Welcome, Darren. Could you show us a photo of what you have ?

 

Here are a few pics.

 

@yinglinda
welcome to The Forum.
Take the little hand wheel and Center approximately number 26 used a lockdown so cannot move. Make sure the hand wheel will turn back and forth freely and not bound up at one end of the other it is plastic it will not withstand impacts.
What I use is what they call a number 3 Phillips head screwdriver.
it Is approximately 5/16 in diameter a blunt end.
Slide in as far as it will go pull back a couple inches and tap it toward the main spindle may have to hit it kind of hard without a hammer and it should pop out.

 

@yinglinda
welcome to The Forum.
Take the little hand wheel and Center approximately number 26 used a lockdown so cannot move.
What I use is what they call a number 3 Phillips head screwdriver.
it Is approximately 5/16 in diameter a blunt end.
Slide in as far as it will go pull back a couple inches and tap it toward the main spindle may have to hit it kind of hard without a hammer and it should pop out.

I tried using a steal rod that diameter and even beat on it with a hammer but it would not budge. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

@yinglinda
Is the open end Rusty inside and Rusty at the other end also if so you'll need to use PB Blaster or something similar as it is a penetrating oil and will slightly loosen it up.
I would prefer to use brass but the average person probably does not have a brass rod.

hand wheel centered.

the inside is tapered.

make sure it's not rusted on the inside

Make sure you have a way to catch it when it pops out you don't want to hit the floor.

That will fit in the tail stock.

The end may look like this.

 

Usually if you turn the hand wheel counterclockwise to the end the center will come out. You may have to put a clamp or something on the hand wheel to where you can get enough torque to break it loose. Might also tap it with a hammer, it may be rusted in.

 

Others, please chime in if this is a crazy idea, but…

I would take the spindle out of the tail stock and put it in the freezer over night. The next morning, I’d try to quickly apply heat to the spindle with a torch while trying not to heat the cup center. Then I’d have a go at tapping the steel rod you already used.

If you could find a nut the same size as the thread on the spindle, you could use the nut to support the spindle in a vise to be a bit more forceful when “tapping” the steel rod.

 

Good idea. Heat and/or cold will cause differential expansion of the parts that will help break things loose, and cold won't melt the plastic parts. Soaking with a very light aromatic penetrating oil will help, too. I'd be a bit careful smacking things that are made of pot metal when they're extremely cold, though. I've had the tailgate latch of my old Toyota LandCruiser come off in my hand once when the door was frozen shut and I got frustrated and yanked on it too hard, and I had the clutch lever of a motorcycle shatter into three pieces on when I laid it down in subfreezing weather. Metal, especially mystery metal, can get very brittle in the cold.

 

In automotive repair work, to remove a stuck tie rod end you always tap at 90 degrees to the rod, not upward.
It seems counter intuitive, but it really works!
The "sideways" blows create vibrations that loosen the stuck rod rather than "brute force" application.