TE Probe repairable?

Earlier, Bob Gibbons wrote:

The sleeve wall thickness is just too thin for robust use.

That may well be so. However, consider that the part may have been
engineered (or at least developed) that way so as to protect the fin
socket. I'd rather replace the frangible aluminum probe plug than cut
open the fin and replace the probe socket any day!

I've got a lathe, and making a replacement aluminum plug was my very
first thought. I try to buy as few glider parts as possible, and when I
do I try to buy as many at a time as I can to get volume discouts. But
if Tim has a thing like that in stock, he'd be my first call. Business
is definitely business.

Bob K.

"Bob Kuykendall" wrote in message
ups.com...
Earlier, Bob Gibbons wrote:

The sleeve wall thickness is just too thin for robust use.

That may well be so. However, consider that the part may have been
engineered (or at least developed) that way so as to protect the fin
socket. I'd rather replace the frangible aluminum probe plug than cut
open the fin and replace the probe socket any day!

I've got a lathe, and making a replacement aluminum plug was my very
first thought. I try to buy as few glider parts as possible, and when I
do I try to buy as many at a time as I can to get volume discouts. But
if Tim has a thing like that in stock, he'd be my first call. Business
is definitely business.

Bob K.


Bob, I'm sure the O-ring groove was not intended as a 'breakaway' point to
protect the fin socket. The O-ring seats far enough into the socket that
something else would give first - probably the carbon fiber tube part of the
probe.

Bill Daniels

bumper wrote:

Thin-wall and seamless stainless tubing is, like most other good things in
life, available from McMaster-Carr on-line.

bumper


How true. I think it would be fun to see if we could create the entire
Bill Of Materials for scratch-built high performance glider from the
McMaster-Carr website. Living not too far away, have had a chance to
stop by on a couple of occasions. The place is like a toy store for
big kids.

P3

If I had 1/1000th the money of Bill Gates, I'd call 'em and say, "Send me
one of everything, please!"

Is their brick and mortar set up for walk-in shopping??

bumper


"Papa3" wrote in message
ups.com...

bumper wrote:

Thin-wall and seamless stainless tubing is, like most other good things
in
life, available from McMaster-Carr on-line.

bumper


How true. I think it would be fun to see if we could create the entire
Bill Of Materials for scratch-built high performance glider from the
McMaster-Carr website. Living not too far away, have had a chance to
stop by on a couple of occasions. The place is like a toy store for
big kids.

P3

The new aluminum probe end arrived in the mail a few days after I called
Tim. It took me a few days to find the time to remove the old broken one
and epoxy the new one in its place.

Tim Mara's instructions were to heat the broken part with a hot air gun
until the epoxy holding it onto the carbon fiber tube softened allowing it
to be removed. I confess I was a little doubtful about this but it went
exactly as Tim said. Needle nose pliers pulled the hot broken part off
after about five minutes of heating. The new part slipped perfectly over
the old tube. As soon as the epoxy cures, the probe will be better than
new.

Bill Daniels