Vintage studies

[treasureman]

Picked up another DA off ebat for 50 bux.. I find myself studying tyhe workings and the bodiues closely. Not all bodies are created equal

The bottom depth for example of the orifice where the nozzle screws into on the shiny bodies seems to be 1.5 thou shalower than the matt chrome one.

I cannot think of a reason they would do this except to fit different length nozzles in. How many lengths are there for example.

I have three shiny bodies, and four matt bodies. they seem to have this same anomaly across the board.

I will be soon taking a normal 2 inch fine blade screw driver bit to my colleagues shop where i will turn the dimension of the shank down for the first inch and a half the full width of the blade will remain the same. By reducing the shank dimensions and making it thinner, the full width of the blade will contact the entire screw slot, and allow it to be removed without having to lean teh screw driver and bugger the screw heads.

This will allow me to unscrew the horshoe support stand screws in the Da Aquamaster without having to resort to undoing the nut first. If the nut has beenm staked, and you try to back it off, the stem and seat run the chance of damage. Whereas once the screws are backed off, the entire mechanism comes out no problemo, and you can manualy hold the stem as you back the screw off.

For those horshoe supports that have been turned 35 degrees, by unscrewing them with this adapter, you do not have to bend or fatigue the metal and putting them back together is much easier, again without bending anything.

Seems these double hoses will keep me amused for the winter making new tools, just measuring and tinkering and rebuilding. I should have an even dozen finished by spring

[Bryan]

I am afraid that I do not understand your post very well?

If you are talking about a straight screwdriver without any taper on the point you can simply use screwdrivers that cabinet builders or gunsmiths use. I The tips on them are already that way. Those are available just about anywhere. May save you on some machining costs.
I am currently using bench tools made by Wiha in German but I know that James and some of the others on the board use a lot of specialty tools in their normal like of work and I'm sure they have some good advice as well

Also at some point you will have to straighten the tips on the lever supports if want to assure yourself of full travel of the lever. A new 2nd stage seat and spring will alter the lever height and travel for sure.

[oldmossback]

treasureman......

I am converting a DA to DA/RAM........shiny chrome RAM 1st stage nozzle replacing a matt finished DA nozzle.......the new nozzle would not screw down completely at first, but I've had this kind of problem before with other machinery........the shinny chrome in the threads is thicker than the matt finish binding the threads a tad, dressing the threads with the proper die like I did, gets the thing seated properly.
Mine was held back about a 1/16 of an inch........fits flush like the old DA nozzle now. Be careful not to strip the threads tho.
Bryan's right about the screwdrivers, a good set of gunsmith screwdrivers, called "stone ground tips" I believe, will do you wonders.

Michael

[Nemrod]

The SnapOn lady is my friend! She has all sorts of cool tools and are they ever expesive, mght be cheaper buying Home Depot junk and having it machined than buying the real deal from SnapOn. Various gunsmithing tools are available as well as Bryan suggests that will work very nicely. Most screwdrivers you get at Sears or Home Depot are pretty junky and intended for low quality work on expendable fasteners like wood screws and cabinet hardware. Screwdrivers intended for machine work are ground different. it is always important to use a screwdriver that fits the screw.
James

[duckbill]

Don't mean to speak for treasureman (if I'm wrong, treasureman, tell me to shut up!), but I believe he said he was having the "shank", or shaft, of the screwdriver turned down. If you try to run a screwdriver into the slot on the horseshoe support screws with the horseshoe still attached, you would not be able to hold it straight up. So, sounds to me like he is going to remove some metal on the part of the screwdriver which is in the way, namely the shaft, so he can keep the tip of the screwdriver squarely in the slot during full rotations of the screws. I think you might find, though, that you may not be able to get much torque on the screw without the screwdriver shaft breaking at the now-weakened, smaller diameter shaft.
Anyhow,IMHO, Bryan brings up the best point: You will need to eventually need to adjust that centerpunched nut on the stem if you change anything, including the soft seat itself. Besides, you don't need to bend them back once you reinstall the horseshoe. It works just fine being straight.

[duckbill]

I just took another look at an assembled body with horseshoe installed, and if I'm reading you correctly treasureman, if you intend to be able to keep the screwdriver upright, or perpendicular to the screw head, while loosening/tightening, then there would be virtually no metal left in your screwdriver shank. Looking straight down onto the assembly shows the edge of the horseshoe right about centered above the support screws.

[captain]

The easiest way around this is to replace the slotted head screws with socket head screws and use a ball end socket wrench.

[treasureman]

wow some great solutions....you had it right duckbill thats what i was going to do. I have found the screws are not generally on very tight, just a snug fit. I have found that if you put the blade in the screw slot and give the screw driver a good rap on the end, the screws back out nicely without damaging the screw head. But the idea of a hex head is appealing. Any idea what size 6/40 and can they be had in stainless

[captain]

They are 6-32 X 1/4"socket head and Home Depot has them in stainless

[Bryan]

This was also extensivly discussed in the Locktite thread.......If you don't care for Home Depot you can contact McMaster Carr on line for socket head cap screws. That's where all the ones I use in regulators came from.

[treasureman]

with all the knowledge and info avalable on this sirte from the various users, we are taking an old product which was reliable when designed, and using more up to date pieces, we are making it more reliable and more robust.

perhaps a section designed only for our pet fixes for the various models of DH regs would allow all these gems to be strored in one spot.

[Bryan]

The Tech section has been around since I started the board. That would be the place to put such items.

[Bryan]

The Tech section has been around since I started the board. That would be the place to put such items.

[BROXTON CHUCK]

You should have bought a ROYAL in the first place. Quit w orrying. Just take them all apart, and sell the parts on ebay.

[treasureman]

Miracles of miracles. I finaly got a Royal for under 200 bux canadian. These things were getting out of sight with priceing 400 plus last time i checked on ebay.

It is the older version with the name plate, not the round stick on thing. I am so happy happy happy........ I cannot wait until i get the new nozzles in from bryan and the other parts. It will be a striaght swap, new nozzle for the old one, then buy parts and put the old one back together for a DA/RAM conversion. yes the great gods of the deep were smiling on me..which reminds me of another story. Which willbe pposted to general discussions