Linkert float lever

[otis71]

The float levers available now never fit right around the needle and are too brittle to shape. Should these be aneiled before shaping? If so what is the proper process? What is a quality brand to buy? Thanks

[T. Cotten]

The float levers available now never fit right around the needle and are too brittle to shape. Should these be aneiled before shaping? If so what is the proper process? What is a quality brand to buy? Thanks

The cast brass levers are not worth the trouble, Otis,..

But you have little to lose to try heating it cherry red for a while, cool it slow, and then chill in the freezer before forming.
It is far easier to recondition originals by die-pressing the pivot bore tight upon a 3/32" drill shank, and then reaming to a sweet fit upon the pivot pin, greatly reducing the arc of lateral swing that often hangs up the float upon the bowlstem.

Even "quality" reproductions benefit from this treatment.

Wear upon the three fingers is simply smoothed away with jeweler's files, and polished with a Dremel.

....Cotten

[larry]

The Starklite lever is pretty good, but you need to buy the float to get it.

[T. Cotten]

Now that I check my photo records, Folks,...

I find there are cast brass levers...

castLVR.jpg

And CNC'd "billet" levers,..

cnclvr.JPG

and "conventional" Tedd crap....

CRAPLEVR.JPG
(Note tragically burred fingers and deep setting. It took a jeweler's saw to cut the fingers free of each other.)

Its been a couple of years, but Starklite sold me levers separately, They still needed the pin bore tightened, but were the best on the market.
The Starklite float, however, was a boatanchor (on left scale pan), and bloat-prone as well.

QUAKBALANCE.jpg

Beware also of the malleability of the float tang itself. Note how this NOS M88 lever for a light cork float bends sharply upward.

leverbend.JPG

...Cotten

[otis71]

I agree and won’t even consider a cast lever. I bought a stamped one fro a reliable source and the needle fingers weren’t even close. I attempted to reshape ever so gently and one broke. That’s why I ask about softening them.

[otis71]

Tom,
is your technique to aneil brass also the proper way to do brass or copper gaskets and seals? Online it generally says heat and cool quick but that goes against logic in my opinion. Slow cooling seems more effective.

[kustomizer]

T.Cotton, what are your thoughts on these. I ran across them yesterday


https://www.ebay.com/itm/39320268344...YaAhSBEALw_wcB

[otis71]

At $45 with shipping, I would hope they work well. If I don’t get the one I have working satisfactory I’ll try one and let you know. Being solid, there doesn’t seem like there’s much room for adjustment.

[Rubone]

At $45 with shipping, I would hope they work well. If I don’t get the one I have working satisfactory I’ll try one and let you know. Being solid, there doesn’t seem like there’s much room for adjustment.

Those are "Into the Wilderness" Linkert guy products. So like many of their parts a bit of a crapshoot!

[T. Cotten]

Tom,
is your technique to aneil brass also the proper way to do brass or copper gaskets and seals? Online it generally says heat and cool quick but that goes against logic in my opinion. Slow cooling seems more effective.

I'm pretty ignorant, Otis,..

When it comes to real metallurgy. I only know barnyard hearsay, and haven't even paid attention 'online',.. yet.

Which copper gaskets on Panheads would you not just replace?
Brass manifold ferrules and petcock seals, even brand new however, certainly need all the help they can get!

(Lazy people like me use modern replacements machined from the material PEEK.)

T.Cotton, what are your thoughts on these. I ran across them yesterday.

That looks like the CNC'd one I posted. (Except bent down really low: Imagine trying to bend both kinks as far upward as they are down!)
Why do producers go to so much trouble to make things wrong, when it would be easier to make the thing right?

If I ever get back in business, I'll try https://starklite.com/ and https://www.jerrygreersengineering.com/ first.

....Cotten
PS: Even if I found a stash of genuine *NOS* levers,.. I'd still have to tweak them to my specs.

[otis71]

I was just asking in general. Really the only brass I’ve used in recent years are for the fuel shut off on 41-65’s and brass washers for the oil pump. I too have dabbled with PEEK.

[T. Cotten]

I I too have dabbled with PEEK.

Need more, Otis?

PEEKCORE.jpg

At two bits a gram, its half of MSC Industrial's price!

....Cotten

[Carl Olsen]

I have been rebuilding linkert carbs for years and I use into the wilderness parts exclusively, they are the best and they care about their products. I would highly recomend them to anyone from the novice to the professional. They make the only needle and seat assembly that actually work and can pass the suck test. Cotton makes the best floats.
Carl

[T. Cotten]

I have been rebuilding linkert carbs for years and I use into the wilderness parts exclusively, they are the best and they care about their products. I would highly recomend them to anyone from the novice to the professional. They make the only needle and seat assembly that actually work and can pass the suck test. Cotton makes the best floats.
Carl

Thanks Carl!

But my experiences with ITW hardware were disappointing.

(Unless ITW is here to respond, I hesitate to post examples.)

Colony's float valve needle and seats work great, after a rap with a screwdriver handle of course.

....Cotten

[otis71]

Bought a float and lever at Oley this past week from a vendor claiming they are from Starklite. The lever worked well but I do need to tighten the pin bore a tad. The tangs for the needle were shaped much better than others I’ve seen.