So...it's back to the idler issue. Yes, the idlers are not an easy fit either. I have no kind of axle (whether from HL or Taigen) that will pass through the metal idler bearing
and the suspension arm of the Henntec unit. I have a brass screw that's a good fit for the bearing in the metal idler, but is almost 2mm too small in diameter to fit in the Henntec unit. Then there's the cheapo plastic idler with it's incorporated self-tapping screw. It
almost Fits in the Henntec. With a bit of filing, and judicious use of the Henntec arm's grub screw, it could be made to fit. But... I really wanted to use the metal idlers, with their superior built-in bearings (The plastic Pz 111 unit only has a bronze bush...).
- Comet build-drivetrain-idler options
This is the plastic option. The screw almost passes thought the Henntec suspension arm. With filing, it would.
- Comet idler- metal option 1
here the brass screw that fits the metal idler's bearing perfectly has been threaded into a tapped brass bush. Unfortunately, the bush is over 4mm in diameter, and the hole in the Henntec arm some 3.6mm.
With a lathe I could reduce the bush in size; but I haven't got one. Alternatively, I could drill the Henntec arm so that the bush would fit- but I really don't want to do that.
The third option is where I retain the metal idlers with brass screws, but make a sleeve out of brass tubing to make fit in the Henntec unit a tight one, when the grub screw is tightened. The brass collar could be sawn along its length to allow it to compress (a) around the brass screw; and (b) to slide tight inside the Henntec arm. The grub screw would prevent it from coming adrift. Well, that's the theory. The best laid plans o' mice and men, eh?
Here's the screw passing through the Henntec arm. Given that the Henntec's grub screw can take up play on one side, it might not even be necessary to have an insert sleeve that goes all the way around the screw.
Don't imagine for one moment, future builders, that progress will be smooth with builds like these. There are more hurdles here than in the Grand National.
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please"- Mark Twain.