Aluminum oxidation

[Jeff K]

My custom wheels have an aluminum spacer between the wheel bearings, it corroded and I had to beat the axle out of the wheel.
Is there a way to prevent this, or maybe I should just make a steel spacer?

[Momz]

Jeff,
Being in Florida or any state that salts roads that is a common problem.
I the simplest and cheapest solution is to clean the spacer then take it to an industrial anodizer. They would be listed in the yellow pages under "Anodizing" or "Metal Plating". And since there is so much Aerospace Development in your state, there should be quite a few vendors to choose from.

There is a process called "Hard Anodizing" that hardens the surface so that the spacer will virtually last forever, but that might be overkill. But "Hard Anodizing" is the perfect solution for aluminum parts that see severe stresses (blower pulleys).

Good luck
Momz 

[Daniel Meyer]

I think a good coat of grease on the axle (even for us "steel spacer" guys) should keep it in good condition for a year or so. Plain ol water-proof wheel bearing grease.

[X Ring]

You could get the steel spacer out of a Valk wheel and cover it with a thin film of grease for corrosion protection.  If the spacer is too long it would be easy to cut down, if too short you could take the aluminum one and have a steel tube cut to length.

[Ricky-D]

Beating on an axle that is tough to the inside spacer is really hard on the wheel bearings.

The bearing that is holding the spacer while trying to drive the axle out of the spacer is receiving a tremendous amount of force that the bearing is not designed to absorb. You should probably have a replacement bearing on hand for when that one goes bad. And it will!

Cleaning the spacer with a bore brush and then a good waterproof grease should solve any future problems.

I think the problem is not so much yours personally but rather, and evidently that the bike is not ridden much. I say this because it has been quite some time since the wheel has been off the bike to let it get that badly corroded. No tire change in a lot of years I am sure.

***

[X Ring]

If you do decide to get the aluminum spacer anodized, do NOT under any circumstances ever, ever, EVER clean it with Simple Green.  The military learned the hard way that Simple Green removes aluminum anodizing when they used it to clean M-16s.

[Jeff K]

Ah, piss on it, I just spun one up made of steel. 

[mikeb]

we just antiseeze ours a thin coad go's a long way

[PAVALKER]

Ah, piss on it, I just spun one up made of steel. 

Nah, I would not recommend pissing on it either.... that might also add to the corrosion factor....     

[Jeff K]

Ah, piss on it, I just spun one up made of steel. 

Nah, I would not recommend pissing on it either.... that might also add to the corrosion factor....     

Well... I originally typed Fug it, but back tracked to Piss on it.