Strong glue needed

[papageno]

I am firmly convinced, that members of this forum can find a good answer to any question related to LF photography or related to LF only partially.

Now I have such a question, related to LF in some ways. The lever securing the front standard to the bottom plate broke off the pin and now the front standard swings freely. The camera is an old Wista, that looks like a Tachihara however.

I think that it will be possible to glue the two pieces together, but need an advice what kind of glue may work here. There will be some mechanical force applied to the glue when the lever is turned in order to press one plate to another and lock the front standard. Ordinary glue may break in time due to this repeatedly applied force.

I heard, that JB Weld might work here, but don't have any experience with it.

[MIke Sherck]

I don't believe that an adhesive on chromed steel is going to work for you; I think that you're going to need a mechanical connection. On the other hand, I'm a computer programmer; what do I know? I think I'll keep watching -- maybe I can learn something!

Mike

[Gary Beasley]

You should remove the metal parts from the wood and silver solder it back together

[Robert A. Zeichner]

I don't believe that adhesive would work very well in this instance, at least not by itself. If you can disassemble the mechanism so that the shaft could be put in a vise, perhaps you could modify it so that the lever could be press-fit back on in such a way that it would not break loose. You could, for example, pound a few dimples into the shaft with a pointed center punch which would create some spline-like spikes that would bind the lever mechanically.

[Gene McCluney]

Yep, this is a mechanical fix-it type of thing, rather than glue, but not an extremely difficult fix for someone who works with metal. You could take the parts (both) to a local machine shop and they could fix you right up.

[Kuzano]

A good gunsmith is creative in remaking metal joints that will not break in the future, and they tend to be "good ole boys" who charge a 6 pack and $10 bucks. Then they say "Awe Helll, it wern't nothin."

I've used them on small metal repairs and been happy with the results.

[Nathan Potter]

I might be inclined to drill and tap then use a machine screw of the appropriate size to keep the two pieces together. Might even put a bead of a high quality epoxy between the two pieces prior to reattachment. Varian Torrseal has a yield strength of approximately 4000 PSI, although it appears that your applied force will be of a shear nature after repair. It's a pretty tricky fix though.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[bspeed]

Ok, Nathan's post is it, though maybe clarifiy ?


Drill and tap from the side, use a hex set-screw.

if drilling the center part is too hard, then
just dimple the center part for the set screw to set against.
tighten down, your good to go.

[Jim Michael]

Another vote for the set screw. A dab of Loctite from the hardware store might work as a temporary fix.

[Bruce Barlow]

Call Richard Ritter, 802-365-7807. Ask him about the fix, and ask him about the amusing stories of cameras he gets from folks who were sure they could fix it themselves...