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Finally a question to stump the locosters
02GF74 - 21/1/10 at 11:50 AM

we all know that no matter how obscure a question is posed on locostbuilders, someone will know the answer but I may have quesiton that will stump.

see this brake lever

there is a small pin, top right - would that pin be made of hardened steel?

It fits in the smaller of the 2 holes and the lever pivots on it. the waisted portion is there so the little grub screw stops it from dropping out.

piccy.

adithorp - 21/1/10 at 11:57 AM

I would say probably not hardened, but likely to be a stainless pin.

adrian

tegwin - 21/1/10 at 12:00 PM

Why would it be made from hadened steel.... it would likely crack....

A decent silver steel would be my choice.... Easily machined, relativley cheap but pretty strong..

blakep82 - 21/1/10 at 12:00 PM

if its chromed, that should stop it wearing wouldn't it?

nick205 - 21/1/10 at 12:04 PM

I would guess at stainless steel myself primarily for corrosion reasons. I would have thought stainless would be hard enough for the application too.

My questions are...

Why do you ask?

What are the top hat/bush type things for?

Does the lever work in push or pull (I'm guessing push rod into a hydaulic set-up)?

David Jenkins - 21/1/10 at 12:07 PM

If I was making that I would use mild steel, case-hardened - very hard surface for wear-resistance, but with a resilient core.

Or a very tough grade of stainless.

will121 - 21/1/10 at 12:39 PM

as not really exerted to great forces, may not be harneded, is it magnetic? or less magnetic than standard steel implying might be stainless, also if willing to try take a basic hand file (not new one) to it and see if it trys to skid across the surface implying hardened

omega0684 - 21/1/10 at 12:40 PM

hit it with a hammer and find out

MikeR - 21/1/10 at 12:57 PM

Pah - this wasn't a question to stump locostbuilders ....

this is a question to stump locostbuilders ...

http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=128247

02GF74 - 21/1/10 at 01:32 PM

quote:
Originally posted by nick205

Why do you ask?

What are the top hat/bush type things for?

Does the lever work in push or pull (I'm guessing push rod into a hydaulic set-up)?


in reverse order.
yes - the lever pushes a tiny piston in the master cylinder - they are hydraulic brakes.

the bushes fit into the other hole in the lever and inside them is a small cylinder into which the rod for the piston screws.

not my bike but a friends. she came off - quite prone to that - and broke off both levers. MUGGINS HERE, who seems to be doing all her bike maintenance replaced the levers and I find after 3 days that both pins are missing.

I am sure I did up the grub screw to hold the pin in place, I tried to punch it out - in fact I can see one of the grub screws protruding into the hole - a 4 mm drill is stopped by it so
a) I am wondering how the pin came out?
b) if an M4 stainless steel cap head can be cut down to size to make new pin, hence wanting to know what the material was.

thanks for the replies - I'll give stainless steel a go first and see how it goes - we'll see how much sheer force it can take.

UncleFista - 21/1/10 at 01:32 PM

Oh I dunno, the "Do buses take notes as well as coins in payment ?" took a few hours to get any answers, even then the general concencus was something along the lines of "well they did 20 years ago, I'll ask my son/daughter/nephew/gran"

Liam - 21/1/10 at 03:18 PM

quote:
Originally posted by MikeR
Pah - this wasn't a question to stump locostbuilders ....

this is a question to stump locostbuilders ...

http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=128247


Nah - that didn't stump us - just bored us to death before we'd even finished reading it. And anyone who did know about any of that stuff probably wouldn't want to admit it in public.

brianthemagical - 21/1/10 at 03:55 PM

My Hope's have some kind of nut and bolt arrangement. Lookes like SS, not sure if the bolt is shouldered or owt, but the leaver is a bit floppy and the bolt is done up tight.

gottabedone - 21/1/10 at 06:03 PM

My magura's have the same - a locktighted bolt into a captive nut. It's surprising how much force is exerted on the levers though.

02GF74 - 21/1/10 at 07:30 PM

well fitted some 35 mm M4 cap heads - disappointed with how much trhead there is since this is obvisouly reducing the diameter but saved me from having to machine them into pins.

Held in place by nyloc so shouldn't fall out. will see over the next few days if the stainless is up to it. ....

Steve G - 21/1/10 at 07:53 PM

Linky

And you could always try the UK distributor to see if they can supply a few replacement pins rather than trying to make them

UK distributor

Hope that helps