Sizing clutch levers

[Colin Wilks]

The new clutch levers from our cherished suppliers tend to be tight for their pins and so need sizing to fit.

The cast levers are seriously hard and my almost new round file was making very slow progress this morning. In my file drawer I have a diamond gizmo intended for refurbishing the family Waterford when it gets chipped. It is a diamond round file with a flat on one side and happens to be just the right size for the job. A task that was showing only slight progress after half an hour was completed in five minutes, and it did all three without losing its bite.
Googling "crystal glass repair file" brings up the sort of thing I'm talking about.

[Nick Turley]

Well done Colin a great solution for a pesky problem.

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JUST ORDERED MY DIAMOND FILE.

[JonE]

others have reported having to cut down pins was well as ream out holes for pins; they also had to ream the hole for new clutch posts to fit properly. There is a form on the Association website for reporting deviations from original specification, but this isn't a lot of use to anyone unless there is a public list showing which parts have been identified (which can be updated when the observations are solved).

If I'm buying new bits I'm extremely grateful that they are available but I'd also prefer to know if I'm going to have to faff around with them.

[Colin Wilks]

Hi Jon
I'm not complaining about the clutch levers, just passing on what I thought was a handy tip that I discovered by chance. They are an unmachined casting, so if the pin would go through the hole as supplied the fit would be imprecise. In an ideal world they'd be be supplied as a machined matched set (post, pin and lever), but I suspect the cost would make you happy to spend some time with a file!
A big part of the fun of Sevens for me is the fitting and the fettling, which I find constantly stretches my somewhat rudimentary knowledge and skills.

[Charles Levien]

It was a while ago now but I seem to remember running an 8mm drill bit through to make a nice fit for the pins. It’s a bodge but there are worse ones!