Rings on overhead shafts.

[Boringgeoff]

Morning all,

On the Handtools Unpowered forum under Drilling straight with Brace and bit at post No 13 pmclegendgee has posted a Roy Underhill video of a framing shop in USA.
His reason for posting this vid was in reply to my comment that as a kid in Nizzlend the overhead in Dads woolshed had old piston rings slipped over the shafts that would run back and forth when the plant was running.
I don't remember being given a reason why they were there, but in the video they explain they're called mice and they keep the dust and rust off.
Up until the time I left the farming industry I had been in a lot of woolsheds but have never seen this practice, so my query is, how common was this in factories and works where overhead shafts were used?

Regards,
Geoff.

[shedhappens]

Geoff, I don't recall ever seeing piston rings on a shaft to keep them clean, but I can recall seeing leather strip's on line shafts to have the same function, also years ago there wasn't too many pushbikes around without a strip of leather looped around the hub's.

john

[Oldneweng]

I cannot comment on use in factories as I have never seen a setup with an overhead shaft in person and I have also never seen it used on shearing shafts tho that does not mean much as I have only seen about a dozen in my life including the half a shaft and single stand I fitted in my shed before we got dorpers and stopped shearing.

I can say that I have seen this idea used on bike wheels tho. My father used to fit them when we were kids but he just used a bit of electrical wire tied around the hubs. Some older bikes came with leather rings on them. They were used to keep the hubs clean and they worked too.

Dean

[Steamwhisperer]

HI Geoff,
I use them at work but sadly the shafting doesn't run as often as it should. The pics show a section of shaft that is covered from the birds nesting in the roof and the section next to it isn't. The ring is just a piece of 5/16" rod bent into a circle. I do though, like the idea of piston rings.I often hang leather over the shafting so it becomes softer and easier to use when lacing a drive belt together.

Phil

[simonl]

I do recall seeing similar things on the inside of bicycle wheel hubs to keep them clean and free of rust. Many years ago. It was usually a leather strap or something and usually a really old guy riding the bike. :U

Simon

[shedhappens]

I do recall seeing similar things on the inside of bicycle wheel hubs to keep them clean and free of rust. Many years ago. It was usually a leather strap or something and usually a really old guy riding the bike. :U

Simon

Yup, and that would be the old coot's old shoelaces you was seein thar young fella :U

[Greg Q]

I have seen rings on lineshafts extensively in North America. We had them in one plant in the family business that was still set up in the 70's. I think that all the line shafts in the Henry Ford/ Greenfield Village museum had multiple rings on them, but that may have been to add more eye candy for the punters.

Greg

[Stustoys]

I think I recall them on my grand fathers shearing machine, but it was a while ago.
The more important question is why dont they find their way to one end and stay there?

Stuart

[Abratool]

Thanks for the reminder.
I will fit a couple of leather rings or shoe laces, to my bike.
Together with the old bloke riding it, (me) things should all look good & be in order.:2tsup:
Bruce
ps My bikes a "Raleigh" & I have had it since new 37 yrs old.Always kept under cover & polished.
Good as the day I purchased it.

[Steamwhisperer]

I think I recall them on my grand fathers shearing machine, but it was a while ago.
The more important question is why dont they find their way to one end and stay there?

Stuart

Hi Stuart,
On a level shaft it gets a helix motion about it and winds its way from end to end.
I know, bad explanation.

Phil

[Boringgeoff]

I'd forgotten all about the leather bike hub rings, the leather strip had a slot cut near one end and a pair of notches in the sides near the other end. The notched end was threaded through the slot.
In the woolshed my sister and I would get the broom, while the shaft wasn't running, and move all the rings along to the end of each section. By the end of the next shearing run they'd be all over the place again, the smaller the diameter the faster they travelled.
Phil do you think that if the shaft was not level they'd go to the high end and stay there?
Hmmm....shopping list ..bearings, pulley,shaft, rings.....now where'd I park my bike..

Geoff.

[pipeclay]

How far out of level were you thinking for a ring or rings to stay at one end.

[Oldneweng]

If I had power connected to my woolshed and if I had the motor fitted to the plant I could test it but as the only power ever supplied there was 32 volts which is long gone, and as the motor is still sitting in the workshop after deciding a 2 pole motor was too fast to run my Nuttall lathe and I have no intention of using the shearing plant again, sorry you are out of luck!

Dean

[tanii51]

i remember seeing those rings sometimes just bits of wire tied in a ring , was a good excuse to stand up and straighten the back from a sheep trying to kick your head off
john

[Steamwhisperer]

Phil do you think that if the shaft was not level they'd go to the high end and stay there?
Geoff.

Hi Geoff,
They will always run to the high side which is also why they crown the pulleys for flat belts. They don't always stay there as they will hit the bearing or pulley and bounce back for a short distance and then return.

Phil