Brake Rivet & Arcing machine Questions

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A friend of mine has a Chicago Rivet & Machine Co, Brake Rivet & Arcing machine

Type NIAGARA E
Serial NE 189.

The equipment has a vertical sanding spindle and he does not have instructions on how to adjust the equipment for arcing the shoes.
Does anyone out there have a similar item and the knowledge on how to set it up?




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They still seem to be in business,

www.chicagorivet.com

My guess is that if the machine was truly designed to match the arc of a specific drum a piece is missing. I think it was designed to just smooth out the shoe for a basic arc.

Until you contact the company I might try to make a cardboard template with the arc of the drum cut out. I would place the template on the machine and adjust the pins so it contacts the template. This should give you the correct arc for the shoe.
 
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I had one of them about 10 years ago. Wish I would have kept it and fixed it instead of selling it. Rod
 
I believe that is more of a free hand grinder. Do not think I would use it with asbestos linings.

By free hand I mean you have to guess on the correct position of the rollers to make the correct radius. I would guess you could get the linings close and it is better then nothing. The better machines have a micrometer handle and an offset pivot that lets you set the radius. This machine is more for the later floating hydrulic brakes to get the linings close to the diameter of the worn drums so the wear in period would be much less. Back in the day, you drove the car everyday and the shoes would wear in over a week or two of driving. That could be years on an antique car. So you would really want to use this tool on the shoes for you 60's car too.
The best (for the A) would be the Barrett brake doktor. There you have a tool that measures the drum and you set the diameter that gets cut on center.

The rivet tool is wonderful. We have one. It has that lever that multiplys the force. It does a nice rollover of the rivets. I also used it to rivet the hardware on the hood, that takes two people. I suggest bolting it the floor when you are working with it.
 
I would buy it for the riveter, but don't like the freehand arc part of it. As Kevin mentioned, the type with the handle that has the micrometer is the way to go if you arc the shoes. They swing off a fixed pivot and are accurate, but this machine, especially at the ends of the lining, would be a real stroke of luck to keep an accurate arc to the lining.
 
this is my machine. it is not a "free hand" operation, the four uprights have rollers on them, and can be tightened in desired position. the problem is finding the desired position. i think there may be a fixture missing that aids in doing that. having said that, i have used it freehand on the ends with satisfactory results, but would like to do it correctly.
 
Aren't the sanding drum and 2 outside rollers fixed, and only the 2 inner rollers movable?
If so, I can't see how it would work?
 
rogerkb1936 said:
this is my machine. it is not a "free hand" operation, the four uprights have rollers on them, and can be tightened in desired position. the problem is finding the desired position. i think there may be a fixture missing that aids in doing that. having said that, i have used it freehand on the ends with satisfactory results, but would like to do it correctly.
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As i said measure the inside of the drum, cut a template, align it with the pins and have at it with the shoe. Easy peasy.

Give the company a call on Monday and see if they have any copies of old manuals on file. 630-357-8500
 
By free hand I mean you have to guess the right position of the rollers to make the arc you desire.

It is not really what is needed for the A. The A needs to be fairly precise in its arc for best effect.

What it is designed for is getting floating shoes on later brakes close to the right diameter. When the shoes are replaced in the later cars you would have to wait for the shoes to wear in to the drum size. By cutting the shoes closer to the radius this would happen quicker. So the customer would only take a couple of days of less braking till the brakes were at 100% instead of a week.

It just means you would have to come up with a way to get the shoes how you want them. Might take some practice.
 
1931 flamingo said:
Try Googleing the manufacturer until someone "chimes" in.
Paul in CT
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I contacted Chicago Rivet and Machine Company and they did look at their history and do not have any instruction data for the Brake Rivet & Arcing machine Type NIAGARA E Serial NE 189.
 
Arcing Brake Shoes needs to be done precisely to the drums inside diameter.
I have two AMCO Brake Shoe Arcing machines. They can Arc to a .001 movement. They have an adjustable setting to the standard drum sizes. For an example 11" drum size. Then you can feed in the fine movement in .001 at a time. Say your Model A Drum measures 11.034. That's 11 inches and 34 Thousandth.
The Arc Machine would be set at 11 inches then you would zero out the Fine Feed Wheel. Then slowly feed in the .034 thousandths of an inch. This would give you a very precise Brake to Drum fit. Yes the AMCO Brake Shoe Arcing Machine does have a little extra clearance Built in. It will Grind about .010 smaller than the Drum diameter.
These machines are very accurate when the operator understands how to use them.
If your grinding Old Brake Shoes they may be Asbestos. Most Brake shoes since the 1980's are NOT Asbestos and are Safe to Grind.
Just like Sand Blasting you need to NOT breath any Dust. if in Doubt wear a Respirator.
 
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