Crankshaft preservation

IAtractorKid · Jun 23, 2012

Hey guys! I recently aquired a Farmall 300 crankshaft that is turned .010 under on the rod and main bearing journals. I dont have a use for it at the moment but want to keep it around for later. Right now its just wrapped up in a plastic bag which obviously wont do anything to keep it from rusting/pitting. My only thought is to coat the whole thing in wheel bearing grease. Any other ideas or better ways to keep this thing nice???

Thanks!

Teakettle · Jun 23, 2012

If you"re _really_ serious, do what the Army does (or at least used to do): http://www.cosmolinedirect.com

Not cheap, though. A really thin coat of boiled linseed oil can work, too, but you"ll perhaps need to use a solvent to get it off.

AG in IN · Jun 23, 2012

Cosmoline keeps the moisture away from the metal when you want to put it on the shelf and not worry about it for a while.

AG

Anonymous-0 · Jun 23, 2012

LPS corporation makes a spray on corrosion inhibitor that is (when dry) similar to cosmoline. It is not thick (as in 1/16") it is more like .005" but it stays waxy and if the part is left undisturbed, prevents rust! I would do that to it, then seal it in a vacuum bagger wrap. Very dry, and protected. If you intended to move it or store it where things could bash around, a quad thick cardboard tube would suffice. Jim

Janicholson · Jun 23, 2012

Mistyped My own Name!! Jim

IAtractorKid · Jun 23, 2012

Thanks Jim! I actually just checked out LPS lubricants, will probably give that a try and hope to fi.d some of that oiled wax paper like you find NOS parts in.

Nebraska Cowman · Jun 23, 2012

You don't need to coat the whole thing in grease, just the journals. Then keep it in a heated building. It should stay good for years.

Super-H-Mike · Jun 23, 2012

I have used grease and it has worked out fine, plus its cheap and you have it around. Smear on the journals then hose her down with a spray on oily product that doesnt evaporate too much. Deep Creep from Sea Foam or JB 80 seem to work good for me. Not necessarily for crankshafts, but I also collect all those little desicant bags and paper that comes with parts and electronics and re-use them for certain parts stored in baggies,coffee cans or tuperware type containers. One machinist I know hangs all his crankshafts when stored. overkill? Probably...

iowa steve · Jun 23, 2012

i used lps on a set of heads one time and wrapped them in plastic bags then used them three years later and it did a good job,just cleaned them and put them on.

rustred · Jun 24, 2012

sure dont need that ugly grease on it. if it is coated in auto trans oil and sealed in plastic it is perfectly safe. and stored standing up, not laying down.

sgtbull · Jun 24, 2012

grease it up, (crank gear too if its on it)) and wrap the journals with something to protect them from getting dinged, scratched whatever... then put it some place where it won't get anything dropped on it or otherwise banged around.

rustyfarmall · Jun 24, 2012

(quoted from post at 22:04:34 06/23/12) sure dont need that ugly grease on it. if it is coated in auto trans oil and sealed in plastic it is perfectly safe. and stored standing up, not laying down.

Exactly! Definitely store it standing on end. NOT lying down.

evilboweviel · Jun 24, 2012

here
preservation paper

John M · Jun 24, 2012

We always poured ATF on them, put in a palstic bags with the end wrapped shut with duct tape and layed them on a piece of wood, like a thick plywood. We NEVER put them on the end, because if it falls over, it CAN break, seen it more than once, or nick a vital area you have to fix.

John G. Hasler · Jun 24, 2012

> Definitely store it standing on end. NOT lying down.

Why?

Heat Houser · Jun 24, 2012

It will slowly bend if lying down. Takes a while but it will bend.

John G. Hasler · Jun 24, 2012

Romm-temperature cold flow of a carbon steel crank under nothing more than its own weight? Not in anything less than geologic time.

Fritz Maurer · Jun 24, 2012

I don't get what you guys are saying. It's better to have the entire weight of the crankshaft supported by the bottom throw, as opposed to two or three supported areas laying down?

mike1972chev · Jun 25, 2012

Hanging them from the snout or the flywheel end is THE way to do them. You can bolt them under your work bench back out of the way.

It is NOT good to lay them on their throws/journals!

John G. Hasler · Jun 25, 2012

> It"s better to have the entire weight of the
> crankshaft supported by the bottom throw, as
> opposed to two or three supported areas laying
> down?

I"m saying that it makes no difference. A crankshaft is not going to droop under its own weight.

Crankshaft preservation

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