Doh! How do I fix this? (Polycrylic in hand drill crank)

[Stew Denton]

Hi Clay,

One thing I just thought about is that acetone is a bit hydroscopic, which means it absorbs water from the air, so keep the jar covered with aluminum foil, the lid, or something else to keep the air that can get into the jar, to a minimum. You don't want water that the acetone absorbs to swell the wood. Because of the potential of water in the acetone you may want the knob to come to a stable state with your climate again before you refinish it. I would guess it might take a week, but others on this site would know better than I do. Ordinary solvent grade acetone sometimes has a little bit of water in it, even a new can, but the amount should generally be only a tiny amount.

Stew

[Clay Parrish]

Hi guys! I am back to report success. Thanks for all the advice and suggestions. I soaked the handle for one day in acetone and it freed the handle up. I took it out and it was free-spinning, but after everything dried up inside, it tightened back up moderately. I figured there was some residue left in there, so I soaked one more day, then pulled it out and sprayed down the center bore with an air hose. Dip and repeat x 20. I got some nasty black gunk out of the bore, and finally, it spun pretty freely, even when dry. (In the pic below, it was polished before all that black gunk came out.)

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I stained it again, re-poly-ed more carefully, polished the metal a little, and waxed the whole shebang.

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Now I just need to blast, polish, and paint the frame and main gear wheel. Everything else is ready for assembly.

[Stew Denton]

Clay,

Nice job!

When you finish it please post a picture!

Stew

[Clay Parrish]

Will do. I have done two previously that I think came out well. I don't have a blast cabinet, so I am trying to muster up the motivation to blast several things in the back yard, the main wheel of the drill included - a messy proposition.

[Chuck Hart]

Acetone is the main ingredient in most nail polish removers. Just in case you glue your fingers together with superglue and need a solvent that will work.