{"id":3447,"date":"2017-01-07T12:47:56","date_gmt":"2017-01-07T17:47:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.168.50.23\/wordpress\/blog\/?p=3447"},"modified":"2018-04-07T16:21:32","modified_gmt":"2018-04-07T20:21:32","slug":"update-dnepr-reverse-lever-modification","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forths.com\/index.php\/2017\/01\/07\/update-dnepr-reverse-lever-modification\/","title":{"rendered":"Update: Dnepr Reverse Lever Modification"},"content":{"rendered":"

With morning temperatures in the single digits I wasn’t up to doing any major work on the Dnepr project today. \u00a0Instead, I focused on a small mini-project that I could work on mostly indoors. \u00a0For reasons I cannot explain, I never liked the dark mustard-colored plastic knob on the Dnepr’s reverse lever. \u00a0Since I’m going for more of a vintage\u00a0look for the bike, I figured that a wooden knob would look nicer. \u00a0BMW used wood on some of its hand controls in the early days and they looked great.<\/p>\n

I didn’t want to get into wood fabrication work, so I set off searching the web for a small wooden knob. \u00a0Proving that just about anything can be found on eBay, I found a seller in Ashington, West Sussex, England, who appeared to have just the piece I needed.\u00a0 $6 for a set of 4 wooden tool handles and $5 to ship them.\u00a0 Certainly reasonable prices.\u00a0 These handles are designed for use on awls or files, for the serious woodworker.\u00a0 For me, they are Dnepr reverse lever knobs.<\/p>\n

I took a rotary tool and cut around the original plastic knob until it came loose.\u00a0 Not much on the Dnepr is over-engineered, but this knob was incredibly secure \u2013 obviously molded in place.\u00a0 I reshaped the tip of the steel lever on a grinder, and drilled a few holes in it to help give the adhesive something to grab.\u00a0 I then drilled a series of holes in the wood handle to form a slot.\u00a0 The drill press made this work fast and easy.<\/p>\n

I intended to use a regular wood glue like Titebond, but I came across something in my adhesives inventory that I didn\u2019t recall buying \u2026 JB Weld Wood Weld.\u00a0 It\u2019s a 2-part epoxy that has a wood-like appearance, and should be relatively hard when cured. \u00a0I filled the handle slot with epoxy, as well as the lever tip and the holes I drilled into it to ensure that I had epoxy in all the right places.\u00a0 I tapped the handle into place and wiped away the excess epoxy.<\/p>\n

Hopefully the handle will stay in place \u2013 I think it will.\u00a0 It will certainly look nicer than the ugly mustard-colored plastic knob, even if nobody notices.<\/p>\n