Trying to remove washing machine bearings, the videos I’ve found suggest using a blunt chisel. I think I’d describe what I need as a drift. So what should I be searching for, is there a proper tool (apart from specialist bearing tools which would be far too expensive), or should I just buy a masonry chisel and grind it blunt?

Just get a drift pin?
http://primetools.co.uk/?s=drift
Stahlwille for £5 or a whole Gedore set for £14.50
If you’re in bristol, I can lend you a set.

Because I need something longer than that to reach through from one set of bearings to the other.

I might just try again using my 1/4″ socket extension (I have several, so can afford to wreck one), but get a bigger hammer.

buy that **** scandal off the classifieds and cut the downtube out of it – use that as a drift….its about all that frames good for….

alternatively nip doon the metal merchants and buy a alu or brass bar of appropriate size and length. So handy for jobs like this.

Your socket bar is probably chrome vanadium – be very careful it doesnt fracture on impact.

…actually very good point there – I have a headset extractor made out of a ti frame tube off a broken frame which might just work

Ratchet wrench socket?

Trailrat wins the non rougharse award. Brass or alu drift, or Eclipse long series parallel punches.

What’s rougharse about using a drift for drifting?

A socket extension isn’t a drift

Where did I suggest that?

Get some heat on the bearing housings. Wrap a cloth around them and pour boiling water over it – makes it significantly easier.

Your socket bar is probably chrome vanadium – be very careful it doesnt fracture on impact.

I’d be much more worried about using any socket bar that brittle.

If only that was possible – the bearing housing is buried inside plastic in the back of the drum housing, no way to wrap a cloth around it. I have considered heat as it’s something I’d normally try with bearing removal, but at best I’d heat up both the housing and the bearing – maybe worth a go as the expansion might help to crack the corrosion and I’ll get a bit of differential expansion as I think the housing is alu, whilst the bearing is steel (checking the figures, just as much from that as just heating a steel housing), so thanks for the thought.

200mm long enough?
http://www.screwfix.com/p/parallel-pin-punches-5-piece-set/16551

Probably – if those had been suggested yesterday, or I’d spotted them (I did search on Screwfix for “drift”) I’d have probably bought them, but I’ve now got it out using my socket extension along with a proper club hammer. Started moving just after applying boiling water, so thanks for that suggestion, and all the other help, even if I ignored most of you 😉

Ah well if the socket bar got the job done then it’s no problem 😀