Oh SNAP ! ! !

[NvAuMiner]

Today, I was out for my 3rd time in an area where I recently found these nuggets...(1.2, .2, & 1.2 dwt) I was walking until my scoop is draging and sure enough I loose my balance and step on my coil while twisting. The next thing I hear is snap!!!  OH  💩.... Dang it ! ! !  I now find myself walking back to my rig with my tail between my legs. ☹️

I got to my ride and had enough cell service to call and order a new lower shaft. (Thanks Dawn)

My question is... Has anyone had any success in repairing this lower shaft?  I was thinking of holding it together with super glue then using a fiber glass mixture to bond it firmly together for strength.  Any thoughts?  Thanks

[nuggethunting]

Hey NVMiner,

   Glad Dawn was able to get this taken care of for you, the new GPZ lower shaft will ship tomorrow morning.  I haven't broken one yet, but you are not the first.  I have sold several dozen to customers that did the very same thing, either tripped, fell on it, slipped and so on.  You might get lucky and super glue it back together, but the weight of the stock GPZ coil and the way most people swing them, I'm not sure it would hold for long.  

I used to break all kinds of lower shafts on the prior SD, GP and GPX detectors.  I would always have at least one extra spare shaft anywhere I went.  I learned my lesson the hard way when I was miles back in the back country of Arizona and slipped off a bedrock waterfall and fell right on the lower shaft, snapping it in pieces.  I tried to use electrical tape and a wooden stick from the ground, but it only worked for like a minute or so and the coil would flop around.  What a way to ruin an entire full day of hiking ..... 

I always recommend a lower replacement shaft for any detector, it will be a life saver having it when you need it.  

Congrats on the nuggets you found.  Will be interesting to see what else you turn up on your return to that spot.  

[oldies1955]

If you are going to try and glue it, scuff up small areas on the shaft with sandpaper and see which glue with stick and which ones do not. If you knew what type of plastic it is that would be a lot easier to figure out. Scratch the glue with a razor to see if it "melted" into the plastic or not. I do know you cannot glue LDPE, but I doubt the shaft is made out of that. Most likely HDPE.

That does look like a weak point though. Should have put some more solid plastic in the production of it. Couple more grams of plastic would not matter when your swinging a brick anyway  

I have broken handles on the GPX and they do not glue together. Got a carbon fiber one from my buddy and you can run it over with a truck and it wont break  

Just and idea.....when you get the new one...smear a bunch of JB weld in the webbed areas on the side to give it more strength. Just make sure JB weld does not react with the coil. 

Tom H.

 

Edited October 16, 2019 by oldies1955

[NvAuMiner]

Hi Rob,

Thats a good idea to have a spare lower shaft.  Glad to hear I'm not the only one that has had their lower shaft get in the way of their body parts. 😁  I'll see if my resin and fiberglass wrap will work good enough for a spare.  But knowing me.. I'll probably get another one for safe measures. 

[NvAuMiner]

Thanks Tom,  I've got a couple ideas and JB weld was one of them.  I too was thinking that the JB might react to the coil, that's why I was leaning toward the resin and fiberglass.  Maybe even some Bondo. . .   I will check out the coil reaction to JB before I commit to any repair, if that's what I choose to use. 

That's a good idea to build up the new one.  I'll see what works on the broken one.

I'm a big galoot, so swinging the brick isn't that much of a problem . . .YET! ! !  almost 60...

Thanks for the ideas.

Doug

[Grubstake1]

P-7 is better, and non magnetic, does not have metal in it. Grubstake

[IMPDLN]

Gorilla Glue. That stuff is like welding. If any adhesive will work, Gorilla Glue will......not the super glue. Pretty much will weld anything except polyethylene or polypropylene. It's activated with water. Use it sparingly as it expands 3-4 times. Don't sand as it works best if you can fit parts back together proper. Just dab a little glue on one surface, and moisten the other. Put them together as perfectly as possible and clamp together or tape together in such a way that they will not expand apart. Do one side at a time, let setup before trying other side. I have had amazing results with this stuff, way better than any super glue or epoxies. Dennis

[NvAuMiner]

8 hours ago, IMPDLN said:

Gorilla Glue. That stuff is like welding. If any adhesive will work, Gorilla Glue will......not the super glue. Pretty much will weld anything except polyethylene or polypropylene. It's activated with water. Use it sparingly as it expands 3-4 times. Don't sand as it works best if you can fit parts back together proper. Just dab a little glue on one surface, and moisten the other. Put them together as perfectly as possible and clamp together or tape together in such a way that they will not expand apart. Do one side at a time, let setup before trying other side. I have had amazing results with this stuff, way better than any super glue or epoxies. Dennis

Thanks Dennis,  I also was thinking about Gorilla Glue but was concerned about the expansion part of it when it cures.  I was thinking of super glue just so I could line up the cracked parts to exact fitment then after that sets, coat the outside  with Gorilla glue or fiberglassed resin or P-7 as Grubstake mentioned to provide the strength.  I have used Gorilla Glue before and I like that it cures super hard.

[IMPDLN]

That expansion allows it to push into the pores and work better. It's not too strong of expansion so tape is usually enough to keep it from pushing apart. The main thing is getting the parts back together as close and tight as possible. You have plenty of work time with it. Might be difficult doing both sides at the same time. Might be able to put a piece of wood or something between the two sides, bolted to hold them in proper alignment so you can keep proper spacing between them. 

I've not had good luck with any super glue with parts that have any stress on them during normal use.

I'm not sure if there is enough material in there to do this, but you might be able to drill and pin those feet to the shaft for more durability after Gorilla Glue. I have done that with 1/8'' diameter Delrin plastic dowel for pins with good success. Delrin is a super strong nylon like plastic. I have all my GPX shafts pinned with it as every shaft I have has broken free from the end piece and left me with a swivel coil in the middle of nowhere at one time or another. Delrin is available in all kinds of shapes and sizes from any plastics manufacturer. https://www.eplastics.com/shapes/acetal-delrin/rod    I got 1/8'' and 3/16'' for multiple possibilities with different projects. Good stuff for sure, and can be either glued or just pushed through, cut close, and melt both ends, and smash flat to work like a rivet. I prefer the melted ends method as if it ever fails it is easy to remove and replace. Oh, and I buy it in like 3-4 ft. lengths, whatever they sell as standard. 

Hopefully some of this helps you to repair that break and at least be able to keep that shaft as a backup, you know, just in case you boo boo again. Dennis    P.S. Gorilla Glue would do nothing as an outside coating.

Edited October 22, 2019 by IMPDLN