Another Feeler FTL 618

[Graham Stabler]

So the gear on the thin shaft was hardly damaged but the shaft was bent and the gear on the thick shaft was damaged but the shaft was fine. Swings and roundabouts for sure.

Now let's get the gears cleaned up:



I used some gunk engine cleaner, scotch brite on the metal and nonstick safe pan scourers on the few painted bits. Watch for the detent spring in the selectors.

First put the tumbler back in place:



These two are best put in together



Be careful to life the gear and dog to clear the bearing while inerting. The lower cluster of gears is the 3-position range selector, you can see the rack used to move the gears on the right hand shaft. The dog at the top is actuated by the metric/imperial selector which engages the gear or moves the short tubular shaft that connects with the leadscrew in and out of engagement with the gear cluster. I can't quite remember the details but I hope to do a video on it to help me remember how it all works in case I strip it down again later.



This shaft has a gear attached on the end once the gearbox end plate is back on, it forms the ratio that converts between metric and imperial (or vice versa). The other gear is mounted on the end of the cluster gear shaft.

Now the problem shaft all straightened:



And the shaft with the duff gear, all dressed:



The cover can then go back on, the idler gear can go in later as can the shaft and dog for threading direction selection. The selector switches can also go in later when I will be able to see how it all aligns more easily.



A quick spin of a few shafts and it binds, oh great.



So it seems there it more to do, the small gear is on the end of the slutch shaft, some damaged teeth now fixed and it looks like at least one bad tooth on the larger gear that now rears it head.

To be continued ...