Shaft problem

[Sanderling]

The upper shaft clip on my Safari no longer holds the lower shaft in place. The lower shaft slips up and down which is annoying. I have tried putting a piece of electrical tape around the lower shaft, but it just gets eaten by the upper shaft. I have tried spraying the lower shaft with polyurethane which worked temporarily, but it wore off. Any suggestions out there? I need to be able to collapse the shaft for storage and also so I can put it in my vehicle.

 

[Goldstrike]

I had the same problem a long time ago. I cut a piece of plastic out of a thick plastic laundry detergent container and made it to fit in the 'lock' (see pic's). It has lasted a long time and locks the shaft in place and if you cut it right, there is no need for glue or tape to keep it in place

 

[Sanderling]

Thanks GS I will give that a shot.

 

[braveheart1954]

TRY PAINTING ON A THIN COAT OF PLASTI-DIP ON THE SHAFT! $8 BUCKS A CAN AT HOME DEPOT OR LOWES! ALSO DIP YOU PIN POINTER IN IT TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT IT FROM WEAR!

 

[Sanderling]

Thanks for the tip Braveheart. Problem is with putting a coating on the shaft that in time the upper shaft tends to wear it off. Good idea about coating the pinpointer though. I also tried Gold Strike's method noted above, but it has not worked for me. The shaft still slips. Maybe my plastic is not thick enough. I can slip another piece in there and see if that helps. Appreciated the tips guys.

 

[KinTN]

Maybe add a sliver of neoprene or something similar that will compress to you don't have to get it Exactly the right thickness?

 

[braveheart1954]

GREAT IDEA!

 

[braveheart1954]

SOME SELL LIKE NEW SHAFTS CHEAP ON EBAY AT TIMES!

 

[Goldstrike]

Yep, buying a new shaft would be the solution but I suspect you are trying to use too thin of a plastic strip? The strip I'm using is still working great after many hunts so you might want to try thicker plastic. Another thought is that you may have a hairline crack near the end of the shaft and when you apply pressure on the cam lock, the shaft compresses a bit failing to lock the shaft? Just a thought.

 

[Sanderling]

I have tried adding a piece of neoprene on top of the plastic insert Goldstrike originally suggested, but that did not work either. I believe GS is on the right track as I think the problem might be the locking device itself. I will take a closer look at that. The inserts were certainly thick enough when used together, but it still slips. Might consider Bravehearts suggestion to check ebay and get both an upper and lower shaft. Thanks to everyone for their input.

 

[kschae4]

Great suggestions...will keep this page in my detecting mods folder

 

[Sanderling]

Following up, I went ahead and got new upper and lower shafts. The locking device on the old upper shaft barely showed it's red color when locked and when looking inside the upper shaft whereas on the new one it clearly protruded about a 1/4 inch on the inside of the shaft. I started working the tab and lock on the old one and got it to come down about 1/4 inch. Now $130.00 + later I am thinking there was just a build up of dirt and sand in the locking device that prevented the red tab from fully coming into contact with the lower shaft allowing it to slip. Maybe why the plastic and neoprene inserts did not work. An expensive lesson, but hoping it may help somebody else out down the road. Thanks to GS for pointing me in the right direction. Thanks again for the other tips too!

 

[FLIPTOP1942]

That's a great idea.