Zane cam chain links - piano wire

ghwallice

Hero member
Location
Ipswich
I needed 1.192mm piano wire for the cam chain joining links in the zanes. Local hobby shop had 1.175, $1.80 for a metre. But the time it takes to go there and back...

Spring carbon steel. Hmmm. Had a look at my Grandsons' remote control car, the spring clips that they use to hold them together, lucky for him, the wrong size....

Went up to the office to do more research, and there was a bulldog clip on a wad of paper. The nice little chrome coloured handle is piano wire!!! But even better, different brands use different thicknesses, and believe or not, different cam chains use different thicknesses. They vary from about 1.195 up to about 1.237mm

So I've matched my joining link requirements to the bulldog clips in the office...?and my Zane cam chains are now held together by bulldog clips. That should work well on a track bike...

Hopefully this will help others down the "track"

Regards, Greg
 
A couple of years ago I bought digital micrometers and dial gauges that measure down to a micron. Needed them for the 4 Zane cranks I've rebuilt.
 
Instead of a normal safety clip to secure the side plate on the cam chain the two pins have very fine holes through them so you push the side plate back on the joining link then secure the side plate with a piece of "special" wire, not sure if in fact it is piano wire but it is very hard to bend.
500s have this type of joining link.
 
When I worked in high rise construction, 68 stories rates as high, they would hang heavy plub bobs down the lift shafts with Piano Wire to install the lift rails, high-speed lifts need really straight rails. Maybe 20 floors at a time, its impressively strong wire for its size.
 
Vince said:
When I worked in high rise construction, 68 stories rates as high, they would hang heavy plub bobs down the lift shafts with Piano Wire to install the lift rails, high-speed lifts need really straight rails. Maybe 20 floors at a time, its impressively strong wire for its size.

People that build model bi wing aeroplanes as a hobby use it for the support struts between the bi wings...
 
Split pins it is and by the way the bend on the wire links should be outwards.

As shown in the pic the centrigugal force would try to turn the wire.

Going for a lie down now.
 
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