lastcowboy32
Well-known Member
This isn't a tractor repair question, but I figured that the collective knowledge of the group may have some input.
I have an old bucket milker. (Yes, some people still milk cows with a bucket.) I purchased a new top for it with a nice, new vacuum actuated pulsator. No electronics needed. This setup works like a charm, with one issue.
The new top has a built-in handle, as all bucket milker tops have. There is a sloped part towards the back that ends with a little notch in the center of the handle. It's designed so that the bucket handle is a spring/friction fit. When you pull the handle up, it slides on the slope, getting tighter and tighter, until you get to the end of the slope, and the preload on the now-slightly-stretched handle locks it into place in the little notch. At that point, the bucket lid is held down fast by the bucket handle.
Problem is, my handle is too long to engage the new lid. The handle is stainless steel rod, maybe a quarter inch in diameter. It's attached to the bucket at both ends simply passing through a tab welded on the side of the bucket and having a circular curl about 3/4" in diameter bent into it.
Would I be able to heat these handle ends with a torch enough to straighten and rebend without ruining the "stainless" quality of the stainless steel?
I have an old bucket milker. (Yes, some people still milk cows with a bucket.) I purchased a new top for it with a nice, new vacuum actuated pulsator. No electronics needed. This setup works like a charm, with one issue.
The new top has a built-in handle, as all bucket milker tops have. There is a sloped part towards the back that ends with a little notch in the center of the handle. It's designed so that the bucket handle is a spring/friction fit. When you pull the handle up, it slides on the slope, getting tighter and tighter, until you get to the end of the slope, and the preload on the now-slightly-stretched handle locks it into place in the little notch. At that point, the bucket lid is held down fast by the bucket handle.
Problem is, my handle is too long to engage the new lid. The handle is stainless steel rod, maybe a quarter inch in diameter. It's attached to the bucket at both ends simply passing through a tab welded on the side of the bucket and having a circular curl about 3/4" in diameter bent into it.
Would I be able to heat these handle ends with a torch enough to straighten and rebend without ruining the "stainless" quality of the stainless steel?