Tuning and Maintenance
Repairing Stripped Inserts Stripped inserts are rather simple to repair if they are 6 mm thread. The 6 mm thread is used by most board manufacturers today. If you are unsure of the size of the threads, check with your dealer, or take a mounting screw to the hardware store to see if it threads into a 6 mm nut easily. The only tools required to do the job are a 1/4-28 (1/4 inch fine thread: 28 threads per inch) bottoming tap and a tap handle. The 1/4-28 thread is slightly larger in diameter than the 6 mm thread, which makes it possible to retap the insert without drilling. If you can't find a bottoming tap, buy a standard tap and grind the tap's tapered portion off. Be sure to cool the tap frequently in water when doing this. If the metal changes color, you have overheated that portion of the tap, and the steel in this portion of the tap is not as hard as the rest of the tap; you should grind this portion off. Here's how to use the 1/4-28 tap to rethread the insert. Apply oil to the tap prior to tapping the insert. Place the tap in the insert hole and turn it clockwise. Turn the tap backwards a half turn for every full turn forward. This clears the chips out of the tap flutes, and allows the tap to cut more easily. Be careful not to overturn the tap and strip the new threads you've created. Once you reach the bottom of the insert (the tap won't go any further) remove the tap, blow out all of the chips, and run the tap down the insert once more. Make sure the threads are clear and that you tapped the insert all the way to the bottom. When you remount your bindings, use a 1/4-28 screw in the freshly tapped insert hole. Since the repaired insert is now a little larger than the rest, it is a good idea to mark this insert, as well as its screw, with a little paint. This will eliminate confusion in the future. It is important to note that this operation will weaken the insert slightly, and the new thread may not hold as well as the original 6 mm thread. For this reason, it is very important not to over-tighten this screw. Putting some thread locking compound on the screw will keep it from coming loose. Insert Repair Tools // 1/4-28 Screws |