Fiddy GC lever fix

[PAMman]

I fixed the floppy lever on my Fiddy by removing the pin and sleeving the inside of the hole in the lever with metal foil. I actually cut a small rectangular section out of a disposable foil plate, the same height as the thickness of the lever, wrapped it tightly around the pin and cut it to length so that there was no overlap. This meant that I effectively had a split tube with an inside diameter that matched the pin. I then put a couple of spots of superglue inside the lever, and pushed the foil 'tube / sleeve' inside and used a straightened paperclip, in a circular 'stirring' motion, to press the foil against the inner surface of the lever.

The result is a pin which is now a really snug fit in the lever, to the extent that I had to use a silicone lubricant to get the pin into it initially. I know that this is really fiddly work but it really works very well and costs nothing. I also cut a small circular washer out of the same foil and superglued to the underside of the lever before fitting it all together. This removes any up-down movement in the lever when its open. The whole thing now feels totally smooth and tight and simply a precision fit which wasn't the case initially. As I did both of these mods together I don't know which delivered the most benefit.

TIPS: 1. ensure that the joint in the foil tube is located at the outside of the lever when it is closed - this means that there is no pressure on the weakest point of the foil tube, 2. before dismantling the lever hold a pencil against the underside of the lever, against the bridge, while opening and closing a few times. This will mark an arc which will give you a good indication of the diameter of the washer to be gluded to the underside without being visible, and 3. use a silicone lubricant (e.g. WD40) in the reassembly process - it makes everything smooth from the start and the aluminium (aluminum in USA speak) is soft enough to quickly bed into place.

Brass foil may be a better option, but I didn't have any that rainy Saturday afternoon and it is still as good as new after 12 months use.

[deltatahoe]

thanks for the tip PAMman -- i need to do this to my 212 (it gets no wrist time as a result of its floppy lever)...

deltatahoe