Repairing broken coils (mouse ears)

Chipk

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Mar 18, 2013
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Jacksonville / Yulee Florida
Charly-In-Ct-Ri inFebruary posted a brilliant repair for broken mouse ears. A;l credit goes to him. I just tweaked his ideas.

No matter how careful I am kneeling and standing I somehow managed to break a half dozen expensive coils. I tried repairing them with nylon washers and even glueing them on before using them.

They still broke.

So I was enthusiastic in trying his repairs. But they centered around plastic electrical boxes that he cut and reshaped using PVC glue and primer. But I could never find the right size. They were always too large.

Well one day I was wandering through Home Depot and found myself on the PVC aisle and saw some joints and connectors that looked like they might work. So I bought several sizes and headed to my garage.

First I selected a coil and with my Drexel I started carefully slicing away the broken ears. Then I took my sander and smoothed it off. I then selected the right size cap and placed it on the coil and it looked like there was adequate surface area to support it.

Next I measured where to drill the holes and after using 4 different sized drill bits I had the right holes. But after connecting everything I realized there was still too much play. So I began adding nylon washers until I had a good combination for a snug fit.

I wanted to be able to have a little vertical play with the shaft so I took the Drexel and cut a space in the cap at the back. A little use of the sander smoothed up the edges. Then I also sanded the bottom of the connector to rough up the surface so the PVC glues will hold better.

Then I painted it. Mostly to hide my poor craftmanship.

I first used PVC Primer and then PVC glue to attach the 2 pieces. Always add the adhesives on both pieces. I let it sit overnight.

The next morning I tried to break the bond but it seems strong.

It’s a bit of a challenge to hook up the bolt, coil and washers because it’s a tight fit but perseverance will make it happen. A foam sealant might help if there’s too much play but this seems to be what I need.

I took my Garrett ATPro with the patched 5x8 coil out yesterday and today. I was cautious at first but before long I forgot I was using a broken coil. No problems and I even found a few things.
 

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Nice job on the repair. Could you post a picture of the shaft connected to the new PVC piece?

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk
 
Hooked up and ready for action

Nice job on the repair. Could you post a picture of the shaft connected to the new PVC piece?

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk


Soitenly.
 

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Great job. I bet it is stronger then the original ears. My repair was on a Dual Field (water hunting machine) and it is still holding up even with all of the water resistance.
 
Y
Charly-In-Ct-Ri inFebruary posted a brilliant repair for broken mouse ears. A;l credit goes to him. I just tweaked his ideas.

No matter how careful I am kneeling and standing I somehow managed to break a half dozen expensive coils. I tried repairing them with nylon washers and even glueing them on before using them.

They still broke.

So I was enthusiastic in trying his repairs. But they centered around plastic electrical boxes that he cut and reshaped using PVC glue and primer. But I could never find the right size. They were always too large.

Well one day I was wandering through Home Depot and found myself on the PVC aisle and saw some joints and connectors that looked like they might work. So I bought several sizes and headed to my garage.

First I selected a coil and with my Drexel I started carefully slicing away the broken ears. Then I took my sander and smoothed it off. I then selected the right size cap and placed it on the coil and it looked like there was adequate surface area to support it.

Next I measured where to drill the holes and after using 4 different sized drill bits I had the right holes. But after connecting everything I realized there was still too much play. So I began adding nylon washers until I had a good combination for a snug fit.

I wanted to be able to have a little vertical play with the shaft so I took the Drexel and cut a space in the cap at the back. A little use of the sander smoothed up the edges. Then I also sanded the bottom of the connector to rough up the surface so the PVC glues will hold better.

Then I painted it. Mostly to hide my poor craftmanship.

I first used PVC Primer and then PVC glue to attach the 2 pieces. Always add the adhesives on both pieces. I let it sit overnight.

The next morning I tried to break the bond but it seems strong.

It’s a bit of a challenge to hook up the bolt, coil and washers because it’s a tight fit but perseverance will make it happen. A foam sealant might help if there’s too much play but this seems to be what I need.

I took my Garrett ATPro with the patched 5x8 coil out yesterday and today. I was cautious at first but before long I forgot I was using a broken coil. No problems and I even found a few things.
Curious to know how your repair is holding up? I just had the left coil ear on my nox 15 in coil break and thinking of trying your method . Thanks Mike
 
Y
Curious to know how your repair is holding up? I just had the left coil ear on my nox 15 in coil break and thinking of trying your method . Thanks Mike

I made a post on make it and fix. On the Equinox ear stiffener and repair. This downloadable 3D printer program has a repair kit to fix the issue.
 
Y
Curious to know how your repair is holding up? I just had the left coil ear on my nox 15 in coil break and thinking of trying your method . Thanks Mike

My repair is still holding up. I don't use the PI that often but I had it in the water for an hour just the other day. You can see my repair on the this forum.
 
I got the idea on how to repair the ears on my 2500 coil from a thread here on the form. I used PVC parts and glue. It seems to be stronger than it was before.
Coil 3.jpg
Coil 1.JPG
The first picture is before i trimmed it down to fit better.
 
If you want to repair delicate or strong plastic I recommend Q bond. It has a powder to sprinkle on the glue and it's incredible! Dries fast! Strong too!
We use it on car plastic parts!
 
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