Frozen foot block

Dean Abramson · Post by **Dean Abramson** » Jul 15th, '18, 11:03

My old bushing was not only stuck, it is cracked. Once I get a new one, and am happy with the fit, I plan to put the bronze sheave back in.

John Stone · Post by **John Stone** » Jul 15th, '18, 11:31

Dean
You got it done. You learned a lot. It cost some time but not much money. A lot less money than the boat yard would have charged you.

I know from personal experience that patience is a huge virtue when it comes to working on a boat (as well as many other things). I have violated this unwaverable rule and always regretted it. Sometimes, when I get frustrated, especially if I get pissed, I make myself repeat out loud:Do No Harm. And I walk away. Every time I have managed to do that it has turned out well.

Anyway, I respect your determination to see it through. And every time you haul in on that sheet and glance over and see the foot block turning you can smile and remember what went wrong and what went right ... and in the end you came out on top.

Dean Abramson · Post by **Dean Abramson** » Jul 15th, '18, 12:25

Thanks, John.

If you had not convinced me, and shown me how, to disassemble it, the whole deal might have taken an expensive, unnecessary turn.

Carl Thunberg · Post by **Carl Thunberg** » Jul 16th, '18, 06:55

Hi Dean,

I'll be there this weekend, but that's probably too short notice. I'll be there from August 4-11, and again from September 2-9. I'd love to go for a sail!

David Morton · Post by **David Morton** » Sep 9th, '18, 15:37

John Stone, your pictures were invaluable as I disassembled both my turning blocks to finally deal with the squeaking. Turns out that similar to Dean's problem, one of the steel bushings was cracked and corroded to the bronze sheave, forcing the block to rotate on the screw. Some PbBlaster and elbow grease allowed me to finally pop the bushing out, but it needs replacing. Checking out McMaster Carr I noted sleeve bushings available in both leaded bronze or 316 Stainless. Unfortunately for the required length and outside diameter, the Stainless only comes in sizes for a 1/4" screw so I would have to drill it out to accommodate the 5/16 - 18 screw. Wonder if you have an opinion about the leaded bronze option, which can be used without modification.

Also, cleaned up and reassembled the other block with the good bushing. My copper shotgun barrel brush worked great in a power drill to polish up the bronze sheave. Works great now. I would also recommend re-tapping the old screws and threaded holes as well.

David

John Stone · Post by **John Stone** » Sep 9th, '18, 16:15

Hi David. Glad the pictures were helpful.

Can you post the link of the leaded bronze at McMaster Carr? Do you mean bearing bronze? I think I would lean towards the bronze all things considered equal. SS will work if you can drill it out correctly.

John Stone · Post by **John Stone** » Sep 9th, '18, 16:38

Below is a picture of some text on bearings. It’s from Everett Collier’s book “ A Boat Owners Guide to Corrosion.” My copy is dog-eared, tabbed, and full of notes. I have learned a lot about marine metals and corrosion from this book. He provides tremendous detail on welding, water tanks, gears, prop shafts, fasteners, zincs, and many other metal related issues. I highly recommend it to all boat owners that want to learn more about marine metals.

I don’t think there is a copyright violation by posting it. I did not see any prohibition on the inside cover and I wonder if it’s covered under fair use though I’m not sure. Full credit is given to Everett Collier.

David Morton · Post by **David Morton** » Sep 10th, '18, 11:17

John, here's the link to the bronze bearing from McMaster Carr

https://www.mcmaster.com/6381K102

and the stainless bearing

https://www.mcmaster.com/90138A620

John Stone · Post by **John Stone** » Sep 10th, '18, 11:49

Interesting. I think either would be OK. Seems like Collier is suggesting the mostly lead bronze is better than the tin based bronze. But how do you know what you’re getting?

Have you called Shafer and asked if you can purchase the replacement part?

Something else to consider is delrin or even G10. But if it were me, I would start with a phone call to Shafer. I have called them before and they were helpful. Usually best to get replacement parts when you can...if they originally performed well. See what they can do. Passivated 316 is good material. But you will have to drill it out. It’s hard metal and you’ll need to clean it thoroughly so the metal from the drill bit does not leave steel deposits on the SS and rust. According to Collier the leaded bronze is better than the tin bronze in this application.

So you have some options.

Jim Walsh · Post by **Jim Walsh** » Sep 10th, '18, 15:03

If a direct replacement is not available from Schaefer perhaps an Oilite bearing would be be advantageous.
https://www.mcmaster.com/6391k443

David Morton · Post by **David Morton** » Sep 13th, '18, 10:59

Joy R., at Schaefer, miraculously came up with the exact stainless bushing I need and replacement cheek plates, as well. Great customer support! $12 for the bushing and $17 for the plate. And I get to keep my irreplaceable bronze sheave! The perfect solution. Thanks, Schaefer Marine!

Interestingly, the frozen bushing must be an old problem because on further inspection I noticed that the previous owner had drilled out the center hole on the cheek plate so the protruding frozen bushing could rotate around the center screw! No wonder it squeaked like crazy!

David

Jim Walsh · Post by **Jim Walsh** » Sep 13th, '18, 13:48

David Morton wrote:Joy R., at Schaefer, miraculously came up with the exact stainless bushing I need and replacement cheek plates, as well. Great customer support! $12 for the bushing and $17 for the plate. And I get to keep my irreplaceable bronze sheave! The perfect solution. Thanks, Schaefer Marine!

Interestingly, the frozen bushing must be an old problem because on further inspection I noticed that the previous owner had drilled out the center hole on the cheek plate so the protruding frozen bushing could rotate around the center screw! No wonder it squeaked like crazy!

David

David,
That’s great news. Did they happen to have a part number for the bushing? I may be proactive and replace mine after seeing all the postings here. I don’t have any known issues but if I’m going to dismantle and inspect I might as well replace the bushings while I’m at it.

David Morton · Post by **David Morton** » Sep 13th, '18, 15:08

Jim, I was told by Joy, the customer service angel, that it was the only stainless steel bushing they have. In any case, here are the specs she used to describe the part:

in inches:
0.316 ID
0.907 Long
0.50 OD

The specs are exactly right for the block and you can readily see that it would almost surely require some machining of any generic standard bushing obtained from another source. So I am quite pleased they still stock this thing. Would be curious to know if they actually use it in any of their hardware in their current catalog.

As soon as I receive the part number on the invoice I'll pass it along.

David

John Stone · Post by **John Stone** » Sep 13th, '18, 15:25

Excellent job David.

David Morton · Post by **David Morton** » Sep 13th, '18, 15:44

Joy from Schaefer just emailed me the invoice! Great minds think alike!

part no. 25-020-12

description: SPACER, .05OD X .316ID X .907LG

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Frozen foot block

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