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Oh no, why did I have to fiddle

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James MB
James MB Posts: 359
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Something in a recent post about dome alignment said about having a metallic clank as you shut the lid (a GG post I think). That rang a bell with me and while I was hanging around in the garden keeping an eye on a toddler I noticed how loose the hinge bolts were on my medium. Nothing to worry about because all the nuts are self locking but there was quite a bit of slack there.
So I grabbed my allen keys (OK they are metric but a 4mm almost fits) and tightened them up and felt like I'd done a good thing.
Well bl**dy h*** - the dome had a quarter inch gap at the front! How I wish I hadn't started this, could I loosen the hinge bolts to get the alignment back to how it was before I fiddled about? NO! (remember - don't try and fix what isn't broken)
Well I couldn't undo the band bolts and the more torque I put on them the more I thought they were going to round off the square hole the head end sits in (they are metric near fits). Luckily I still had some spares.
Next step out with the hacksaw, cut the upper dome bolt and try and re-align the dome with re-tightened hinge bolts and maintain that alignment with a new band bolt. Surprisingly fiddly - I used a c cramp to tighten the band before I committed to tightening the band bolt but I got a reasonable result.
So now I've "fixed" the perfectly OK setup I'm out of trouble. OK I have a slightly improved lid closing action but next time I won't fiddle! (who am I kidding - I've got this far in life and still haven't learnt not to "improve" things)
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Comments

  • Misippi Egger
    Misippi Egger Posts: 5,095
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    I've always agreed with the phrase "The enemy of good is better" !
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  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
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    :laugh: Sure which I could learn that.

    Kent
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  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
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    Hello James,

    bl**dy h*** :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Makes me think of my father in law. Nice bloke. My wife grew up in Brighton, when she was a young woman her family moved over here.

    Metal Clank... My medium kept having that problem. It was the bands slipping away from the 'band stops' in molded in the ceramics.

    I had the same problem with the stove bolt holes (square holes) and the square on the stove bolt itself. Possibly I am just tightening too tight.

    The nuts on the bands should fit metric just fine. There are a couple of sizes of imperial and metric bolts that are the same physical size. I am pretty sure I used my metric sockets on the band bolts.

    Sounds like you have fixed the "ok" to "better".

    Hope all is well with you and the family.

    Kent
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  • FlaPoolman
    FlaPoolman Posts: 11,677
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    I one upped you James. Always had a slight problem with the back of one of my larges so while replacing the gasket I decided to take the hinges apart to get a better seal (it wasn't off buy much just looser than the front) After putting it back together I had 1/8" gap in the back that would not come out with band adjustments. After playing with it for a couple hours out came the power tools :ohmy: I redrilled 2 brackets and the lid closed perfect :woohoo: but now it wont open all the way :( :angry: . Going to stop by my dealers this afternoon and see if I can just order the 2 parts I drilled or if I need a new band assembly :whistle:
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  • James MB
    James MB Posts: 359
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    Had a laugh when I read those replies.
    In fact it all came about because I was pondering how to mount some inconspicuous but handy hooks for a grill brush, ash tool, wiggle stick and perhaps the third hand. I was eyeing up the hinge area at the back - I sometimes rest my poker/wiggle stick across the hinge mounts and it seems to stay there.
    I was planning some sort of rail or holes drilled in the top hing bracket.
    btw the metallic clanking was being generated by the lower end of the spring slipping round the (previously very loose) mounting bolt.
    Thank heavens I didn't resort to power tools, the geometry of that hinge is quite complicated - I'm sure it is a commonplace construction but I can't "see" it in my head and I am wary of playing about with things I don't understand (though as my boss told me if we all lived by that adage we wouldn't go near women ;) ) even if it can be fun!
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  • James MB
    James MB Posts: 359
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    PS My parents moved down to Shoreham (just outside Brighton) then moved on to Bournemouth (along the coast) to set up on their own.
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  • Jersey Doug
    Jersey Doug Posts: 460
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    Applying a lot of torque to a dry fastener is not a good idea. Buy some new nuts and bolts (you can reuse the washers) and oil them before you tighten them initially. They won't gall and they'll come off as easily as they went on.
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  • James MB
    James MB Posts: 359
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    Replaced the nuts and bolts already!
    next time ......
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