Sunday 29 September 2013

Graphika strap repair

End of strap folded over the hook and tapped flat
A hole punched through both layers with an awl into hard-ish wood so as not to deform the metal strap too much. The metal is easy to trim with tin snips or possibly even scissors. I used tin snips. A short length of solder.
I punched a hole into a piece of wood for the solder to fall into when melted through the hole in the strap. Sort of a well to make a rivet-type head.
Top of the solder. Not enough hands to actually show the soldering process but if you have a soldering iron, you'll know how it works.
Bottom of the solder. Makeshift rivet head flattened (carefully) with a hammer.

10 comments:

  1. Very nice. I used a short screw and low profile nut on my Lexikon 80. Your repair is far cleaner.

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    1. I wondered about a screw but I was worried that it might get caught on something - and then I would have had to find a very small one and a nut to match. I suppose you can find these holding bits of old computers or VCRs together.

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  2. Very nice job, are you sure you were not a typewriter mechanic in an other life?

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    1. I wish! The end bits of platens still scare the heck out of me though.

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  3. Excellent work, good sir! Weld done!

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  4. I will likely be using this idea. Thanks, Rob.

    Tony

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    1. That's great Tony. I hope it helps. It is a very straightforward procedure. In fact, the only thing you can get wrong is to put the hook on upside down. Because the cariage was upside down and the chassis was on its feet, I checked at least half a dozen times that I put the hook on the right way. I tried punching a hole straight onto metal but my countersink punch was (obviously by then) too blunt to make a hole in the strap. Hardwood reduced the amount of 'exit wound' deformation - I think.

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