brake Cross shafts

[dchw1975]

Hi,

So having had alot of trouble adjusting the coupled brakes I found by using my phone to record a video that the inner cross shaft was basically not moving when using the foot brake. after taking apart I found three things that I think are probable cause for this either individually or in collection and wanted a bit of hive mind input please

1) The compensator that dangles off the end of the larger diameter cross shaft is completely seized (I can move it but this requires a large hammer and a big vice)
2) The fork that fit onto the smaller full width cross-shaft and is moved by the lever to which the compensator from (1) is attached was extremely splayed out when compared to two others that I have.
3) the small full width shaft has a non-trivial amount of play in the bushes where it fits into the larger short shaft.

I am freeing (1), crushed (2) back to the same width as other forks but am unsure whether I can get new bushes for (3)...

What do others think and does anyone have the diameters easily to hand of those two bushes needed for the inside of the short cross shaft??

Cheers

David 'the unbraked one'

[Ian Williams]

Make the bushes from some Zinc sheet. This is very easy to do as zinc is quite soft, cut a strip fold a narrow flange (1/16") over a couple of bits of angle iron in the vice, wrap it round a mandrel, the shaft is suitable, and close with a jubilee clip.

[spannerman]

Need to buy some zinc to make these as well
We're do I. Get zinc plate from ?

[Ian Williams]

In the UK I have no idea, however Zinc sheet is frequently used in the roofing industry here for flashings, I would have thought a few calls to sheet metal suppliers, or industrial roofers would locate a source for you.

[Bob Culver]

For the benefit of any puzzled by original post, it apparently refers to the later Ruby assembly which incorporates front/back compensation. How many cwt pressure is reqd to spread the large fork??! Is it common?

[Biddlecombe]

For zinc sheet, strip the casing off D size torch batteries.

[Ian Williams]

What gauge is battery zinc please? I assume rather too thin for this application, but I may be wrong and always useful to learn of another source in small quantities.

[dchw1975]

Yes sorry maybe the original post wasn't clear enough that yes this is for the Ruby crossshaft with compensation.

In my very large vice it didn't seem to take too much pressure to squeeze the fork back to original size.

David

[Robert Leigh]

Sheet zinc is readily available at ironmongers and builders merchants in France, where it is extensively used on roofing for flashing and rainwater downpipes. We would use lead in UK.
Robert Leigh

[Ruairidh Dunford]

Need to buy some zinc to make these as well
We're do I. Get zinc plate from ?

This probably too thin, but a thorough search will find something for sure...


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/High-Purity-9...SwbrRbWHMy