Nebraskapotter71 Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 Hello all, I recently bought a Randall Motorized Kickwheel. I have a few questions regarding the wheel that I hope someone can answer. The wheel has a bit of a wobble but I think it may just be a set of bad homemade bats. Does anyone know where I can buy plaster bats or a mold that will fit the bucket head? How do you get the bucket head off of the wheel and does anyone know if any company is selling a replacement head to switch out the bucket head and use traditional bats. How can I fix the wobble if it's a bent shaft or bucket head isn't sitting true. Thank you in advance for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyK Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 Hi, NP71, Welcome to the forum... Can you post some pictures of your unit? Close-ups from the sides and underneath the bucket would be helpful. Have you tried running it without the bad bats? Is the wobble side to side or up and down, and how bad is the wobble? Could be just a bearing problem.... Let's start with some pics JohnnyK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebraskapotter71 Posted May 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 Thank you for your help JohnnyK. Here is one pic. Will post more as requested when I get home tonight. I have not tried throwing directly on the bucket head. I will try that. Thank you for the suggestion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted May 17, 2016 Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 I used this wheel for my first few years while in college. The school had 20 of them. I would think that if you are "handy" you could use some plywood, and a piece of metal strap to make a mount around the bucket and then pour plaster to make some bats. Otherwise make a plywood form to pour your own bats. It may take a little work, but would be worth it. Randall's were great wheels, and with the motor you will do just fine. best, Pres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebraskapotter71 Posted May 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 JohnnyK Here are the pictures you requested. I ran it without the bat and it wobbled a little but not as bad. I'm wondering, do you know if the factory bucket head had the plaster in it. It appears that the art teacher I bought it from put plaster on top to level it but I have placed a mic stand over it and it's even up and down and side to side. I think the plaster may be off. I'd like to take the head off but I cannot find a set screw. It's a half inch side to side wobble I think. Not certain by no measure. Thank you for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebraskapotter71 Posted May 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2016 It's not allowing me to post pictures right now for some reason. Can't get anything to work right. Ha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebraskapotter71 Posted May 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 Here are a few pictures. The one picture was from a level app on my phone. The readings remain mainly consistent when I spin the wheel. I assume this means I've got a bent shaft or crooked head. Should I take a rubber mallet to it? I appreciate any advice I can get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Sweet Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 NP71- Not sure what you're trying to say. In your first photo, the bubble is 8* off to the left. If you leave the level in place, and rotate the wheel clockwise 1/4 turn, is the bubble now 8* off at the top of the photo, or is it still off 8* to the left? If it stays 8* off to the left, the shaft is most likely straight, however if it moves to the 12 o'clock position, you may have a bent shaft, a bad bearing, the head may just not be mounted on the shaft correctly or the plaster inside the bucket head may not be level as you inferred earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebraskapotter71 Posted May 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 The bubble rotates when turned. So it is one of the issues you mentioned. How do I begin trouble shooting? Do I start with the plaster in the bucket? i placed a hard flat surface over the head and that's off by what the picture shows. So probably not the plaster. Either shaft, bearing or head is off. How do I start correcting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Sweet Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 Seems to me that either way will necessitate the removal of the wheel head. Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with that on Randal wheels. Hopefully someone will step up with the procedure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyK Posted May 18, 2016 Report Share Posted May 18, 2016 OK, let's start this way. Grab ahold of the bucket head and try to shake it from side to side. If it moves at all, you have a bad bearing. If it doesn't move we can guess that the bearing is still sound. Take your handy dandy smart phone with the level app and set it vertically against the bottom of the shaft after you clean the masking tape off the shaft and note the reading. Then place it at the top of the shaft; note the reading. You should get the same reading at the top and bottom. Rotate the shaft 180 degrees; take the same readings at top and bottom. If the second set of readings is different from the first set, it would indicate a bent shaft. Take a straightedge that will span the splash pan across the center of the wheel. Then take a ruler and position it vertically on the edge of the bucket head. Holding the vertical in place, slowly rotate the bucket head and note any change in the clearance between the bottom of the vertical and the bucket head as you rotate. Take note of the gap if there is one. Call it gap #1. Then take the vertical ruler and place it along the outside edge of the bucket head and slowly rotate the head and note any change in clearance. Call it Gap #2. Re: Gap #1...how much is it? 0.8* is not a whole lot over 12" so the gap should be fairly small. To level the assembly without taking the whole thing apart you could mark the low spot on the bucket and at points 60* on either side of the low spot, build up shims with masking tape using the same amount at each 60* position. Placing a plywood bat on the bucket should give you a level surface to work from. JK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyK Posted June 1, 2016 Report Share Posted June 1, 2016 So NP71, have you made any progress with your troubleshooting? Another thought...you said that the bubble rotates when you turn the wheel. If that's the case, the plaster in the wheel head may not be level and that should be a relatively easy fix...remove some or all of the plaster and re-pour new plaster. JK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronfire Posted June 1, 2016 Report Share Posted June 1, 2016 What about spinning up the head and sanding of filing it true by removing the high spots. You could brace a file on the splash pan to keep it steady. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Shearer Posted November 7, 2020 Report Share Posted November 7, 2020 I hope this reaches someone with an answer. I want to change the upper and lower bearing on my Randall wheel. Anyone know where I can find them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted November 7, 2020 Report Share Posted November 7, 2020 3 hours ago, Ed Shearer said: I hope this reaches someone with an answer. I want to change the upper and lower bearing on my Randall wheel. Anyone know where I can find them? Chances are the bearings are not specific to the wheel. Very few parts used on wheels and kilns are made specifically for them. Lots of off-the-shelf parts. Just measure the bearing and do a Google search for a replacement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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