What's on the workbench today

• PC sync cables to cut and solder to RJ45 sockets so I can use cat5 network cables as extra long flash sync or TTL cords
• rebuilding a Rockshox Judy XC fork from one of 2 mountain bikes someone down the street was throwing out, a 1997 GT Backwoods and a 1999 Diamondback Response SE
• the 7 and 8 speed cassettes from the bikes, cleaning the lockring gunk revealed the 7 speed to be a Shimano IG cassette with shift ramps on the back of the cogs too!
• cleaned up derailleur pulleys from the GT's STX derailleur that weren't turning at all
• repacking the bearings in the seized pedal on the GT
• topeak mountain morph pump attached to the GT with a plunger seal so dry that the aluminum body was full of aluminum dust from someone still trying to use it.
• home depot rayovac 100 lumen "indestructible" 2xAA flashlight that keeps cutting out with new batteries.
• brass punch that still isn't getting the dummy damper rod out of the Judy fork tube that was full of water that turned the crap foam urethane "springs" into dust
• ricotta cheese container with kerosene in it for degreasing bearings
• stack of crap urethane springs from the side of the fork not full of water
• I finally got a decent pair of snap ring pliers
• ninja 250 oil filter for the oil change it needs
• Toyota grill badge I found in the street to add to my collection of wheel center caps found in the street as garage decor--Audi, Cadillac, Jeep, Ford F-150 Harley Davidson Edition 

1996 Rockshox Judy XC aluminum bodied damper cartridge internals

I got the damper cartridge out of the side of the fork not full of water.  If it was the first year version with a plastic cartridge body that eventually splits, the fork wouldn't have been worth rebuilding.  But it had an aluminum body.  Promising.  Got the cartridge apart, nothing seemed wrong with it.  Refilled it with 15 weight fork oil, seems to work ok.  So I went ahead and ordered replacement metal coil fork springs from ebay.  The cartridge internals look so clean.  Like when I watch tv car shows and the rusty junkyard engine is shiny inside when they take the cylinder heads off.  When the adjustable compression damping is increased, the plate under the spring is pushed closer to the plate with the blue seal.  I didn't disassemble it, so I don't know how it's adjusting compression, if it's increasing pressure against a flexing shim, or if it's because a hole in the side of the shaft gets uncovered as the lower plate moves up.

While cleaning the parts and frames with kerosene, I found out one of the reasons why both aluminum bikes weigh over 30 pounds.  The low end Shimano AceraX and Alivio cranks both have steel chainrings!  Also, the STX and Alivio rear derailleurs have steel pulley cages.  And both bikes have massive seat post quick release clamps.