Oldtoolsnewproblems
ArboristSite Operative
I'm a little sad to give up my 100% hand split status but a good enough deal turned up that now I am working on a log splitter project. I got a 5" parker ram that looked in good shape, brand new hoses and a pump, but when I got home i found the flys in the ointment, or more specifically the water in the cylinder. thankfully the pump and valve were mostly capped up and had oil in them. now the cylinder on the other hand had a good squirt of water in it, so i pulled it apart, it's the flavor with a plate cap and base. the piston is perfect, only rust on the threads, plating is mint, but the cylinder walls have long lines of light rust in the top 80%, and the pocket under where the piston was hanging out has a fair bit of rust and pitting. I'm gonna use this thing regardless, becasue even with plenty of bypass it will still make a decent splitter, better than a "10 ton" electric one that puts out about nothing.
so the question is whats the best way to clean up the cylinder wall. should I take a wire wheel to it or is that too aggressive? my gut instinct is a scuffy pad on a whizzer, but if even thats too much I could cap it and put a quart of evaporust in there and roll it over once a day for a week or two. I'm hoping the 4 castiron rings will be a bit more forgiving of the pitting than o-rings would be.
so the question is whats the best way to clean up the cylinder wall. should I take a wire wheel to it or is that too aggressive? my gut instinct is a scuffy pad on a whizzer, but if even thats too much I could cap it and put a quart of evaporust in there and roll it over once a day for a week or two. I'm hoping the 4 castiron rings will be a bit more forgiving of the pitting than o-rings would be.