOUSANDS of different screws, same with nuts, in the catalog of parts
that we have used.