Spinnaker Pole Repair

[kbudd]

I spent a little time this morning trying to get the little stop pin out. Could not budge it. Any ideas?

[kbudd]

It cannot be driven out. It has to be pulled out. I tried the needle nose vice grips. I got a pretty good grip on the pin but when I tap on them they slide. I am going to spray it with break free and heat up the jaw and try again. If that doesn't work I will probably have to drill it out all the way down into rhe socket and put in a bigger pin. I think it is pretty frozen into the aluminum jaws.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by kbudd

I spent a little time this morning trying to get the little stop pin out. Could not budge it. Any ideas?

1. Polish the end so you can see the exit point of the pin
2. Soak in diesel for a few days
3. Apply mouse milk for a few days
4. Apply heat (lots) with LPG or MAPP gas to alloy jaw and when really hot, spray the pin with freezer spray.
5. Bash it with hammer
6. Cut the pin out with dremel and drill new hole for new pin
7. Drill the pin out
8. Bash with biggest hammer you can find
9. Bash so hard that the jaw is destroyed and buy brand new one
10. Combine any or all of the above or leave it for another day!

[Wotname]

BTW, I have found that 2 often works and 4 almost always works but 9 is the most satisfying outcome

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by kbudd

I took the plug out of the end of the jaw and you can clearly see the stop pin. Now I have to figure out how to remove it. It seems to be pressed in not threaded. I don't know how far it is into the bottom of the jaw. I may have to drill it out and put in a bigger one.

I just held that one in my hand at a spring thaw event yesterday. You should be able to drive the pin out using a marginally smaller drill. Square the ends of the smooth part of a drill so the ends are square. The hole the pin lives in should be totaly through the casting so you can drive it out. It is possible that the hole is not through or that the maker peened the ends of the hole shut to retain the pin. If so, get hold of the pin with the largest pliers that will fit and twist it out. You can drill a new hole to use after the repair. If I was doing this I would be tempted to use a stainless roll pin and drill a through hole.

[donradcliffe]

Now we're getting to the fun stuff.

1.Cut the pin in the middle and then wedge a screwdriver in the cut--that should give you enough grunt to get the one piece to back out of its hole. If it doesn't back out, drive it in with a drift to loosen it up

2. Once the first piece is out, grab the end of the remaining piece with your vice grips and try a bit of bending and turning to break it loose.

3. If 1 & 2 don't work just grind the pin off flush with a dremel.

4. In any case drill a new hole at 90 degrees to the original all the way through the casting and fit a new pin that can be driven out from either end (better design).

Drilling a steel pin out of an aluminum casting is really hard to do. Using a drill bit as a drift punch is risky, as they tend to break off and leave you with an even harder pin to remove.

[kbudd]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

Now we're getting to the fun stuff.

1.Cut the pin in the middle and then wedge a screwdriver in the cut--that should give you enough grunt to get the one piece to back out of its hole. If it doesn't back out, drive it in with a drift to loosen it up

2. Once the first piece is out, grab the end of the remaining piece with your vice grips and try a bit of bending and turning to break it loose.

3. If 1 & 2 don't work just grind the pin off flush with a dremel.

4. In any case drill a new hole at 90 degrees to the original all the way through the casting and fit a new pin that can be driven out from either end (better design).

Drilling a steel pin out of an aluminum casting is really hard to do. Using a drill bit as a drift punch is risky, as they tend to break off and leave you with an even harder pin to remove.

I like the idea of drilling a new hole at 90 degrees. Will report back.