Single-handed stantion rebedding?
- Thread starter BobB
- Start date
larossa
Member II
Rebed Stantions
Bob.
I have always been able to use a duct tape and box ended wrench. I first hand tighten the nut and then I duct tape the wrench on the nut. I've alway been able to find something to wedge the wrench against. Its very important that you go slow and try to maintain pressure on the nut/wrench as to not shake the wrench loose.
good luck,
Brian
Bob.
I have always been able to use a duct tape and box ended wrench. I first hand tighten the nut and then I duct tape the wrench on the nut. I've alway been able to find something to wedge the wrench against. Its very important that you go slow and try to maintain pressure on the nut/wrench as to not shake the wrench loose.
good luck,
Brian
NateHanson
Sustaining Member
It's best if you don't turn the nut from above. That tends to spin out the bedding compound as you tighten the bolt. Instead, just take a visegrip pliers and lock it onto the head of the bolt on deck, then wedge yourself under the deck with a makita chucked with the appropriately sized socket (you can get a hex-to-square adaptor (1/4" or 3/8" drive) for your power driver at any hardware store).
After you do all four bolts on one stanchion, going above each time to move the visegrips, you'll be ready to pay $1000 per pair for three more vicegrips, so you might as well bite the bullet before you get out to the boat, and buy a few more vice grips before you get started. That way you can goop up all four bolts, stick them in the holes of one stanchion base, clip vice grips on all four heads, and then squeeze in below to tighten all four nuts at once.
My stanchions unfortunately have flathead machine screws countersunk in the stanchion bases. It makes a much neater installation, but there's no getting around needing a helper for that job.
Good luck.
After you do all four bolts on one stanchion, going above each time to move the visegrips, you'll be ready to pay $1000 per pair for three more vicegrips, so you might as well bite the bullet before you get out to the boat, and buy a few more vice grips before you get started. That way you can goop up all four bolts, stick them in the holes of one stanchion base, clip vice grips on all four heads, and then squeeze in below to tighten all four nuts at once.
My stanchions unfortunately have flathead machine screws countersunk in the stanchion bases. It makes a much neater installation, but there's no getting around needing a helper for that job.
Good luck.
gareth harris
Sustaining Member
With help it takes maybe 15 minutes to do my whole boat, without it, a couple of hours.
Yeah, I read the article and thought about the welding routine, but I'm too lazy to do it <G>. Besides, I'd miss out on all the cussing that will come about when one or more of the standard vice grips flies overboard (practically a given in this situation). Seriously, I may end up doing the welding, but right now I'm fishing for alternatives.
Cheers,
Bob
Hi Gareth,
15 minutes!? Are you The Flash? It takes me longer than 15 minutes to unpack my tools, let alone remove all the access panels on my boat. I figure rebedding to be a whole weekend endeavor. What's your secret?
Cheers,
Bob
NateHanson
Sustaining Member
Can someone flesh this out for me a bit more? I'm left picturing a vise-grip and half a nut clamped onto the threads of a stanchion bolt below-decks. How does that get this job done? I'm sure I'm missing a good idea here.
Can someone flesh this out for me a bit more? I'm left picturing a vise-grip and half a nut clamped onto the threads of a stanchion bolt below-decks. How does that get this job done? I'm sure I'm missing a good idea here.
Their suggestion was to silver solder an appropriately-sized nut (threads matching the intended bolt) to the jaw of a vise grip pliers. Once welded in place, the nut is then cut parallel to the jaws of the vise grip thereby making a vise grip that can grab and hold the threaded bolt without damage to the threads.
I guess my one concern was getting the vise grip hot enough to work effectively with the silver solder.
Bob
NateHanson
Sustaining Member
Yeah, that's the part I understand. I just don't understand how holding the bolt will help.
Ah, I think it just occured to me. You use that to hold the end of the bolt below the nut as you screw on the nut. I guess you'd have to find space to get in there with a box-end wrench in that case.
Ah, I think it just occured to me. You use that to hold the end of the bolt below the nut as you screw on the nut. I guess you'd have to find space to get in there with a box-end wrench in that case.
UPDATE
I rebedded the stantions yesterday. It wasn't too bad except for two things.
First, the vise-grip idea (use four vise-grips to hold all four nuts from below) works pretty well, except when the bolt isn't free-turning. Most of the bolts on my stantions were not free-turning, i.e., the hole in the deck was so tight that it formed threads around the bolt causing the bolt to screw into the deck securely sans nut. This made it very difficult to tightened the nut from below. As the nut was tightened, the bolt would ultimately loosen, requiring going back up top. Tightening from ontop locked the bolt into the deck, without fully tightening the nut. This required multiple iterations of tighten on top, tighten below. Just a PITA, I got the job done.
Second, as most know, access to the station nuts from below is poor on the E27. Again, a PITA but the job got done.
A thought on the Good Old Boat idea of soldering a 10-24 nut to a vise-grip: on the E27 I think you'd want to have several of these, each with the nut at a different angle. I'd be surprised if a single vise-grip with soldered nut would suffice due to the difficult access of the various nuts. Just a thought.
Thanks to everyone.
Walter Pearson
Member III
One of the suggestions in the GOB article is to use the needle-nosed Vise-Grips with the angled tips (Irwin 6BN). This really helps to get into those nasty places. In fact, the impetus for designing this tool and suggesting it to others was none other than all the deck fittings on my E27 after removing everything for a paint job.
I've never needed multiple angles with the nut position relative to the wrench. I have needed to make both 1/4-20 and 5/16-18 versions to cover all the fasteners on my boat.
With this particular Vise-Grip with the narrow jaws, a MAPP gas torch will be plenty for silver brazing. The other intent of the article was to encourage silver brazing which can be so much easier than welding for the DIYer.
I've never needed multiple angles with the nut position relative to the wrench. I have needed to make both 1/4-20 and 5/16-18 versions to cover all the fasteners on my boat.
With this particular Vise-Grip with the narrow jaws, a MAPP gas torch will be plenty for silver brazing. The other intent of the article was to encourage silver brazing which can be so much easier than welding for the DIYer.