Cutting MHS Threads

[CET]

There is one particular connection on my saber that after maintenance pretty much always causes solder joints to break. I've tried making shorter wires, changing assembly sequence, nothing send to work. Since it's the twisting that causes the problems, I figured I'd just cut the threads out so that the two pieces slide together and secure with either a couple of set screws or maybe a bunch of button screws.

Has anyone else done this? Is there enough material left to have a good connection? Would the left over metal be too thin to be a functional battle piece?

[Generic Jedi]

What kind of connection is it?

[sgcdialler]

How exactly do you plan to remove the threads? Any way you do it you're likely going to weaken that joint, and you could end up with a section of metal weak enough that it would shear or snap under stress, especially if it's at a high-stress area on your hilt.

[Greenie]

Post pics with the problem highlighted

[Thorgal Pain]

Your parts wont have a thight fit anymore. You will be shaving off material so the OD will be smaller and if you do a clean job you will remove the tread from the other piece thus removing even more material reducing that ID aswell. End result, a very loose fit, even if you only remove the tread of a single piece.
You could always use tape to build up the part you shaved the treads off but... meh
Other solution is to build up the material by welding filler to it and sanding it back to the OD/ID size of each piece.
But dont take my word, im not even a padawan at building sabers.

[CET]

It's the choke/body connection. I have a # 9 button /port, which is where all of the wire breaking is taking place when I try to screw on the choke. The choke had a crystal chamber, so the blue /white wires are in a fixed position, halfway between center and the edge. The twisting on of the choke causes the blue /white wire bundle to run into the switch and port bundles on every twist. Something pretty much always breaks, so I have to open it back up and fix the broken solder joints. Usually it's one of more of the posts, which I cut down to be very short at this point.

20151206_134639.jpg

[Generic Jedi]

It might be easier to build a single chassis for all of your electronics, with an open space between the crystal chamber section and the battery/soundboard section (empty except for the 4-40 rod and the right spacers). That cavity is for the switch and recharge port. That should keep your crystal chamber from twisting.

[Greenie]

Ah, I see the problem. My first thought, to do what you suggest, would be to screw it back together so you can drill and tap, then unscrew it. Sand/grind/dremmel both male and female threads just enough so you can (wiggle) push fit them together and then fit your screws. That being said, it may still wobble and it's not ideal. My second thought would be to screw it together first, then drop the switch box into place and find a way to fit it from the outside. With a pic of the full hilt I could have more suggestions (you may not want them, of course)

[CET]

I've been doing the second thing, keeping the switch box unattached until the body and choke are screwed together. Problem is that there are several JST connectors, and I somehow need to push them towards the back, so as to not mess with the lighting wires. I've unscrewed the pommel and dropped the chassis down as far as I can to pull things back as much as possible. This whole process works maybe 1/3 of the time and I usually have to open everything back up and repair broken solder joints, just to do it all over again. Last night was especially frustrating, I had to walk away after maybe a half dozen repairs and re-openings.

I think I'll fill the threads and shave them down so I can get a "push fit" and probably use about 10 button screws all around it to hold tight and create a bit of a look. What would be a good filler material to use? I could wrap a bunch of solder in there and melt it with my iron, but that seems crude and inefficient. Then again, I have a pretty big spool of the stuff ...

As an aside, would smaller gauge wire help with joint breakage? I'm using 26 and 28 gauge (depending), would a lower gauge be less prone to breakage?

[Thorgal Pain]

Stupid question but did you try twisting the wires counterclock wise before screwing the pieces togeter?