Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Rewiring Pump for Lights

Hi All,
I finally started putting my pump back together and think I have figured out where most things go. I know there are a few parts I will have questions about, but right now I am trying to figure out how to rewire the lights. I know this has been discussed but cant seem to find it in the archieves. I recall reading that the hard,black sealant (bakelite?) is difficult to remove and is toxic to burn so I decided to run my new wires through an unused plug in the manifold (I believe thats the term for the cast iron piece that the light sockets screw in to?)
The plug is rusted solid. I have sprayed it with PB Blaster for 2 days and cant get it to budge. Would heating with a propane torch do any good? Any other suggestions to get it out? Also, it looks like the black sealant is also in the bottom of the light sockets so I am going to have to deal with that eventually in order to put new sockets and wiring in the porcelain. Whats the best way to remove this stuff? Also, what is it called so I can try searching that?
Many thanks,
John

When I took the wiring out of my Wayne 866 manifold I just broke the black sealant stuff up with a straight screwdriver and a hammer and had to pull like H**L to get some of the wiring out but it came out. That's about the only part of your question I can advise on!
Darin

Torch/burn the livingn hell out of evrything. Get all the junk out and yes it does nothing good for the respiratory system. Once out you will be much happier hold it upside down and it runs like lava. Also heat the metal and get a large pipe wrench to break the seal. It will eventually come off or break. Heat, heat heat and remember that there are few things in life that can't be solved with brute force.

John, I really think that the black sealant is nothing more than tar. I remember that in the Fifties and Sixties, it was used by the can, to seal just about everything. Kris is correct, you need to melt it out. There might be a bit of oakum in the pipes to act as a blocker for the tar. Try an electricians snake if it is too much to push out with stiff wire? Where ever you have a tight elbow, you might have to take it apart to clean and then run the wire before you reassemble? Good luck, Paul www.severngaspumps.com

http://www.oldgas.com/forum/ubbthreads.p...=true#Post39157 http://www.oldgas.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=62309&page=1

The best way I've found to remove the black stuff is chipping it out with a screwdriver. It fills all the the pipe nipples and conduit to make it explosion proof. You need to unscrew any pipe nipples and conduit from the main manifold(electrical box) and clean it out. Using anything to try and soften the stuff will only make a real mess.

I use a torch like southfloridagas and the rewire everything. Its easier in the long run

Thanks guys. Thats the thread I was thinking about. I tried scraping that stuff out a little yesterday and think I will have to put the heat to it. Very slow going and am afraid I will break the porcelain sockets. Still cant get that plug out so I will either try to clear the manifold pipe or go through the hole for the light socket on the back side of the pump.
Thanks again. Probably more questions later today.
John

John:

Don't worry so much about the porcelain part of the sockets too much - you can always replace that part. Worry about the white metal bases on the sockets. Some of those are no longer available.

You can by porcelain sockets at Lowe's or Home Depot. Remove the porcelain part and reinstall it into you original base.

Later . . .

Jim

Either torch it or stick them all in a metal barrel with some wood/paper and burn it. It'll melt out and then resolidify. That's the only way I've found that is "easy".

Update: I was able to chip it out of the manifold,pipe and switch with a screwdriver without much of a problem. It pretty much fractured when I gave it a good whack. One I got one wire loose, it all fell apart.
The porcelain lamp holders are a different story. I scraped one out after a long while and decided to just get new ones. Bought some at the hardware, brought them home, but there was no way to attach the metal threaded piece to it that screws in the manifold. Then I tried to rewire the old one I had already cleaned out and the new end clips for the wire that attach to the porcelain socket were too big. Spinning my wheels all day. Ill try to find some smaller ones tomorrow.
John

Jim,
Do the porcelain sockets at Home Despot fit onto the white metal bases? If so, Ill get those and save a lot of time and effort.
John

Forgot to ask. What size and type wire is everyone using. Looks like the old stuff was #10 aluminum twisted. I was going to use 14/2 twisted wire (copper) from the lamp sockets through the manifold to the switch, then run 14-2 romex from the switch to my plug. I would think 14 wire would be plenty for 2 lamps/80 watts and would be easier to work with than 10 wire. That sound ok? Thanks guys.
John

john see if travis has any more of the light sockets he had.i bought a dozen from from him,they work great and fit alot of different pumps.

Even 18 guage wire is OK. You won't want to be using too big of lamps in the pump anyway. Too big causes heat buildup and all you need is enough light to illuminate it for the room you have it in. Definitely don't over wire the thing.