Brake shoe crack

[Howard Wright]

Hi All

I’ve just finished fitting new linings to some 1 1/4 shoes to be used as a spare set.

Imagine my annoyance when I discovered this crack! 


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I can only think I’ve been a bit too heavy knocking out the old rivet or with the air hammer fitting the new rivet.  Luckily I have a spare shoe…..but it got me wondering how serious this crack actually is?  It won’t progress across the shoe further than the rivet hole and is possibly not too highly stressed.

Any comments before I chuck it in the bin?

Howard

[Chris KC]

Would I tell a "client" that was OK? - no, because the potential liability isn't worth it. If a shoe did break up under load - however unlikely that might be - things could get nasty.

Might I use it temporarily if I didn't have a better one? I guess I might.

Do you have a pal who can weld aluminium?

[Ruairidh Dunford]

A lot of them do this these days, they are nearly 100 years old and it is to be expected.

I just bin them, there are still many second hand available and Jamie sells brand news ones at a very reasonable cost.

[Chris KC]

I didn't know Jamie has new ones - good call. 
In that case, and for that price, it would scarcely be worth trying to repair a damaged shoe.

[Steve Jones]

I have one here in my 'Black Museum' that came from one of my cars a long time ago. It had actually broken across the full width so it was in two parts and then had been very neatly glued back together with epoxy glue by a previous owner!!

   


Steve

[Robert Leigh]

A welded aluminium component will have unseen stresses in it. I would only weld such a component as a last resort.

[Reckless Rat]

Perhaps we could start a new thread called "The chamber of horrors" where we can post interesting "modifications" that have been done over the years. There used to be an agony column in Practical Motorist just after the Earth cooled entitled "Garage Mechanic's Diary" which often featured some horror stories.

In my former life I have witnessed some things that would make your blood curdle and I'm sure there are still cars about on the roads in a similar state.

[Charles P]

If I was a cruel man I'd suggest that's a good reason not to use an air hammer on your brake shoes

[Howard Wright]

If I was a cruel man I'd suggest that's a good reason not to use an air hammer on your brake shoes

Yes

Very cruel. But probably true.

Howard

[Duncan Grimmond]

I'd agree that an air hammer can be a bit too insensitive for that kind of work on a component which could be 60 years old...
I know it can be tricky but I'd always be tempted to set the rivets by hand.