Hi all,
I am making a 2-piece titanium walking stick, and would like to use the same push-button design that is used to make 2-piece take apart aluminum paddles. I already have the titanium tubes etc, and I am now wondering if I can purchase the push button “assembly” from a supplier. Is there a standard name for that thing to look for?
runcyclexcski
you can get them
Look through some paddling websites. You’ll find them.
in fact, here’s one.
http://www.kayakfishingsupplies.com/servlet/the-348/Paddle-replacement-Button/Detail
Or McMaster Carr!
They have everything in all the sizes.
great, thanks!
Looks like it’s a McMaster item # 92988A510 or similar.
Do these things break/fatigue/spontaneously open?
breaking
Shouldn’t break if you use the correct one for the diameter of the tube. If they are compressed too much they might.
Bill H.
Push button thingy
Any swimming pool supply store would have them.
Pushbutton strength
Should be strong enough - Tracks uses these for their staffs.
Jim
A couple things to look at
As you search you may or may not notice these are either stamped or have a solid ‘button’ riveted onto a little piece of steel … The solid buttons have minimal taper to them and are far stronger and more precise than the stamped ones.
Assuming here that you will be loading these in shear so make sure you have enough length in them so the ‘flat’ part of the button holds your outer portion or else they will push back in once you get some wear / elogaton of the holes.
The flat topped buttons have more squared off sides and do not need to protrude ( to acheive above ) as much but are harder to push in for some folks compared to the dome top ones.
Drill the hole as precisely as possible and let the button ‘work’ into the hole. Also good idea to take alook @ the spring itself … With a little plyer finess, you can get a much firmer ‘spring back’ from the spring insuring a more positive “click”.
Along those lines
I bought some 1/4" pushbuttons from McMC to make adjustable tent poles. They work, but 5/16" buttons would have been stronger and more secure. Don’t know if tent pole analogy applies to hiking poles though.
Jim