[Grimbot]

Hello Nation:

Have a problem with my DM8... One of the mounting holes for my solenoid seemed to have a bad helicoil in it... Took the old one out to insert a new one but the hole look like a blind man drilled and tapped it... I tried to chase the thread with my helicoil tap but it is a very sloppy fit... The hole is over sized and out of round... What are my option? My research has come up with the following:

1) JB Weld - fill, drill, tap, insert new helicoil
2) Weld or Braze - fill, drill, tap, maybe insert new helicoil
3) Drill the hole to an M3x.5, insert aluminum screw and mill down flush, then drill and tap the plug...

I don't like the JB weld option but it would be the easiest to try and can be undone...
I don't know if the heat from welding or brazing the hole would cause a problem like warping...
Plugging the hole with a larger screw seems viable but not sure if I might break through something internal like an air way...

Any thoughts or opinions on the best option would be appreciated... Thanks...

[CrazyHarry]

Originally Posted by Grimbot

Hello Nation:

Have a problem with my DM8... One of the mounting holes for my solenoid seemed to have a bad helicoil in it... Took the old one out to insert a new one but the hole look like a blind man drilled and tapped it... I tried to chase the thread with my helicoil tap but it is a very sloppy fit... The hole is over sized and out of round... What are my option? My research has come up with the following:

1) JB Weld - fill, drill, tap, insert new helicoil
2) Weld or Braze - fill, drill, tap, maybe insert new helicoil
3) Drill the hole to an M3x.5, insert aluminum screw and mill down flush, then drill and tap the plug...

I don't like the JB weld option but it would be the easiest to try and can be undone...
I don't know if the heat from welding or brazing the hole would cause a problem like warping...
Plugging the hole with a larger screw seems viable but not sure if I might break through something internal like an air way...

Any thoughts or opinions on the best option would be appreciated... Thanks...

I've used jb weld to rebuild threads before (without a helicoil). Just make sure your tap is lined up properly. It's really not a big deal if you have a drill press.

[Grimbot]

Crazy... Thanks for the response... Pm'd you

[speedy2k4]

Got a decent pic of the hole in it's current condition?

Any one of the options you listed is possible, depends on what the hole is like now and what tools you have to work with to determine the best approach.

[Grimbot]

Speedy... Thanks for the response... I filled the hole with JB weld last night and hope to drill and tap soon... I'll do it on my drill press... I'll get some before and after pics... The hole looked like it was drilled by hand or the piece moved when drilling... Have you ever brazed a hole on a marker? I like the idea but am worried about putting too much heat and having something go out of spec...

[speedy2k4]

Originally Posted by Grimbot

Have you ever brazed a hole on a marker? I like the idea but am worried about putting too much heat and having something go out of spec...

I haven't. I imagine it would be the most difficult way of doing things, and taking a torch to it is usually a last resort. But I've seen similar repairs done on non-paintball parts.

I've always stuck with threaded inserts, either a coil or a screw that I drill and tap. Never tried to drill and tap JB weld without an insert. Solenoid screws require very little torque and don't need to be removed frequently, but I'd still wonder how it would hold up long term.

[Grimbot]

I agree... heat=last resort... I will be inserting a helicoil after I drill and tap the JBW... I'm working on the forward hole on the DM8... What do you think the largest hole I could drill and tap if I go the plug/drill/tap route? I was eyeballing an M3 using a 2.5MM tap... I just worried about breaking through something below... It's complicated by the way the solenoid surface is raised... That forward hole is very close to the edge of the surface... Do you think M3 is big enough to redrill and tap M2x.4?

[speedy2k4]

I don't have a DM8 in front of me, so it's hard to say. And honestly I've never had to repair one of those holes on a DM, it's usually Shocker bodies that people strip out the manifold mount threads.

You can look at where the air channels are drilled on the front/bottom/back of the body to set your depth and line up your tap with the hole to choose your size.

[CrazyHarry]

Originally Posted by speedy2k4

I've always stuck with threaded inserts, either a coil or a screw that I drill and tap. Never tried to drill and tap JB weld without an insert. Solenoid screws require very little torque and don't need to be removed frequently, but I'd still wonder how it would hold up long term.

I've used JB weld to rebuild and thread a 1/4 inch NPT thread on a Tippmann A5 volumizer, holding back 300psi. I'm pretty sure that it'll hold down the solenoid snug enough to the manifold to keep it sealed.

I agree that a Helicoil would be better, but he won't lose anything from trying the JB weld by itself first.