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Industry optimized for minimum TCO over maximal lifespan and minimal lifecycle environmental cost. Will need a gradual shift to wabi sabi aesthetics over likenewism.
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Update on this saga. Much as David predicted, the superglue didn’t hold. But rather than try the epoxy plus whipping solution he suggested, I decided to just... ask for the spare part.
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Replying to @vgr
Superglue alone is not going to hold. Strongly suggest "whipping" with heavy nylon thread for permanent clamping, compression, additional tensile strength, and overcoating with epoxy, lacquer, varnish etc.
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After swapping it out, and examining the old leg, I realized why: the leg and sleep are kinda an irreversible assembly.
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I’m not even sure how it goes on 🤔 Any guesses? Only thing I can think of is some sort of long tool that inserts the pin from the other end of the tube.
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The telescoping mid-leg sleeve has the same fastening system as dies the foot, which I now notice has a crack too.
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Anyway, alls well that ends well and I now own a spare telescoping stainless steel leg. Which I need to use in a new project. Suggestions welcome.
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TIL: pop rivets
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Replying to @vgr
This fastener is called a "pop rivet" or "blind rivet". It can be inserted into a hole that you have no access to the back side of. The pop rivet tool then pulls the "nail" of the rivet, which causes the rivet to deform and pull the head and back side together.
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Interesting, so they *could* have sent me just a new sleeve, but I’d have had to use a drill (which I own) and rivet tool (which I don’t) to finish the repair, which makes the tradeoff more complex.
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Replying to @vgr
So you drill out the soft aluminum part, and replace the rivet. They are sacrificial, but very, very cheap.
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I’d have saved some steel tubing and plastic but I’d have to have access to more tooling and possessed/learned an extra skill (pop-riveting). Think I’ll work out the dollar and carbon math here. Interesting problem.
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Replying to
They likely don’t stock just the sleeve. This is quite common, unfortunately. We once had a Honda that had a steering leak. Proposed fix from the dealer: replace rack and pinion assembly, $1000. Good mechanic: make a new hose, $100.
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