dismanteling a chain

[Amittt]

How do I dismantle a gears chain?
please help, thanks.

[sanddrag]

You need a chain breaker tool. It looks like this http://quartermidget.com/images/big_chain_breaker.jpg

You can also do it with a dremel tool and cutoff wheel, but the proper chain breaker tool is much easier.

[tjanson]

chain tool for a bike. you can put it back together too.

[Kevin Sevcik]

Unless I'm sorely mistaken, a bike chain tool just won't work with most any chain you'll be using on a FIRST bot. Unless you happen to in fact be using bicycle chain. The dimensions of bicycle and ANSI roller chain are vastly different, after all.

[Kirk]

You need a chain break for roller chain. You may also want to look into a chain puller. We bought one a last year and it has been one of the most useful tools. The chain puller allows you to pull the chain back together when you are putting in a master link. Its a lot easier then using your hands or a pair of pliers.

Chain Breaker


Chain Puller



Kirk

[Leo 1529]

Originally Posted by Kirk

You need a chain break for roller chain. You may also want to look into a chain puller. We bought one a last year and it has been one of the most useful tools. The chain puller allows you to pull the chain back together when you are putting in a master link. Its a lot easier then using your hands or a pair of pliers.
Kirk

if you dont have those or cant find them you could use a hammer and a screwdriver. thats what we had to do until we got the shop cleaned up and found all of the tools

[Rickertsen2]

Originally Posted by Kevin Sevcik

Unless I'm sorely mistaken, a bike chain tool just won't work with most any chain you'll be using on a FIRST bot. Unless you happen to in fact be using bicycle chain. The dimensions of bicycle and ANSI roller chain are vastly different, after all.

They are different, but in the case of a chain brake they are not different enough to need a different tool.

As mentioned above, if you don't have a chain brake, use a screwdriver and alot of hammering on one of the pins. Once you take the chain apart you will need to buy a special link called a master link to put it back together.

[lrdblaster03]

Zip ties make great chain pullers too.

[greencactus3]

Originally Posted by lrdblaster03

Zip ties make great chain pullers too.

GENIUS!!!!

thatll make things SO much easier for us this year! yay! thanks!!

[Kirk]

Both of those tools are invaluable for FIRST teams. Roller Chain is something that almost every robot will have. The chain break retails for 20.53 from McMaster (6051K15) and the chain puller retails for $17.56 (6052K14). The chain puller has to be ground on to make it fit between the links (nothing major just a little work with a file or grinder). So for about $45 to your door you can have the right tools for the job. It makes everything much easier and safer.

[Dick Linn]

For years, I've just used a bench grinder to grind off the protruding portion of the pins on one side of an outside connecting plate. Grind the two pins flush to the plate or just a tad lower. Support the chain over a slightly opened vise and you can very easily tap out the rest of the link. Almost takes longer to describe it than it does to do it.

[tjanson]

Bike chain tools do work, at least the two I've used. The the standard bike chain size is smaller, but most tools have two spots for a standard size chain and for a larger BMX chain. The BMX chain spot is just big enough to jam the #35 in. And you don't need master links to put it back together, though that can be a pain to put them together without masters. I personally think a non-master link chain is more reliable than a one with a master link, though it probably doesn't matter.

You push the pin almost out of the hole, yank on the chain to pop it apart, shorten the chain with the same method, pop the chain back together, push the pin in, and then push it back from the other side to keep it from binding.