Hello everybody, I just started my first british lamp project and choose an army surplus Vapalux m320, since they are relatively easy to get in Germany. Everything seems to be quite straightforward but while cleaning the frame one bolt to which the handle is attached came loose. How do I fix this? Regards, Götz
Hello there, they do tend to come lose sometimes when it happens to me I just knock them back in until it becomes flush with the inside of frame, screw it slightly back into handle an gently tap the thumb screw so not to damage thread, hope this helps, gozzy.
That's an interesting problem. On mine, the studs were cast into the aluminium frame and the holes do not go all the way through to the inside. That part of the frame gets exceedingly hot so epoxy is probably out of the question. Can you perhaps secure the stud with a thin steel screw or pin inserted into a hole drilled from the top? Wiser heads than mine may have a better solution.
If the thread in the alloy has become enlarged, a layer of very thin copper tape or a thread of copper wire wrapped arond the stud before screwing it in might make for a secure fit. A bit of a bodge, but copper has a high enough melting point, so should not weld itself to the stud or the frame. The experts on here will likely have alternative and more effective ideas, but this my tuppence worth...
Thanks, the bolt is pretty loose so I will try the copper wire. Wouldn't a threatlocker like loctite also work? Götz
I just checked my own bottle of loctite 242 (medium bond), and its an import and the details are in chinese! However I think it is a polymer of some sort (happy to be corrected) and may not be up to handling the high temperature of the top of the frame when the lamp is fully warmed up. Loctite make several varieties of this stuff, so it might be worth checking online to see if there is a version that will handle very high temperature, but bear in mind that Loctite is intended to 'bind' threads to prevent them from coming undone due to vibration etc - so far as i'm aware, it is not intended to function as a thread filler or sealant.
I think the only stuff able to take the heat would be stove rope glue but not sure how well it sticks to metal?
I'm just guessing but some sort of car engine or high-temperature pipe sealant might do the trick. Is Hermetite still available...
Like OGD said, there are many different types of Loctite. Whatever you have to fix, there is a specialised product at your service! (thread lock, pipe lock, bearings, you name it, they've got it!). I have no idea if they have a "high temperature" one but the 'regular' types don't like heat! In fact an easy trick to undo things glued in situ with Loctite is by applying heat (with a gas torch or why). Best to go to a sales point and ask for a catalog I think. Best regards, Wim
I didn't even know these studs came out... I would just pack it with a thin shim of copper or aluminium. I wouldn't trust any glue or threadlock, more likely than not it would just fall out again over time.
Stove rope glue should be fine. It's designed to stick the rope to metal stove doors and can take high very temperatures. Terry
I decided to try out some very fine copper wires first. It took me a while to find the right number and lenght, but now the bolt is wedged in firmly enough. The bolt does not have any threads on the frame side though. Wedgeing it in must have been how it was originaly built. Thank you for all the advice!
I guess as there is no thread to damage that another option might have been to knurl it or even just distort it slightly so that it was a tight fit again. If ever I have one come out I'll give it a go...
The copper wire solution could not accept the force of tightening the nuts. So I tried a more permanent approach. After drilling a 2mm hole into the frame and through the bolt I inserted a nail and grinded it level with the frame top. The tank was covered in several handpainted layers of green paint when I got the lamp. It was quite ugly, so I decided to polish to the bare brass. Cheers, Götz
