Please, please don't..........

[Peter Laidler]

Here's a plea for all you No4T/No32 owners. I recently had a No32 telescope to overhaul. Unusually, this one came with the bracket attached. I ask for them to be taken out of the bracket because when I test fire them to test for 'fastness' on a slave rifle in the Enfield rest, we use a simplified telescope cradle. But I digress.........

In this instance, the clown had taken it upon himself to lock-tite the taper lock cradle screws clamping the caps to the cradle. Meaning that they'll a) never ever work loose and b) you'd never get them apart again without a goodly helping of heat.

There's two problems here........... Firstly, they won't undo by themselves because these ancient, pre-war taper lock screws were meant to and do, most effectively lock thermselves tight by virtue of the taper lock. Clearly the words 'taper lock screws' didn't quite register. These clever little screws also ensure that you cannot over-torque/tighten them because they'll lock up! It also means that you cannot not crush the telescope tube. Clever lads these pre war engineers!

In this case, the use of heat to break down the bond was out of the question, as was the use of chemicals. Both of which would also break down the cement in the lenses. So what do we do I pondered over a few beers? The only thing TO do was to strip an old L42 rifle down to the bare bones and make a jig that would hold the barrelled action, bracket and sight in a milling machine and then centre bore the screws to the outside diameter of the cradle screws down into each screw until I could prize the now destroyed screws and undamaged cradle caps off. Once the cradle caps were off, the telescope could be released from the bracket - after prizing it away from the residue of the excess lock-tite - and free.

Only then could heat be applied to the bracket to break the chemical lock of the broken screw shanks. Hours and hours of work because of a little carelessness. Anyone got any spare screws.........?

Please remember these little taper lock screws are self locking. They're also a feature of the Boys Anti-Tank rifle cradle too

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[limpetmine]

What a huge amount of work, and nearly impossible to do without your skills and equipment. A cautionary tale, to be sure. Thanks.

[Nigel]

Pete
I'll bring some spare screws with me to your lecture on the 23rd. They are surplus from the brackets that Roger and I had made.
Nigel

[Peter Laidler]

Thanks Nigel, but I just put that in as a throwaway line to illustrate the point. I've got hundreds! It's just having to set up to drill them out for no apparent reason.

[RJW NZ]

I've learned to be very cautious in the use of loc tite, and in addition to Peter's exercise I can vouch that loctite on the butt bolt threads will be just about as good as welding it in place, at least heat could be used to cook it out. I have used white glue as a less robust form of loc tite, it holds nicely and breaks free easily.