BOTTLESCREWS /TURNBUCKLES

ducked said:
Upper forks have stainless steel split pins which I find unacceptably difficult to remove (ok on a car but there they are usually in a rigidly mounted fastner and arent ss)

I suppose I could replace with little split rings, or maybe I could terminate a lock wire there, 2 dead birds 1 stone stylee?

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Split pins are the normal and secure solution, and generally easy enough to remove (unless wrong size clevis pjns).
I would suggest persevere and refine your technique as most others find simple and secure.
 
dunedin said:
Split pins are the normal and secure solution, and generally easy enough to remove (unless wrong size clevis pjns).
I would suggest persevere and refine your technique as most others find simple and secure.
Click to expand...
In addition, split pins should only be opened to an angle of 20 degrees, legs kept straight. Tape over the ends to help avoid snagging of lines. (Advice from Selden).
 
BabaYaga said:
In addition, split pins should only be opened to an angle of 20 degrees, legs kept straight. Tape over the ends to help avoid snagging of lines. (Advice from Selden).
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I normally open mine enough so that the split pin ends are 'covered' by the fitting as it reduced the chances of snagging. mainly legs and feet. Depending upon split pin location it got a wrapping of my preferred tape to add extra protection.
 
justanothersailboat said:
I was surprised how good water-pump pliers are at dealing with that kind of split pin use.

I think that personally I would not dare terminate the lock wire in there instead of some other fastening case that wasn't up to the job. I'm sure there are alternatives to the split pin that are ok, though.
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I tried a range of pliers and spanners, including water pump pliers. Took me over an hour to remove 2, in the yard. Wouldnt like to have to do it in a water bourne emergency, or in fact ever again in any circumstances

I have some new bolt cutters somewhere that might work for the others if I can get the end of the jaws on them.

I doubt the split pins are heavily loaded so suspect they dont need to be so ludicrously strong, but I could of course be wrong. It would help if the tails hadnt been wrapped back around the pin, but I suppose that reduces snagging.

16mm spanner too loose on locknuts, 15mm too tight (though could be hammered on) and didnt find an Imperial fit either. Maybe they are Whitworth?(which I dont have).

Stripped one thread so far so that one at least will need lockwire, so I will likely use it on all of them.
 
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BabaYaga said:
In addition, split pins should only be opened to an angle of 20 degrees, legs kept straight. Tape over the ends to help avoid snagging of lines. (Advice from Selden).
Click to expand...
dunedin said:
Split pins are the normal and secure solution, and generally easy enough to remove (unless wrong size clevis pjns).
I would suggest persevere and refine your technique as most others find simple and secure.
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Poll in the Boness yard would indicate most people here (many having had multiple decades to refine technique, which I wont be getting) find them an absolute PITA, expressed quite forcefully in some cases, as in "especially if some **** has wrapped the legs back".

Perhaps a cultural difference?
 
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I never had anything like that bad a time removing a split pin, I wonder what's different about those ones... so there's something to avoid here, but it's hard to tell what.
 
justanothersailboat said:
I never had anything like that bad a time removing a split pin, I wonder what's different about those ones... so there's something to avoid here, but it's hard to tell what.
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I'd think theyd be fairly straightforward if not wrapped, so avoiding that on a re-installation might be enough to render them usable.

They are quite heavy SS which cant be cut by ordinary pliers or side cutters. Substituting copper or monel metal wire (if adequate for the job, which I THINK it should be) would get around that.
 
srm said:
If the wire is swaged to one end of the bottle screw that is probably a right hand thread - or at least it was on the forestay furling gear that I recently tightened. However, if its a stand alone bottle screw that could have been fitted either way up you will have to look at the thread or simply try turning it and see what happens.

I have found that "try it and see what happens" frequently answers boat related questions. It either works the way you want it to or it does not. A simple test that I discovered long before the internet came along.

Not relevant unless you are trying to fit parts together from a box of boat jumble bits. Even then the "try it and see what happens" test will soon show which bits fit together without any further technical knowledge.
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TrIal snd error, in the case of tight bronze fittings and error, leads to upsettingly ruined threads, as I am currently learning to my cost.
 
Lubricate the threads
I used deisel. Leave to soak. Avoid getting it on your deck. Use rags or disposable nappies wrapped beneath to absorb any drips

Add heat if needs be

Worked for my seized bottlescrews
 
PabloPicasso said:
Lubricate the threads
I used deisel. Leave to soak. Avoid getting it on your deck. Use rags or disposable nappies wrapped beneath to absorb any drips

Add heat if needs be

Worked for my seized bottlescrews
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I used 3 in 1, which was what I had. Didnt work very well. Something thinner might have been better.

I have the mast down now, (though its still in the taburnacle and overhangs the stern to an alarming extent) so I should be able to take all the other screws off and soak them by immersion, then undo them in a vice, slowly and carefully.

I'll grease and use PTFE thread tape on them on re-assembly. Might try polythene and/or molten paraffin wax too

No more split pins.
 
ducked said:
….

No more split pins.
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Not sure what you are doing wrong with split pins, as never had any issue with them, unless there is another problem with the fitting.
The only difficulty tends to be if the clevis and/or split pin sizes are wrong - or if the fitting is splaying out and putting pressure on the split pin. In the latter case need to fix the root issue - either too short a clevis pin or a deforming fitting. And in the latter case a split ring would likely fail.
Millions of boaters use split pins without issues, and they are generally the right thing for rigging jobs.

Split rings are often used on dinghy stays - to allow speedy rigging each day and / or adjusting the settings afloat between races. But they do sometimes get snagged and come loose. I had to cancel a tack and instead straight into shore, with crew jumping out to stop the boat, when noticed lee shroud had detached due to clevis ring failure.
 
I used deisel as a penetrating oil. Some recomend ATF, or a mix of ATF and deisel.. But as I didn't have ATF and deisel was available that's what I used. You only need a tiny tiny bit. Use a cheap lidl/aldi nappy under to collect any drips.

I added heat with a gas blow torch, but an electric heat gun would've done the job too I think.
 
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