While looking around Bacon Sails, I stumbled upon an old Edson Bilge Pump for $95! These pumps will flow 1 gallon per stroke and sell for over $1000 new. The cost of the bronze fittings, hoses, boards, and hardware will still come in much cheaper than a new pump.
It was sitting in a bucket off in the corner, waiting for someone to bring it back to life.
While cleaning all the bronze castings, I decided that the old stainless steel fasteners were not worth saving. I have no idea how old this pump is, but the stainless steel fasteners are horribly corroded! If there was any doubt about the longevity of stainless vs bronze, it can be put to rest now!
I decided to use use new stainless steel bolts instead of rods as hinge points for the pump mechanism. I made sure the bolts would rest on the shank and not the threads to prevent any additional wear. I also used lock nuts on the bolts to keep them secure while still keeping the whole system loose.
The problem is the old stainless steel rod that was in there has succumbed to the effects of severe crevice corrosion and broke off in the holes, preventing any new rod from acting as a pivot point.
To get the corroded segments of stainless steel out, I used my dental drill with a carbide bur. This weakened the metal and allowed it to collapse, similar to sectioning a tooth during an extraction. Then it could be removed easily by driving a push rod through the hole and pushing the corroded remnants out.
It burned through a few burs, but in the end, I was able to extract the corroded remnants of the pivot pin.
The new hinge pin is the bolt's shank. This will provide a smooth surface for the lever to pivot on. I will cut the excess threads off the bolt, just after the nut to tidy things up.
The rebuild will continue with the fabrication of the wooden base for the pump!
