The attachment is of my first all metal cylinder. Don't know if it's hydraulic, pneu or traumatic. It was a shock absorber style opener (or Keep It Opener) I suppose. Like the little units on a hatchback car rear door. One of them seemed to be spring loaded and somewhat functional. T'other just flopped back and forth - so he got gutted. It's a welded, steel cylinder 3/4" X 10" (or so). Nothing premium about the tube due to the weld. It appeared to have a cap at the business end that was threaded on. Wouldn't budge and too much effort would distort the tube, so I cut it off.
The piston had metal disks sandwiching a plastic vented piece (shock absorber style) and a flat rubber (?) washer. I burned the piston with my torch, cleaned the debris, and brazed fill back for the sandwich. I chucked it in the lathe and turned it down to fit the tube, then ground a bit for the "O" ring groove. I used a tight fitting "O" ring and cut'n'tried until the groove seemed right and the cylinder could be raw-jawed over the piston.
I decided to use Zirk fittings for the inlet/outlet. Drilled and tapped the cylinder then cut the threads off the Zirk until it no longer penetrated past the cylinder wall. This cutting also enabled me to punch the spring and ball out. Each Zirk was then brazed in. I felt I would need packing for the shaft so I selected a brass threaded coupler for the new end piece. I put a threaded cap on one end, chucked it in the lathe and drilled the cap and coupler out for the shaft. Now the cap can serve as the packing nut and end of the cylinder.
After cutting the end off the cylinder at the beginning, I had a short stroke. Fine, that prevents the piston from passing the zirk at the far end. I measured back to determine how far to allow the piston to return and cut a spacer to fit over the shaft and seat between the piston and the brass coupler. With that in place, I brazed the coupler into the end (being careful to keep the piston at the far end for heat protection). I used kite string for the packing. I just wrapped it around the shaft until I had formed a pack by threading the drilled-out end cap on, off, on, off. The packing is visible sticking out the end a small amount. That extra packing gives me future leakage control. I would have preferred to be able to remove the piston in the future as needed, but this time it is locked in for life due to brazing the coupler in place. Of course I could re-heat the coupler and remove it.
I threaded the end of my grease gun into my compressor blower and timidly put some air pressure to it. NOTHING HAPPENED! I wasn't too keen on high air pressure due to the thinness of the cylinder walls and the bullet shape of those Zirks. This is not intended to be a high pressure cylinder...in fact, it isn't intended to be ANY kind of cylinder. I just needed to make a first potential hydraulic cylinder. Now I've made one.
I put the grease gun back together and pumped the piston into movement. I caught the grease in a container for re-use. After a while the dry packing got lubricated and it started to free up a tad. Then I emptied the grease gun and loaded it with used crankcase oil. To my surprise that lame idea actually worked, and the piston freed-up a tad more. Each end is threaded for mounting, so that's good. Now I need to see if I can make one that can handle some pressure.
The piston had metal disks sandwiching a plastic vented piece (shock absorber style) and a flat rubber (?) washer. I burned the piston with my torch, cleaned the debris, and brazed fill back for the sandwich. I chucked it in the lathe and turned it down to fit the tube, then ground a bit for the "O" ring groove. I used a tight fitting "O" ring and cut'n'tried until the groove seemed right and the cylinder could be raw-jawed over the piston.
I decided to use Zirk fittings for the inlet/outlet. Drilled and tapped the cylinder then cut the threads off the Zirk until it no longer penetrated past the cylinder wall. This cutting also enabled me to punch the spring and ball out. Each Zirk was then brazed in. I felt I would need packing for the shaft so I selected a brass threaded coupler for the new end piece. I put a threaded cap on one end, chucked it in the lathe and drilled the cap and coupler out for the shaft. Now the cap can serve as the packing nut and end of the cylinder.
After cutting the end off the cylinder at the beginning, I had a short stroke. Fine, that prevents the piston from passing the zirk at the far end. I measured back to determine how far to allow the piston to return and cut a spacer to fit over the shaft and seat between the piston and the brass coupler. With that in place, I brazed the coupler into the end (being careful to keep the piston at the far end for heat protection). I used kite string for the packing. I just wrapped it around the shaft until I had formed a pack by threading the drilled-out end cap on, off, on, off. The packing is visible sticking out the end a small amount. That extra packing gives me future leakage control. I would have preferred to be able to remove the piston in the future as needed, but this time it is locked in for life due to brazing the coupler in place. Of course I could re-heat the coupler and remove it.
I threaded the end of my grease gun into my compressor blower and timidly put some air pressure to it. NOTHING HAPPENED! I wasn't too keen on high air pressure due to the thinness of the cylinder walls and the bullet shape of those Zirks. This is not intended to be a high pressure cylinder...in fact, it isn't intended to be ANY kind of cylinder. I just needed to make a first potential hydraulic cylinder. Now I've made one.
I put the grease gun back together and pumped the piston into movement. I caught the grease in a container for re-use. After a while the dry packing got lubricated and it started to free up a tad. Then I emptied the grease gun and loaded it with used crankcase oil. To my surprise that lame idea actually worked, and the piston freed-up a tad more. Each end is threaded for mounting, so that's good. Now I need to see if I can make one that can handle some pressure.
I don't understand this cylinder's function. 
Can you explain a little more its intended use?