Did you use just 1 grit valve grinding paste. I have lapped in literally thousands of valves as I was a senior Marine engineer overhauling and rebuilding17,000 bhp Wartsilla engines. Your clover paste certainly brought back memories.
Why wouldn’t the manufacturer supply a suitable lubricant and instructions to allow the insert to be used as intended? Would “Made in China” be a contributing factor.
@@stephenc2738 It’s an extremely cheaply made, Chinese cone. It’s cast and not finished at all. Not polished, not machined, nothing. There is no lubricant that could make it move smoothly. The mating surfaces have to be polished and bedded in and that’s up to the consumer. If you are not a DIY’er you will just have a rough terrible leveling ball. However, it’s extremely easy to do. You just need some valve grinding compound, patience, and elbow grease. To me it was worth it to get such a super tripod and leveler at a ridiculously affordable price. You can get this tripod without the leveler and then buy a separate leveling head that is hopefully a higher quality.
Did you use just 1 grit valve grinding paste. I have lapped in literally thousands of valves as I was a senior Marine engineer overhauling and rebuilding17,000 bhp Wartsilla engines. Your clover paste certainly brought back memories.
Whatever grit it was, I don’t know. But in this non critical application it worked! Last time I used it was on a Triumph Bonneville.
Why wouldn’t the manufacturer supply a suitable lubricant
and instructions to allow the insert to be used as intended? Would “Made in China” be a contributing factor.
@@stephenc2738 It’s an extremely cheaply made, Chinese cone. It’s cast and not finished at all. Not polished, not machined, nothing. There is no lubricant that could make it move smoothly. The mating surfaces have to be polished and bedded in and that’s up to the consumer. If you are not a DIY’er you will just have a rough terrible leveling ball. However, it’s extremely easy to do. You just need some valve grinding compound, patience, and elbow grease. To me it was worth it to get such a super tripod and leveler at a ridiculously affordable price. You can get this tripod without the leveler and then buy a separate leveling head that is hopefully a higher quality.