Tom senior LV

[Matt SmithParticipant @mattsmith88420]

Hi there,

Does anyone know the correct name for the “lantern” shaped clip fasteners that hold the belt change cover plates on a TS LV head? It would be great if someone knows of a supplier!

Regards,

Matt.

[DiogenesParticipant @diogenes]

Most of the forum won’t have a TSLV – a picture would might get a better response?

 

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

[noel shelleyParticipant @noelshelley55608]

Michaels quoted description puts me in the mind of the balls and cage arrangement of a ball race. Just a thought. Noel.

[Rod ClemettParticipant @rodclemett60985]

J

[Rod ClemettParticipant @rodclemett60985]

Just in case the OP hasn’t got a sample to photograph, this is what they look like.

[Matt SmithParticipant @mattsmith88420]

Hi in response to Diogenes, here pictured is the offending article.

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

I can’t help with the clips, the museum’s LV came with the covers but no fixings, we still have them, but made see through covers out of 6mm polycarbonate, made nuts to fit in the belt casting and captive thumbscrews in the covers. And I etched the belt part number on the edge of one cover. But I couldn’t care less for originality, just improvements to a rather poor machine, such as an R8 spindle. The only picture I have showing the covers in place is this one long shot.

 

 

 

 

[DiogenesParticipant @diogenes]

😊 – All becomes clear – ‘offending’ is the word.. you could try making a ‘suppository-shaped’ split-sleeve from Tufnol or Nylon6..?

..I’ve seen automotive clips / retainers based on what I will call the ‘Wine-Saver’ mechanism.. ..might be the next-quickest-to-operate..

[Diogenes]

On Diogenes Said:

😊 – All becomes clear – ‘offending’ is the word.. you could try making a ‘suppository-shaped’ split-sleeve from Tufnol or Nylon6..?

…

My feeling is this fastener is a good idea that never caught on.   Not a standard off-the-shelf item, possibly only made in small quantities 70 years ago.   Unobtainium.  Might be wrong – there are gazillions of spring clip fasteners in the catalogues.

I like Diogenes’ suggestion.  Making some isn’t hard apart from the spring clip.  The screw is ordinary and the ball-end could be made from Brass with an HSS Form Tool, or, if not many are needed, with a ball-turner. (Repton et al)   Or even 3D-printed plastic.

The spring is good example of an item produced extremely cheaply in a factory with the right machine, but tricky, time consuming and expensive to make in a general-purpose workshop.   Therefore Diogenes suppository!  A plastic sleeve slit like the lantern with a Dremel, and crushed in the fastener to force the bell-shape should work.

May be necessary to experiment to get the right combination of grip/release.  Though Tufnol and Nylon won’t last as well as metal springs, they are effective.   PVC stripped from coax or round mains cable might do, though soft plastics aren’t a good choice if the covers are constantly on and off.   Could be acceptable – PVC is dirt cheap and easily replaced.  Engineering is all about compromise!

Dave

 

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

The curious thing is that this device is almost totally unlike that described in my earlier quote from lathes.co.uk

MichaelG.

[Matt Smith]

On 15 March 2025 at 08:44 Matt Smith Said:

Hi there,

Does anyone know the correct name for the “lantern” shaped clip fasteners …

Thanks to Google ‘Lens’ … I do now 🙂

https://www.handweavers.co.uk/balloon-spring.ir

MichaelG.

.

Edit: __ but I certainly wouldn’t pay that price for them !!

[Matt SmithParticipant @mattsmith88420]

Hi everyone, thanks for all your replies and suggestions, so it’s a balloon spring! At that price I think I will attempt to make one.

regards,

Matt.

 

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

I didn’t bother looking any further [too much hassle rejecting unwanted cookies for my taste] but ‘indiamart’ has a [manufacturing?]supplier.

MichaelG.

 

[Andrew TinsleyParticipant @andrewtinsley63637]

Old Mart,

When you say it is a rather poor machine, do you mean it has seen better days or it isn’t a good design?

Andrew.

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

By poor, I mean quality of some parts, one of the main castings has a two inch compressed bundle of what looks like swarf stuck in the melt, hidden from view until the mill was dismantled. That casting should have been returned to the foundry. The good side of the design is that it is so simple to dismantle for cleaning.

[Author]

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