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Fixing a Wilkerson regulator. The problem is more widespread than I thought.

rons

Diamond
Joined
Mar 5, 2009
Location
California, USA
Last week it was this. The dial is forced to stay by denting the aluminum. Problem is that the dents fell down into
the dial and the ring no longer tracks the rotation of the dial. You can see the dents at 9 and 12 o'clock.
Remedy with a slight amount of gray epoxy around the dial.

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This morning a fix to a Wilkerson regulator. I unscrewed the adjustment piece that has a diaphragm/spring inside to apply
counter-pressure to close the air when a pressure is reached. What broke was a metal washer underneath those four circular
indentations around the white replacement piece I made. Without a guide there the regulator would always expel air. Now the
pressure in the two chambers on each side of the diaphragm become equal and the regulator is behaving.

The regulator works but without a history. I didn't realize that the air had to come up through the opening around the brass pin.
I was using a rubber o-ring that I thought came from the unit. But it was blocking air and the control would not work. The hole
has to be loose enough to allow filtered air from below to pass through.

Before: o-ring with s.s. washer on top and washer sits below flat surface.

After: one HDPE cylinder about .320 diameter and .120 high. The hole is slightly larger than the brass pin by less than .010.

Should the hole that the brass pin fits in be larger in diameter? A problem where the cylinder is inserted into the chamber
and then the hole size in the center becomes a tad smaller.

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Two examples of peen hits in aluminum that fail and the piece of metal being held comes loose. I'm thinking that this kind of design is a hack ...
 
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i think i have one of them set ups they are held together at each end by allan head cap screws i will have to take a pic and post . well looks like i tripped on my foreskin the one i have is a penumax


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The regulator works but without a history. I didn't realize that the air had to come up through the opening around the brass pin.
I was using a rubber o-ring that I thought came from the unit. But it was blocking air and the control would not work. The hole
has to be loose enough to allow filtered air from below to pass through.

This hole size is not critical. The brass piston is 0.177 in diameter. Using a 0.178 drill is good enough.

There were two problems.

The first being the problem with a washer popping out of a hole because the impression holding it failed.

The second problem (discovered this morning) is that the return spring at the bottom side of the brass piston was missing.
Installing a spring makes the regulator function. Don't know/remember how the spring disappeared. Must have popped out during a
previous disassembly.
 
Since the forum is supposed to have accurate information.

The fix to this regulator is to replace small washer and o-ring. The washer popped out of the hole. Below the washer is a o-ring.
The washer and o-ring stack sit slightly below the surface of the aluminum body.

The final solution was to still use the rubber o-ring but machine a thicker washer out of HDPE. The increase in height brings
the washer up to the level of the aluminum bowl. The screw-on pressure adjust handle mates with the aluminum bowl and provides
a pressure point to keep the HDPE washer in place. For the large paint guns I use this. Few parts: a diaphragm, spring, screw.
Easy to work on if it breaks (like never).

Amazon.com: Sharpe Manufacturing SHA1630 Model 18C-3R Air Regulator : Tools & Home Improvement

(Thanks Amazon for the nice picture, but the price is too high).
 








 
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