Mast step discussions

[Dan Maliszewski]

C'Pete,

If you are going to do any serious amount of drillling on stainless you need to regring your drill bit point to be "flatter" than the stock kind. I fergit the exact angle, but the regular bit is too "pointy" for stainless, and will get too hot and just stop cutting. And yes, they need to spin clockwise. Done that myself - yikes, are we getting that old? My wife labels my shoes TGIF - toes-go-in-first.....

I too have been thinkin' hard about moving my halyards aft on my Ariel, but I just may install a tiller pilot instead and keep everything on the mast. Still have some time, it's nasty outside!

[ebb]

Dan,
Think you can get by with the regular 135 degree bits. The trick is to not let the bit spin without cutting as that builds up heat right away and hardens the metal, and kills the bit. Start and drill thru the work with a reasonably small size bit and step up to the size you want. 1/4", 5/16", 3/8", etc. Got to keep the bit cool with kerocene or cutting oil or water even. Making sure the shavings aren't changing color - too hot. The whole thing is to avoid heat. Ought to drill clamped to a the table of a standing drill press. Only way to get a true round hole. Go careful on the way out of the bottom of what yer drilling. Press, get shavings, release, lube. Press, get shavings, etc. NO steady pressure. You can drill stainless with ordinary new jobbers but...


I think cobalt coated bits are the coolest!

[commanderpete]

Made some progress on a new mast step.

Just laid up many, many layers of glass and mat. Many.

Still have to shape it a bit, drill some holes and paint it up.

For grinding I go outside in the snow and use my Special Mobile Grinding Lab.

[ebb]

He got the whole Lab in his hand, he got th.........

[commanderpete]

Free at last...Free at last

Finally got the mast base casting out of the bottom of the mast. Quite an ordeal.

Here's what I started with

[commanderpete]

First I tried to extract the screws. No chance. Then I drilled them out and cleaned up the seam between the casting and the mast.

Then I tried to pound the casting out. I didn't want to unleash my full fury on it because I was afraid of cracking the casting in half. Wouldn't come out.

Time to cut off a bit of the mast.

[commanderpete]

I figured it would come out easily now. I was wrong.

[commanderpete]

More pounding. Eventually I drove a thin putty knife up between the casting and the mast. I was only able to pound the putty knife in a millimeter at a time.

Used about a can of PB Blaster, also a bit of torch. Mangled one screwdriver, a hammer, 2 screw extractors, 4 putty knives and 3 knuckles. I think bleeding on it helped.

I just kept repeating to myself:

"I will have this victory.....I WILL have this victory"

These words sustained me.

And so it came to pass

[commanderpete]

Cut off the tenons on the bottom so it sits flat on the hinge.

No turning back now.

[commanderpete]

The casting now gets cleaned up and bolted to the top plate of the mast hinge.

Willie, any insights or pictures on that part?

Don't think I would have had the courage for this project if Willie hadn't paved the way.

[commanderpete]

Just to tie things together, here's an old thread on the mast hinge

http://pearsonariel.org/discussion/s...6&page=1&pp=15

This is the mast hinge project on a Triton that ebb mentioned. Have to scroll down a bit

http://www.geocities.com/pegasus256/Rig.htm

Ebb, how's your hinge project coming?

Finally, I came across this picture of a guy who had some trouble getting the casting out of his mast. Wonder what his knuckles look like

[willie]

Great job Commander! That's almost exactly what i went through. Except i wacked it a bit hard and broke a chunk out of the lip. Oh well. So I considered having a new one made out of billet alum. Things didn't work out with that plan, so used the old casting. It would be a lot simplier with a chunk of aluminum that had a flat top. But what i did was center the thing on the top plate, and mark the holes, drill them with drill press. They come out along the inside wall of the casting, so you have to use a small grinder or something to make a flat surface about 1/2 way down the wall for the nuts and washers. Fun, NOT, but it can be done with patience such as yours.

How you planning on mounting the bottom plate? That's when things got real interesting for me, drilling through the cabin top, wondering where it was gonna come out inside. Good luck! I look forward to seeing what you come up with! And of course, photos for evidence! Maybe a double breasted matress thrasher or some other type of critter....

[Robert Lemasters]

Yard fees for mast removal/ replacement and passing under bridges has had me thinking about a mast hinge for my Commander next year. If I do it, I plan on carving a piece of hardwood for the hinge that the mast will fit into so I don't have to remove and modify the cast bottom mast piece. I may have to reinforce the area around the compression post for added strength and material. The mast hinge pictured looks very nice and should do the job. Where and how much? Mast hinge is a great idea, no climbing mast for repairs etc.

[commanderpete]

Ballenger Spars
http://www.ballengerspars.com/

It's on this page of the parts list
http://www.ballengerspars.com/cgi-bi...ist2001-02.cfm

It's under "Hinged Mast Base, Complete" # HMB M30

$ 195 with the punched flanges for attaching blocks, $ 150 without

I tried to order the part without the four center holes already drilled. But, this would have cost more money and taken more time for some reason.

Take a look at the link about the Triton on the last page. He built his own insert out of aluminum.
http://www.geocities.com/pegasus256/Insert.htm

I might have done that if I had read about it earlier. This way you could cut up and beat the old casting out of the mast.

I would have enjoyed that a whole lot more.

[natalie e.]

I am getting ready to attach newly built mast step and would like to hear what the best adhesive/sealent to use between the mast step and cabin top?. I covered the new step in epoxy except for the bottom side of the step thinking that I would use a elmers gorlla glue to react with the raw wood on the bottom side. I have filled the old lag bolt holes with epoxy to accept the new lag bolts and wondered about the old configuration of the lag bolts, two longest being closest to the mast and two shorter lags on the outside?.