Ceilidh ... Re^4: What about Teflon for guide rings?

Hydraulic Die Forming Discussion Group

Re^4: What about Teflon for guide rings?

RE: In a different world we used a strip of teflon of the right thickness shaped like a paralelogram to guide 6' and longer 2 to 3 inch diameter piston rods in place centered with out contacting a bore. The strip was installed with the tapered ends overlapping but not quite touching. If needed a hose clamp was used to hold the strip closed until the strip was swallowed by the bore. The loose hose clamp was then removed from the rod. UHMW polyethylene or even strips cut from a milk bottle will probably work here.
Jesse

I like the ideas of teflon and parallelograms--Teflon being a lubricant, so less likely to get stuck than the rubber o-rings--parallelograms so that there is no gap, and fit does not need to be so exact.

I have found teflon 0-rings at MSC, but they are $33 for 100 of each size, so I'll try the teflon sheet, at this point.

Questions: What is the difference between mechanical, virgin, and bondable grades of teflon? They are 3 prices, with mechanical the cheapest. Will the mechanical be ok for our purposes? Will I be able to cut 1/16 and 1/8" thick teflon with shears?

Thanks! Recently, there have been testimonials on Orchid, and I would like to testify that the Bonny Doon Discussion Group has been extremely helpful to me! It is a wonderful resource for problem solving.

Cindy
www.cynthiaeid.com

[ This message was edited on Sat Nov 9 by the author ]

Sat Nov 9