I've acquired some scrap 14-in drive platters. They're scuffed up
(no real dings) and a touch corroded (more like stained), so I reckon
I'll have to remove the oxide coating and recoat them.
Any ideas how to remove the oxide coating, short of sanding? Should
I recoat with oxide, or would nickel plating be better? In the Olden
Days I understand they just painted the oxide goop on, perhaps
spinning the platters to smooth it out.
Also, the platters came as just bare disks, no spindles or hubs (or
whatever; I'm pretty hazy what the mechanics of these large drives
were). Any suggestions about finding or improvising a spindle/hub
for these puppies?
Unfortunately, the dimensions involved are a bit outside the capacity
of my wee Taig lathe :)
I've been scavenging VCR drum heads, and the bearings in these are
pretty high-class, so perhaps they might be a start. I don't think
the drum motor itself would have the grunt to turn a 14-in platter at
the required speed, not without rewinding the stator and replacing
the ferrite rotor magnets with Neodymium magnets. The folks who
rewind CD-ROM motors to power electric RC planes might have a few
tricks I could use.
-Bobby