Ejector rod bushing install help!

[zombie44]

I took apart the cylinder for a thorough cleaning on my Charter Arms .38 spcl police undercover snubbie but I can't seem to figure out an easy way to reinstall the ejector rod bushing Here's a pic of what I'm trying to put back together:

Problem is the bushing has to be pushed in further than my finger will allow to align the holes up for the pin. Is there a special tool available to make this job easier?? Thanks for any info!

 

[rcmodel]

Special tool?
Yes!

They are called pin punches, or cut-off wood dowel rods.


Just so you know, it is a bad idea to take apart revolver cylinder assembly's for a "thorough cleaning".
They are called "assembly's" for a very good reason.
Colt for instance puts them together and never intends for anyone to take them apart again, short of a factory rebuild.
In certain brands of revolvers, you will do way more damage then any possible good.

All you need to do is flush them out with solvent or a can of WD-40, then blow them out with an air hose.

rc

 

[AZ_Rebel]

It generally takes 2 people and a lot of patience. We believe it one of the most dificult tasks we get in the shop. PM me if you can't get it together yourself.

 

[a5werkes]

The problem of compressing a stiff spring that is held in place by a pin is common problem. I solve it by fabricating brass punches that allow the spring to be compressed and provide a slot to insert a secondary slave punch to hold the spring in place while the required pin is then placed while displacing the slave. Some pins just fall into place and are held by the spring tension alone, so no secondary punch is needed to complete the task.

The problem is always how to stabilize the cylinder pin that has to push a heavy spring until the cylinder is within the tunnel of the shaft so it is controlled for the remainder of the compression into position. The solution is separate the difficult task into simpler controlled steps.

For your problem, take a brass punch with a diameter that will just barely fit inside the spring channel, then make a cut in the tip of the punch of sufficient width to accommodate the pin that needs to be placed.
Secure the cylinder in a padded vise, compress the spring with your new punch until you see the slot of your punch tip thru the pin aperture.....drop a slave pin punch into the pin aperture to retain the spring.....remove your punch, place the retaining cylinder with the pin hole indexed to align with the cylinder shaft pin hole.....with your brass punch, push the back of the cylinder pin up to your slave pin, pull your slave pin and compress the spring just enough to show the alignment of the holes, drop your retaining pin ! Voila.

A few examples for illustrating.