I obtained a two-piece aluminum-shaft Sevylor paddle that didn't have the usual type of spring button to connect the two parts, and the dome-shaped part that protrudes thru the two holes on the shafts was missing. I'm posting my fix so that someone with the same problem will have at least one solution to try.
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| The "button" is a #8 or #10 stainless Allen-head cap screw. (Tip: don't go to Home Depot, try your local hardware store. If you need to replace the spring try the specialty bins at a large hardware store, or try using some spongy closed-cell foam instead.) |
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| The screw head has to fit thru the holes on the paddle shafts, and the washer has to fit in the hole in the plastic part. The total length of the screw is the same as the depth of the hole in the plastic part. |
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| A bit of thread thick thread keeps the screw from springing out of the plastic thing and disappearing forever when the plastic thing is removed. (Don't ask me how I know this.) Some thick thread was wrapped around the screw threads and held on with a bit of vinyl tubing. A small hole was drilled from the end of the black thing to the hole in it, and the thread was passed thru the hole. It was tied around a bit of elastic cord to keep it from pulling thru the hole, and then was glued with Goop. |
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| The screw head protrudes when the paddle is assembled, but not enough to be really annoying. The screw head could be ground to a rounder shape to make it more flush |
Update: be sure the screw is securely tethered to the plastic, maybe with heat-shrink tubing or epoxy, because the screw is going to try to escape sometime when you've forgotten all about it. A tiny hole thru the screw head into the socket would provide an ideal place to secure the thread (maybe with a stopper knot on each end), but I haven't got the patience or the proper equipment for the job.
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