Now the real fun begins Eh ? I think many prospective restorers are going to enjoy this one.
Well you've stripped it down good and proper and that's the best way to start with a restoration.
I'm sure you're pretty well versed with paint and rust stripping as you did such a stunning job with that Kirby engine.
Some close up photos of the drive gears ect. would be superb documentation for assessment purposes of the machine's overall condition in general.
As far as the rear Roller Bearing is concerned they are still available but damm expensive I might add. They are a trolley type bearing and thus are not close tolerance High speed bearings as we are used to seeing.
There has been a new development in replacing this bearing by having a standard bearing used inside an outer machined up sleeve so it retains the original dimensions as those measurements are not available in any generic bearing that's on public sale. Regardless this new replacement isn't cheap either.
Just for interest I've never found myself in a position to have to replace those bearings as they are hard wearing units that turn at very slow speed, thus they generally last forever. These New replacements are available from the seller "OPE Parts" on eBay. Cam is a very obliging chap that is always willing to help SB Restorers out.
As far as the pictured reel is concerned it looks like it's been Bead Blasted ??, This is probably the most time effective way of stripping any reel as I've spent up to 5 hours completely stripping a 20 inch 8 blade unit by hand using mechanical means. This isn't fun I might add.
For Now...........................
Cheers, BB.
I live a 24 Hour lifestyle, but every now and again I seem to fall asleep, well at least that's what my wife tells me.
