A
Ant
Guest
"Michael Dart" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> Pardon me but, IMO, The tool required [for setting star nuts) (Park TNS-1) is neither fancy (a
> round piece of steel with a threaded stud on the end of it) or particularly expensive (about $16).
> It makes really short work of the procedure and ensures the nut is set to the proper depth. You
> can also DIY with a cut off piece of broomstick and use the rounded end to set the star nut. A box
> of band-aids may also be required using this method. ;^)
hear, hear. star fangled nut is definitely a do it yourselfer. ive had excellent success at home
just threading the preload adjusting bolt into it and tapping it down. i suppose there is a risk of
the thread bit separating from the star bit, but it hasnt happened to me, and you dont worry abotu
damaging threads. all the bolt does it a littl bit of preload. not load bearing.
of course, with a carbon fork, star fangled nuts need not apply.
as other posters have said, i definitely Definitely agree that headset pressing is also a very
reasonable thing to do at home, either the caveman-like laboriously slow way of tapping it in with a
block of wood, or the much quicker (but bigger investment in setup time) bolt adn appropriate
washers. i used to hear so much nay saying about doing this at home, but many naysayers must never
have used the pro tool. There Is Nothing Magic About The Shop Tool. the largest part, IMHO, of
installing tricky bits and pieces is the mechanical competence that goes into telling whether things
are going well or not. Whether you use a very easy, fast, and expensive shop tool, or a home brew
get up means little if you are somewhat mechanically inclined.
if one is not mechanically inclined, so to speak, or doubts themself, then i wouldnt even give up
there. i truly beleive that you can replace mechanical competency with time. if you do everything
slowly. check things again and again. there is very very very little that i know of that can go
wrong quickly.
if you are using a cartridge bottom bracket, and it threads in nicely when you try it the first
time, i would feel good about foregoing the BB machining work. if you press your headset, and it
slides in smooth and straight, and when adjusted there are no tight spots, then i would leave that
as it is. things to watch for would be whether the headtube is the right inside diameter for the
headset. however, i think a company in this day and age who is selling unfinished frames shoudl be
embarassed. thirty seconds with a caliper would verify this for you, or sloooow judicious pressing.
things that shoudl Not be done at home, despite my admittedly liberal views on the matter, are
frame machining jobs. facing, reaming, and threading are tricky to pull off with a file and a
bearing scraper
why would i advocate doing everything yourself? becuase it feels that much better. yes, it will take
longer. yes, the time it takes you will probably be more than the time it takes you to earn the
money it woudl take to pay the shop, if that makes sense. but it feels better, you know more, and
youre faster next time.
right. thats enough of me, then.
anthony
> Pardon me but, IMO, The tool required [for setting star nuts) (Park TNS-1) is neither fancy (a
> round piece of steel with a threaded stud on the end of it) or particularly expensive (about $16).
> It makes really short work of the procedure and ensures the nut is set to the proper depth. You
> can also DIY with a cut off piece of broomstick and use the rounded end to set the star nut. A box
> of band-aids may also be required using this method. ;^)
hear, hear. star fangled nut is definitely a do it yourselfer. ive had excellent success at home
just threading the preload adjusting bolt into it and tapping it down. i suppose there is a risk of
the thread bit separating from the star bit, but it hasnt happened to me, and you dont worry abotu
damaging threads. all the bolt does it a littl bit of preload. not load bearing.
of course, with a carbon fork, star fangled nuts need not apply.
as other posters have said, i definitely Definitely agree that headset pressing is also a very
reasonable thing to do at home, either the caveman-like laboriously slow way of tapping it in with a
block of wood, or the much quicker (but bigger investment in setup time) bolt adn appropriate
washers. i used to hear so much nay saying about doing this at home, but many naysayers must never
have used the pro tool. There Is Nothing Magic About The Shop Tool. the largest part, IMHO, of
installing tricky bits and pieces is the mechanical competence that goes into telling whether things
are going well or not. Whether you use a very easy, fast, and expensive shop tool, or a home brew
get up means little if you are somewhat mechanically inclined.
if one is not mechanically inclined, so to speak, or doubts themself, then i wouldnt even give up
there. i truly beleive that you can replace mechanical competency with time. if you do everything
slowly. check things again and again. there is very very very little that i know of that can go
wrong quickly.
if you are using a cartridge bottom bracket, and it threads in nicely when you try it the first
time, i would feel good about foregoing the BB machining work. if you press your headset, and it
slides in smooth and straight, and when adjusted there are no tight spots, then i would leave that
as it is. things to watch for would be whether the headtube is the right inside diameter for the
headset. however, i think a company in this day and age who is selling unfinished frames shoudl be
embarassed. thirty seconds with a caliper would verify this for you, or sloooow judicious pressing.
things that shoudl Not be done at home, despite my admittedly liberal views on the matter, are
frame machining jobs. facing, reaming, and threading are tricky to pull off with a file and a
bearing scraper
why would i advocate doing everything yourself? becuase it feels that much better. yes, it will take
longer. yes, the time it takes you will probably be more than the time it takes you to earn the
money it woudl take to pay the shop, if that makes sense. but it feels better, you know more, and
youre faster next time.
right. thats enough of me, then.
anthony