# fixing broken tote bolt.



## lateralus819 (Jul 22, 2012)

So i picked up a Stanley #7 for $30, had a repair. Must be the original bolt snapped off and they drilled it out. I bought a 1/4 20 rod to see if it was that size and it turns out its a hair bigger, so my guess is it would need to be tapped to 3/8”.

What would you do? Should i just tap it to a 3/8 rod? weld the hole and retap to the original size? Grab a 1/4 20 bolt and grind the head down to fit the recess? Btw they used a bolt and ground the head down and drilled a recess to accept it in the base.

I purchased some 7/16 brass rod to make a new nut.


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

I hate when a plane hardware has been hacked.

The original screw may have been lost. In my restorations I have had a few planes with bad hardware especially the tote and knob screws.

This is the best summary of the thread sizes and specifications I have found so far. Record followed the Stanley standards.

The original tote screw was 7/32nd in dia x 20 tpi Whitworth thread. As a Brit I grew up learning to hate Whitworth threads, popular on British cars up to the 60's.

Good luck finding a tap if you want to go back to original. I saw one on EBay but crazy price.

If you weld the hole you can resort to a #12 screw, the closest size to the original.

I would not go bigger than 1/4in dia since the hole size could weaken the tote, especially in a heavy plane like a No. 7.

http://www.recordhandplanes.com/parts-and-sizes.html


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Dave Paine said:


> I hate when a plane hardware has been hacked.
> 
> The original screw may have been lost. In my restorations I have had a few planes with bad hardware especially the tote and knob screws.
> 
> ...


Tell me about that Whitworth. I owned 5 60's era Triumphs: 1 Spitfire and 2 Tr-4's and 1 Tr-4A. Then there was the Tr-4 that I drove home and parked in the garage repertory to restoring. Then I retired from the Air Force and bought a business. That was the last of the restoration effort.

It sat there for 16 years until I sold it in pieces.

George

George


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

GeorgeC said:


> Tell me about that Whitworth. I owned 5 60's era Triumphs: 1 Spitfire and 2 Tr-4's and 1 Tr-4A. Then there was the Tr-4 that I drove home and parked in the garage repertory to restoring. Then I retired from the Air Force and bought a business. That was the last of the restoration effort.
> 
> It sat there for 16 years until I sold it in pieces.
> 
> George


Thanks for the smile of the day. :icon_smile:

I can appreciate your love hate relationship with British cars.

In this country I had an MGB GT back around 83. Fun to drive when it worked. All of two electrical circuits. When I bought it I found the windshield wipers did not work. I had to do some rewiring to bypass the short. I never did find the short.

I still have a special test spark plug which had a special clear epoxy interior to allow watching the colour of the fuel as it burned. This was very useful to set the mixture ratio. The SU jets required their share of care and attention.


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## lateralus819 (Jul 22, 2012)

I see about just welding the hole close and going with a 1/4 20 bolt. I didn't realized when i bought it the whole was straight through from the bottom it just looked like a weld almost. Eh for $30 i can't complain i guess.


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

lateralus819 said:


> I see about just welding the hole close and going with a 1/4 20 bolt. I didn't realized when i bought it the whole was straight through from the bottom it just looked like a weld almost. Eh for $30 i can't complain i guess.


Before you decide on the bolt diameter, I would look at the nut you will be using to ensure it is not too big for the top of the tote. The Stanley tote is only about 3/4 - 7/8in wide.

How about a #12 or #14 screw. Needs to be about 4 1/4in long.


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## lateralus819 (Jul 22, 2012)

Dave Paine said:


> Before you decide on the bolt diameter, I would look at the nut you will be using to ensure it is not too big for the top of the tote. The Stanley tote is only about 3/4 - 7/8in wide.
> 
> How about a #12 or #14 screw. Needs to be about 4 1/4in long.


I bought some 7/16" brass rod, will tap it to the 1/4" threaded rod i bought.


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