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All About Guns What's your weapon of choice, and why? Discuss the beloved speargun here!

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Old 02-11-2021, 02:45 AM   #16
Rob Allen
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Re: Shafts...Can't find the ones I like anymore.

Hi guys,

we make the wire fin option because we found the full weld needed on the solid fin caused the spear to warp from the heat. It also becomes soft in this zone and can bend/crack easily.

The wire fin is set through the steel and spot welded for a fraction of a second at a high amp to cause the least possible heat transfer.

We will experiment at some stage with a small fin but we are so back logged with standard spear orders that it's going to be a while yet.
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Old 02-11-2021, 11:17 AM   #17
florfreediver
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Re: Shafts...Can't find the ones I like anymore.

Hi Rob,
Glad to hear the Dive Factory is going strong.

Something I have always wanted to ask (but never had the audacity) is why are there are not reports of the KJ shafts bending and breaking etc at the weld? Maybe there are incidents, but I do not appear to have heard of them?

Regards to Jeremy and the rest of the staff.

Mike.
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Old 02-11-2021, 11:31 AM   #18
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Re: Shafts...Can't find the ones I like anymore.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TriggerNJ View Post
Yeah, that’s gonna end up what I do most likely. I know it's bound to give me issues attached to wire though because the gap is so big letting the crimped loop move around. Hopefully just a minor annoyance when loading and nothing more.
There is a technique you could use. ie shortening a longer shaft.
All depends on how good you are at drilling spring steel and grinding a tri-cut.
You ever tried that?
The grinding of the new tip is relatively easy but the drilling is another issue. I think there are threads related to drilling, but not sure.
Re-fitting of the barb is not too difficult, but does need some finesse.
Regards,
Mike.
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Old 02-11-2021, 12:34 PM   #19
musubi
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Re: Shafts...Can't find the ones I like anymore.

Quote:
Originally Posted by florfreediver View Post
There is a technique you could use. ie shortening a longer shaft.
All depends on how good you are at drilling spring steel and grinding a tri-cut.
You ever tried that?
The grinding of the new tip is relatively easy but the drilling is another issue. I think there are threads related to drilling, but not sure.
Re-fitting of the barb is not too difficult, but does need some finesse.
Regards,
Mike.
I agree that drilling is the issue with RA shafts. There were spots that I could drill through and others I absolutely couldn't. I sent it out to a machinist who still couldn't drill through it. In discussion with Rob he mentioned that he has a special setup and custom drill bits to drill through his shafts.
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Old 02-11-2021, 12:41 PM   #20
TriggerNJ
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Re: Shafts...Can't find the ones I like anymore.

Quote:
There is a technique you could use. ie shortening a longer shaft.
All depends on how good you are at drilling spring steel and grinding a tri-cut.
You ever tried that?
The grinding of the new tip is relatively easy but the drilling is another issue. I think there are threads related to drilling, but not sure.
Re-fitting of the barb is not too difficult, but does need some finesse.
Regards,
Mike.
Yeah, they worked so well for me I'm actually kicking the idea around off doing just that. I'll get through this season but I may do it in the future. I haven't drilled a spring steel shaft or any shaft for that matter before but I have drilled some other metal and that has me a little hesitant. I do have access to drill presses and someone with enough experience with similar stuff that it shouldn't be impossible for me to pull off without giving up though. haha

Quote:
I agree that drilling is the issue with RA shafts. There were spots that I could drill through and others I absolutely couldn't. I sent it out to a machinist who still couldn't drill through it. In discussion with Rob he mentioned that he has a special setup and custom drill bits to drill through his shafts.
Yikes....I should have read this before replying. Changing my mind now hahaha





I don't doubt Mr. Allen at all he's obviously done his homework on these things but I wonder why I haven't heard of tab issues either. Maybe we haven't heard of this because just not enough people have been using them in the spring steel configuration for the more bruiser types of fish.

I prefer the spring steel because of bending while shooting among rocks rather than the fish actually bending them so I'm not putting any real load on the tabs. Plus, I consider myself lucky if I shoot a gear testing fish or two a year so I'm probably a terrible test subject. That said I haven't seen any signs of issues in the tab area. I have used the shafts to shoot a couple YF tuna ~60lbs range here as well as a few other gear testing fish when I'm lucky enough to travel but that's not on the regular. Be nice to know how bad an issue it is and if the KJ ones somehow solved the issue. Assuming I'm able to get my hands on them again I would hate to lose a good fish because of a tab failing. I don't get a ton of chances on fish that could do that so I really have to make my chances count.
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Old 02-11-2021, 02:37 PM   #21
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Re: Shafts...Can't find the ones I like anymore.

Many use spring stainless precipitation hardened steel 17-4 PH which has been available as tabbed shafts for decades. The material was originally developed for prop shafts on Navy vessels. All my tabbed shafts are made from it.
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Old 02-11-2021, 04:04 PM   #22
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Re: Shafts...Can't find the ones I like anymore.

Drilling a South African shat is "Mission Impossible". Or almost
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Old 02-11-2021, 05:53 PM   #23
TriggerNJ
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Re: Shafts...Can't find the ones I like anymore.

Quote:
Many use spring stainless precipitation hardened steel 17-4 PH which has been available as tabbed shafts for decades. The material was originally developed for prop shafts on Navy vessels. All my tabbed shafts are made from it.
Yeah, I've had them in the past. I just ordered two a few days ago to give them another go but all the ones I have had in the past bent easily.

Quote:
Drilling a South African shat is "Mission Impossible". Or almost
I searched into it a little bit and that pretty much looks to be the consensus from those that gave it a go. hahaha
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Old 02-16-2021, 05:47 AM   #24
Mikel_24
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Re: Shafts...Can't find the ones I like anymore.

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Originally Posted by musubi View Post
...a special setup and custom drill bits to drill through his shafts.
You don't need to get too fancy. A drill guide and solid carbide bits from Aliexpress (bought cheap as they are used in the electronics manufacturing). They come in packages of 10uds. Goes without saying that you need a drill press or a mill to keep the drillbit steady... There is no metal out there that you couldn't drill with solid carbide bits (including hardened steel from files, shafts, knives, etc).

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