Ekco A22 chrome ring.

[Boom]

Well I had a quick look today and it is indeed totally original apart from the can and after a while I found out how to get the dial off (I read the instructions!)

It looks like the set will need completely rewiring so it will probably be best to restore the set and stuff the caps after all so I haven't started on it yet.

One problem that I did notice was that a couple of the screws that hold the chrome ring in place have seized.

I tried to undo them but the heads just burred. It would be nice to take this off to clean the dial but I suspect that the heads will shear altogether if I try to remove them.

Has anyone else come across this problem and is there an answer to it?

Dave

[David G4EBT]

I've ad one or two of these screw heads shear off. From memory, they're 8BA. They screw into little brass inserts about half an inch long, which are soldered into the chrome ring. Once the ring s free, you might have a bit of the screw shaft left so that it can be gripped with pliers.

If there is a stub, don't attempt to remove it until you've heated up the brass insert - say with a soldering iron, which will expand the brass insert and loosen its hold on the screw. Before you try to unscrew it, first, turn the screw stub clockwise, which might sound daft, but a little torque applied in a tightening motion will often break the grip. Then try to unscrew it. If it still won't unscrew, leave it overnight in penetrating oil, ten apply heat next day and give it another go.

If there's no stub to grip, all you can do is to carefully drill it out and re-tap the thread.

It might even be easier to make a new brass insert, as you'll see when you see the thing. Jut a short piece of rod, with an 8BA hole drilled through it.

I've always managed to get the screws out one way or another, and fitted new screws.

Best of luck with it Dave.

The chrome rings tarnish badly but clean up nicely with Dura Glt wadding.

The bronze ones (on the brown A22s) are best re-sprayed, and look quite authentic if you are careful about the colour.

David,
G4EBT

[Boom]

Thanks for response David. Is the soldering likely to mark the chrome? It's in extremely good condition and I want to avoid marking it if I can.

Dave

[David G4EBT]

Originally Posted by David Tilley

Thanks for response David. Is the soldering likely to mark the chrome? It's in extremely good condition and I want to avoid marking it if I can.

Dave

Hi Dave,

I assume that the brass inserts were soldered into the ring after the ring was chromed.

Heat from a soldering iron won't be hot enough to "blue" the chrome. the ring is only thin gauge, and presumably brass. Apply the heat to the little brass insert rather than the chrome ring, touching the solder to the joint with the ring until it starts to flow.

I had to re-solder one of the brass inserts as it had come adrift. I used Fluxite, as the resin flux in cored solder struggles a bit for such jobs, but of course it needs a good wash in hot soapy water afterwards, to get the Fluxite off. Plumbers' flux (B&Q etc) wll do just as well.

All three A22s that I've worked on had to be dismantled to fit new speaker cloth as the originals were too far gone. I got some acceptable fabric from Sid Chaplin.


Hope that helps Dave,

Best of luck.

David,
G4EBT

[Oldtimer74]

i would doubt that the soldering was done after the chroming as it is difficult to solder to chrome, like aluminium it has a protective oxide layer which stops it corroding rapidly and which conventional fluxes won`t get through.
Pat G3IKR

[David G4EBT]

Originally Posted by Oldtimer74

i would doubt that the soldering was done after the chroming as it is difficult to solder to chrome, like aluminium it has a protective oxide layer which stops it corroding rapidly and which conventional fluxes won`t get through.
Pat G3IKR

The inside of the rig isn't chromed, nor are the brass inserts. On the ring I repaired, the brass insert had come adrift where it was soldered to the inside of the ring. I wonder whether - during the plating process, they filled the ring with wax or something, so as not to plate areas which aren't seen? Just a guess.

Whatever they did, the little brass jobbies can be easily resoldered, which is good news if the worst comes to the worst and one or another has to be replaced with a newly made one.

Regards

David,
G4EBT

[Boom]

With the extremely kind help of David G4EBT who very kindly not only told me how to remove it all but also made and sent me replacement inserts along with new screws and the job was done fine.

The heads of the jammed screws were drilled off enabling the whole unit to be seperated. There was then quite a good length of the screws left to grip with a pair of pliars and twist in either direction until the they undid with a drop of WD40 added. As I was taking the screws out one of the inserts dropped off as predicted.

It doesn't show too well in the photos but the inside of the ring is indeed chrome plated so getting the solder on proved a bit tricky.

I thought of sticking the ferrule back with Araldite rather than take a large amount of heat to the chrome but in the end managed to scrape away just enough of the crud and chrome to get the solder to stick. I had to use my old copper 1" iron heated up on the gas stove to get enough eat and was very worried for the entire operation in case I damaged the chrome which is in perfect condition.

Many thanks again David. You're a star.

Dave

[David G4EBT]

Glad you got it sorted Dave!

There's only a small surface area of the brass inserts in these rings which is soft soldered to the inside of the ring, so they're prone to coming adrift after 60 years. You won't "blue" chrome plating with a soldering iron, but as you've discovered, it's no use using a 24 Watt Antex or whatever. The ring will dissipate the heat and as with any soldering task, both the ring and insert must be up to temperature for the solder to flow freely and make a goo joint.

The ring itself is Brass - not steel, so if the inside is scraped clean with a craft knife or whatever, then fluxed and tinned prior to soldering the insert into place, you should get
a good strong joint.

At least Ekco did used steel screws in the brass inserts, so there's a fighting chance of being able to remove them. Had they used brass screws, there'd have been no chance - they'd snap like carrots.

Incidentally, despite what it may say on the can, as has been said one here before, WD40
is a lubricant and isn't a lot of use for freeing up stuck screws or other joints. You need penetrating oil, such as Plus Gas etc, widely available from shops such as Halfords.

If you can heat the outer component to expand it slightly before applying the oil, so much the better. (Not on plastic knobs with stuck grub screws!).

I often see statments in magazines, and sometimes on the forum such as "I soaked in in WD40 overnight, but it still wouldn't budge". Why am I not surprised? You'd be better off using something with low surface tension, such as paraffin if you don't have penetrating oil to hand. I'd no more use WD40 than I'd use custard for such tasks

Best of luck with the rest of your A22 restoration Dave!

Regards,

David,
G4EBT