There is a brass ring around the end of the central turn shaft below my veeder root unit. By attaching vise grips to the ring, I can turn the shaft, but I have to pull down with a good bit of force to get the shaft to turn...if I don't, the brass ring turns independently.

Is there any secret to removing this brass ring? If not, I'll probably just cut it off.

I want to use a small electric motor to spin the computer, but it would be much easier if I could attach directly to the shaft.

JJ