Should I use a Ball Hone?

[MercMark]

I've been trying to find a machine shop who will agree to hone a blind cylinder in my merc 850.<br /><br />I looked ball hone up on internet and what I saw looked like something you would put into an hand drill or drill press and use yourself.<br /><br />Can anyone offer any advice on this process. I'm looking at doing it myself and there are a couple of concerns that I've seen posted in various places.<br /><br />1. How do you protect the edges of the ports from a ball hone?<br /><br />*EDIT*<br /><br />I see now that flexhone is actually a brand name.

 

[MercMark]

Re: Should I use a Ball Hone?

^

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Should I use a Ball Hone?

Where are you?

 

[MercMark]

Re: Should I use a Ball Hone?

I'm in Ottawa Canada.<br /><br />It's not exactly cottage country. Most machine shops are not marine oriented. Most engine shops are snowmobile / motorcycle oriented.<br /><br />I'm starting to look into honing it myself. I've seen some honing tools on the internet specialized for blind cylinders, though a lot of them where for brake cylinders many where for small engine.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Should I use a Ball Hone?

If youre sure a hone will do it the the Flexhone is what you want. The rigid hones break real easy. The flexable part of the "ball" hones or Flexhones going in the ports actually deburr them. <br /><br />There is a place in Canada (Outboard Rebore -- I think) that can do it. I can get you his info if you need it.<br /><br />Good luck!

 

[akita]

Re: Should I use a Ball Hone?

ive been a machinist for over 20 years and my thoughts on this is that the balls on the flex hone will chamfer the ports in the cylinder allowing the rings to catch and resulting in breaking them. just my opinion and not trying to argue with anyone. thanks

 

[P.V.]

Re: Should I use a Ball Hone?

A "tight" fitting ball hone gets the job done!! They will take the sharp edge off the port openings but that means you'e less likely to catch a ring! A stone hone is much more of a hassle and may damage the dylinder. If you just want to clean up cylinders and don't want to "send it out", use the flex/ball hones with a good low speed drill motor and lots of solvent. I've done ga-zillions of them! BTW, in OPC outboard racing a flex hone is not allow'd as it's not the "stock"/factory way that cylinders are machin'd. But for the rest of us, noboby messes around with stone hones!

 

[MercMark]

Re: Should I use a Ball Hone?

ok, so I have a machinist who says the chamfer will lead to the rings catching and a racer who says that the chamfer will keep the rings from catching.<br /><br />I'm actually looking at using a standard old fashioned glaze breaker too.<br /><br />any thoughts on that? I know that some are specialzed for blind cylinders but I can't find one. Am I likely to taper the cylinder?

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Should I use a Ball Hone?

The idea of deburring the ports is to eliminate any sharp edges that may, in theory, snag a ring. Whenever we hone a block with a rigid hone, like a hand held or a Sunnen CK-10 or CK-16, we always deburr the ports with a dremmel tool using an impregnated rubber "bit". <br /><br />Yes, in some OPC classes like SST45 and SST60 its illegal to "deburr" the ports. Some guys, years ago, were "deburring" the top of the exhaust port on a 45 degree angle and it was actually changing the port timing.<br /><br />On a recreational motor the Flex/ball hone will work fine. Thats why most aftermarket outboard piston manufacturers sell them.<br /><br />Good luck!