OK, well I've flip-flopped back to the LC and not only managed to locate my Big Boy Bravery pants but also (and more importantly) my welding blanket. Never weld without one is my motto especially when you're a) inept at welding as I am and b) using a stick welder. Before anything else, I had to figure a way to get the LC on the Skylift in the wheelie position, having never used that position before. It's at times like this that I am so glad I shelled out for a Skylift a few years back. It's worth at least double what I paid for in convenience and comfort, not to mention making light of jobs that would be near to impossible without it. Here's a pic of Elsie with her front in the air...
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I'd attacked the top bearing race before putting the LC in the wheelie position, after having covered everything forward of the seat in welding blanket prior to firing up the welder. I figured that I'd practice on the nominally easier top race before contorting myself to get at the bottom one. Apart from getting the welding rod stuck to the work umpteen times I managed to get enough weld on the top race for it to be removed with a pair of pliers once it had cooled down. So the theory worked, at least. Then it was time for the bottom race...
With the LC in the position above I sat on a stool underneath the headstock, torch in one hand (so I could see what I was aiming at) and stick welder in the other. It was a really uncomfortable position and my heavy breathing was fogging up the inside of the window on the welding helmet, so I had to stop every few seconds to wipe away the condensation. It was proper hit and miss stuff, with the consequence that I left at least one blob of weld on the headstock inner - precisely the opposite of what I was trying to achieve. But eventually I managed to get enough pigeon shit weld on the bottom race for it to move when I jabbed a screwdriver where the headstock inner met the top of the bottom race. I then followed this gap around the race, twisting the screwdriver as I went until eventually the bottom race fell out on the shed floor. That was quite a relief, I can tell you. This is what top and bottom races looked like after removal, top on left, bottom on right:
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When I had a closer look at the welding blanket, which I'd cable tied to the headstock, I was very glad I'd used one. At one point during the saga I did notice a blob of weld burning a hole in one of the layers. That could easily have been a component or my glove/sleeve. This is what the welding blanket looked like:
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Like I say, it served its purpose and I wouldn't do any stick welding without one. One thing I forgot to say was I disconnected the battery before going anywhere near the welding gear. So all I have to do now is to take the steering stem to a responsible adult to get the old bearing removed and the new one fitted, clean up where the top and bottom head races will be fitted and then fit them. But I've had enough excitement for one day - those are jobs for future Mango.
There is no cloud, just somebody else's computer.
