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Post by eightofthem (Andy) on Jul 31, 2009 18:39:50 GMT
What size bolts hold the spring together? (the ones that go through the tubes on the u clamps)
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Post by Phil Nottingham on Jul 31, 2009 19:53:18 GMT
5/16th (8mm) or 1/4" (6mm) depending on spacer tube and hole size.
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Post by mcgill on Jul 31, 2009 20:29:48 GMT
right,too eager to try sons idea and wait for neighbour,ive had a go...heres my stepbystep of home made shim...(please let me know if you see pitfalls in this....apart from burning house down) heres my one of four knackered shims below i traced round the edge of old shim onto wifes tupperware (polypropylene/polyurethane) and marking the centre where the nipple should be placed and cut out then cut the nipple off original shim this bit is fiddly but you get the idea,switch on the gas cooker and holding the nipple by edgein pliers hold nipple over the flame until the underside of nipple just catches on fire!!! whilst nipple on fire just and be quick i placed the nipple on new disc and pushed the nipple hard as i could in disc,as too melt together let cool and bend the disc various ways to ensure the nipple has affixed.i taped with hammer and prised with knife to see if i could dislodge the the nipple but it is well and truley on...heres the finished article
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Post by Phil Nottingham on Jul 31, 2009 20:46:45 GMT
Actually it seems to be a very idea and I will try it! Even if the button comes off the Denso will hold it in place. It has to be better than nothing which is what you get in replacement springs
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Post by Warwick on Aug 1, 2009 8:02:07 GMT
It's quite likely that the Tupperware will be squashed or extruded out from between the leaves. It's very soft plastic unlike the original material which is very hard-wearing.
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Post by mcgill on Aug 1, 2009 9:14:12 GMT
Cheers warwick,just tested that idea with molegrips,didnt squash,stretch.although i get what you mean, some of mrs other tuppa would have done that,this stuff is bloody hard.i dont know wether this is cheap ole tupper od expensive stuff..only problem,she only has 1 other tub made outta the same stuff. just 1 more shim,...im off to a kitchen shop later to see if i can find the same stuff .... ill keep testing....and looking for other stuff,till i reassemble at the end of next week
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Post by eightofthem (Andy) on Aug 1, 2009 13:43:12 GMT
Improvise,overcome and adapt. I like it
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Post by Phil Nottingham on Aug 1, 2009 15:50:46 GMT
I have just checked some Land Rover springs I cleaned up and the bolts were ¼" and I used long roofing bolts with ¼" bore black iron tube "nipples" as spacers as the originals were bladly worn through and with flats on them
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Post by Warwick on Aug 3, 2009 0:07:35 GMT
Mcgill, before you cut up anymore Tupperware, check your phone book or the internet for an industrial plastics supplier in your area. It's surprising where you find them.
They supply raw plastic materials or machined plastic components to industry, and they can usually identify the type and grade of plastic, just by looking at it. They may be able to supply a sheet of the right stuff or slice discs from a large rod.
Your thermal welding technique is a good one, but here's another you can try. It's used to repair the soles of skis. The plastic sole of a ski is polyethylene. The proprietry name for it is (was?) P-tex. A groove or gouge caused by hitting a rock was repaired by burning a P-tex candle. You could purchase sticks of P-tex about the size of a pencil, to suit the colour of the ski base.
Anyway, to make a repair, you lit the end of the candle so that the plastic burned and began to drip. You allowed the molten (still flaming) drips to land in the damaged section where it welded into the base. The surplus was then filed flat.
In the '60s and '70s, the candles had a wick, but later they realized that it wasn't needed and the burnt string just contaminated the plastic.
Try making your disc with a hole in the centre, slightly smaller than the button, then with it upside down, try burning a strip of your plastic and dripping the plastic into the hole.
You can control the burn rate by changing the angle of the candle, just like a wax candle. i.e. if you tilt it down too much the flame melts more of the stick and it burns faster - tilt it up and it burns slower.
You could even try using a repair candle from a ski shop.
Don't let it drip on your skin or touch it until it's cool. It stays hotter longer than candle wax.
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Post by mcgill on Aug 3, 2009 8:48:20 GMT
thanks for all the advice,lots of info for the the next needy owner..ive actually finished my four i needed. i read up on the p-tex stuff,it amazing whats out there that ya just havent come across.found 5 ptex candles on ebay £4. then i found this site www.directplasticsonline.co.uk/Nylon66Sheet/ ,where you can get a sheet of 500x500x3mm for less than a fiver and they even do the rod for nipples.. so everthing is out there for the diy nylon shim enthusiast.im going to gator my springs so i can see if mine fail,if they do for whatever reason,at least ill know where to go for new ones....
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Post by Phil Nottingham on Aug 3, 2009 8:51:01 GMT
I never knew about this - it just goes to show what is out there especaily on Internet and the fact theat someone on here knows about it!
How did we manage before!
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Post by Warwick on Aug 4, 2009 0:13:35 GMT
Looks like their graphite impregnated sheet might be the go Mcgill. Self-lubricating. For anyone down here in Melbourne, Plastics for Industry in Dandenong is the company I used to use when I was working with industrial plastics. That was over 10 years ago but it looks like they are still there. www.hotfrog.com.au/Companies/Plastics-For-IndustryIf anyone does try the P-tex method, after you have over-filled the hole in the disc, the file to use to remove the surplus P-tex is a medium-cut mill bastard.
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Post by baconsdozen on Oct 22, 2010 7:40:06 GMT
Did anyone end up making these pads and try them?. I've found a supplier of white bearing grade nylon and am thinking of trying to make some pads up but I;m curious to know if anyones experiments worked.
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Post by barryr on Nov 8, 2011 11:38:29 GMT
Weirdly I was looking at samne site. www.directplasticsonline.co.uk/PTFESheet/?&gclid=CPSQjK74pqwCFYaHDgodcklc_gNobody has said anything about PTFE sheet. When the P5 was new I doubt ptfe was that common (apart from in frying pans) Would it be a better material than nylon? - again its quite cheap and its the slipperiest substance - should work well between the leaves but I dont know about its wear properties...
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Post by Warwick on Nov 9, 2011 7:00:11 GMT
.... but I dont know about its wear properties... That's the crux of the problem Barry. Teflon (PTFE) is not very tough. On the other hand ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is nearly as slippery, but incredibly wear resistant. They use it to face bulldozer blades in some applications where the stuff they are pushing is sticky, such as dozing wet clay. It's also used widely as a wear strip in machinery. A high quality kitchen cutting board is usually made from it, with cheap versions being made from lower molecular weight PE. Very easy to get hold of - but hard to cut. It needs to be sliced with a blade rather than cut with a saw or anything with teeth.
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Post by barryr on Nov 9, 2011 17:30:07 GMT
I love learning new things! - thanks Warwick.
My springs are sagging but there are a lot more jobs to do before I get to them! - by that time I expect we'll have all decided the best approach.
Barry ;D
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