Spark erosion - brake caliper bleed nipples

Spark erosion - brake caliper bleed nipples

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Discussion

jammy_basturd

Original Poster:

29,778 posts

217 months

Friday 9th April 2010
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Anyone know a place in the mid-west Kent area that can get bleed nipples out of brake calipers using spark erosion?

Tired Wines in Tonbridge/Sevenoaks, who put me on to Exact Engineering, but can't get through to him.

Anywhere else?

julian64

14,317 posts

259 months

Friday 9th April 2010
quotequote all
I had this problem with Mikes brakes. Eventually after trying to weld to it with no success, we milled it out. The biggest problem was mounting the caliper up on end and completely vertical.

I'm not sure about spark erosion as it requires access to the bottom of the caliper doesn't it, for the wire feed?

have you tried presenting the problem to a local machine shop? Worse case scenario is that your thread is completely mullered either by the process of removal or by whats happened already. In that case they would just drill and tap a larger bleed nipple?

jammy_basturd

Original Poster:

29,778 posts

217 months

Friday 9th April 2010
quotequote all
I've heard from a couple of people that it is possible to spark erode a bleed nipple. I just assume that they feed the wire through the calipers internals?!

Problem is I don't really know of any local machine shops with a good reputation. I've used one in Faversham before, but now I'm living in Edenbridge and working in Kings Hill, it's not really convenient at all.

Fbloke

960 posts

220 months

Friday 9th April 2010
quotequote all
jammy_basturd said:
I've heard from a couple of people that it is possible to spark erode a bleed nipple. I just assume that they feed the wire through the calipers internals?!
Just for information there are two types of spark erosion.

One does use a wire that is passed through a hole. This is unlikely to be the process you would want, the wire has to be straight and between two pulleys. Machine time is very expensive also.

The other type uses a copper or graphite tool, and the spark eroder slowly (very slowly) sparks the shape of the tool into the item. This process operates from one side. Its not unknown to spark out broken taps in expensive components so this probably where the idea stems from.

In any event you want to remove the offending metal any try to leave the thread untouched. If it was carefilly drilled out to just below the thread core size you may be able to pick out the remaining thread.

As an Essex boy I cant offer any options in Kent.

Ken

Mattt

16,662 posts

223 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
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Ken - you forgot these: readnerd


Del 203

12,728 posts

254 months

Sunday 11th April 2010
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Mattt said:
Ken - you forgot these: readnerd
rofl