Hi all Has anyone got a good method for tightening up the rivets on a Vapalux / bialaddin cage, can they be re-set in some way? The cage on my 300x is loose, all four rods are somewhat wobbly, still in one piece and nothing broken but annoyingly wobbly nevertheless and eventually somethings going to give so it could do with sorting. Any thoughts would be appreciated, thanks
I've used 2 methods. Peening the rivets some more and grinding the rivets away and fitting very small screws instead - 2mm were the ones I used. Peening works well but you need an extra pair of hands as you need a steel rod underneath with a depression to support the lower end, someone to hold the lantern/cage steady while you use something like a pin punch or a centre punch on the top end of the rod. It's damned fiddly no matter how you do it... and you need a vice! Alternatively you can grind or drill out the rivet heads, drill the correct size hole in both ends of the rod before tapping the threads ready to take some 2mm screws. I found some tiny computer screws were ideal as they had a wide flanged head. Anyhow, that's how I did it. I've done the same thing with loose Petromax frames but I usually drill and tap the rods and fit new tiny screws.
Many thanks guys, tbh both options sound slightly intimidating but I'd like to try re-peening the rivets first since that would involve the least modification. Ive got a friend coming round tomorrow, he thinks we're going to have a few beers, and we are, but he is also going to assist with some tricky sounding cage surgey. I dont fully understand about the vice though, i assume the cage is vertical, where are you clamping if person no.2 is holding the frame? Option 2 sounds even trickier, basically recreating the 305 cage by hand, do you all have pillar drills or are you doing this with handhelds?! I've never tapped anything that small (god, that sounds FILTHY but really isnt), can you use a cheapy Amazon tap or do I have to purchase something quality, could you use self tapping screws instead? Thanks again for the help, if this works I'll be a happy bunny indeed
Hum.. you mite want to try the lamp fettling Before having the beer? :-) seriously though, it’s as Colin said, u need to have something underneath to support and take the impact of the ‘pruning’.. it can be slightly bigger than the punch on the top.. everything needs to be level (this is where your mate comes in.. eyeing the cage up to make sure it’s level whilst you concentrate on the tapping (ooh matron!) The peining has a double effect .. tightening the top fixing should help to tighten the bottom at the same time, or at least a little bit Good luck and please keep us posted
That's a much better description @podbros and you correctly say that you end up peening the top and bottom at the same time. The vice is invaluable as it will hold a steel 'thing'... it could be a centre punch, or a 6mm rod maybe and your mate needs to make sure the 'thing' is directly under the bottom rivet while you hold the frame AND the other punch to hammer the top rivet. I've done this all by myself - just - but it's blooming tricky! Once it's done though, it's extremely satisfying! Also, with two people 'helping' each other, the potential for comedy is greatly enhanced! Maybe a few photos might be fun! Good luck.
@Nevermindthedarkness Over the years, I’ve tapped many small things ........ I’ll let your mind wander a bit here ...... Those things being lantern support legs, eccentric blocks and of course using small dies to make new prickers etc. In every case, I believe in using the best tools that I can afford. There’s nothing worse in breaking off a cheapie tap in a one of a kind item and it breaks off knowing that perhaps if I had spent a little more I could have had a quality tool and the job done and dusted. Sermon over .... Good luck on the fix up, Colin and Podbros above have the procedure right and, enjoy a beer for me. Cheers Pete
Great success!! Events were delayed a bit but today, crapulous but sober we ventured to the shed and spent a few hours very wisely. The cage was successfully tapped back into service, we had to do each rod, top and bottom a couple of times each but after each round things firmed up a bit and by the end it was tight as an ducks arse, I'd say 95% back to rock solid. If we were silly enough to apply any real twisting / torsional force it wouldnt last long but the beauty of these cages is that shouldnt often happen. There is a part of me who wants to silbraze or somehow tack weld those rivets down now they are in place to make sure of things but there is also a larger part of me who wants to quit while he's ahead, esp since I dont have a brazing torch or any silbraze, time will tell on that one. Then, feeling flushed with success and not a little cocky (see Silbrazing, above), we moved onto electrolysing a steel Vapalux 300 back into shape, and that actually worked too, like magic, I couldnt believe it! I am fully aware electrolyis isnt magic and has in fact been well documented and practised in primary schools for some decades now, but still, I feel a little like Gandalf, a grubby, slightly pruned Gandalf. So many years spent sanding rust like a schmuck, dont be like me kids, just say yes to electrolysis from day 1 and save yourself a whole world of faff. Thanks for all the help guys, your expert advice saved a good cage from the scrapheap and enlivened my Sunday considerably
Im going to try and finish the clearcoating tomorrow and Ill put a photo or two up, we tried to take one mid-peen so to speak but it turns out you're all spot on, its a 4 hand, 1 vice job
Nevermind, what kind of setting tool did you use? I have the same problem on a Petromax cage and I'm looking at getting rivet setting tools used for leather work listed on Amazon. The dimensions are not real clear in the descriptions. Cheers
