Libelle Control Stick

I moved my annual up for my Libelle 201b from June to this past weekend. who the heck wants to take their ship down in the middle of prime time soaring?

Anyways, Over the years of sweat touching the control stick it has began to rust and I need to take it apart and bead blast and prime/paint it..

We tried taking out the stick by removing the two flat head screw drivers but we think the sweat has gotten into the coupler that holds the control stick to the rest of the linkage.

Are there any current or past Libelle owners on this fourm? Preferably someone who has removed the control stick on a 201. was it difficult like mine is, if so how did you get it out?

I tried doing some layers of mouse milk but I feel as if even that isn't a thin enough lubricant.

Please let me know.. many thanks!

https://www.amazon.com/Kano-Kroil-Pe...enetrating+oil

This is the best penetrating oil I have found.

RC

On Tue, 25 Apr 2017 21:46:49 -0700, collinshea1345 wrote:

We tried taking out the stick by removing the two flat head screw
drivers but we think the sweat has gotten into the coupler that holds
the control stick to the rest of the linkage.

Mine is a 202, not the B model. It has a baggy cloth gaiter fitted to the
stick and secured round the raised lip surrounding the stick mount on the
cross bar. Consequently, the bearings etc remain nice and clean. This
year I lubed them using the sewing machine oil in a hypodermic oiler like
this:

https://www.amazon.com/Precision-Pre...n-Commando/dp/
B00500UVNQ

Excellent tools - they don't leak and its easy to put small amounts of
oil exactly where yo need it. The oil reservoir is soft so a gentle
squeeze poots out an oil drop.

Try Glasfaser, http://www.streifly.de/ if you need a replacement gaiter.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |

On Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at 12:46:52 AM UTC-4, wrote:
I moved my annual up for my Libelle 201b from June to this past weekend. who the heck wants to take their ship down in the middle of prime time soaring?

Anyways, Over the years of sweat touching the control stick it has began to rust and I need to take it apart and bead blast and prime/paint it..

We tried taking out the stick by removing the two flat head screw drivers but we think the sweat has gotten into the coupler that holds the control stick to the rest of the linkage.

Are there any current or past Libelle owners on this fourm? Preferably someone who has removed the control stick on a 201. was it difficult like mine is, if so how did you get it out?

I tried doing some layers of mouse milk but I feel as if even that isn't a thin enough lubricant.

Please let me know.. many thanks!

Nothing is as good as ACF50 for loosing up rusty stuff. Non staining. Safe to use on electronics sticky switches etc
To make your own penetrating oil try automatic transmission fluid with acetone 50/50 mix
Owned a 301 Libelle for 10 years. Great flyer

On Wed, 26 Apr 2017 11:08:46 +0000, Martin Gregorie wrote:

On Tue, 25 Apr 2017 21:46:49 -0700, collinshea1345 wrote:

We tried taking out the stick by removing the two flat head screw
drivers but we think the sweat has gotten into the coupler that holds
the control stick to the rest of the linkage.

Mine is a 202, not the B model.

Correction: for '202' read H.201, s/n 82.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |

What you need to do is remove the screw from one side and replace it with a longer sacrificial screw that you can then tap on with a hammer. That will drive the locking pin out the opposite side. Once the pin is out a quarter inch or so move your sacrificial screw to the opposite side and use pliers or vice grips to pull the pin out. You need to be careful to not put any side loads on the stick while pulling on the pin or you could bind it up and make it even more difficult to get out. Another option is to use a wooden dowel or soft brass drift to continue tapping on the original side instead of switching to pliers on the opposite side. Whatever you do, DON'T try to grab hold of the pin itself with pliers or tap directly on it with the hammer as you will deform it and then you'll never get it back in. Once the pin has been removed you can just wiggle and work the stick up and out of the brass coupler.

The pin on my 201b is stainless so suspect yours probably is too so rust really shouldn't be an issue in that area. I can tell you that the pin is a very tight fit and it will require a bit of "persuasion" to get it out.

Robert

On Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at 11:46:52 PM UTC-5, wrote:
I moved my annual up for my Libelle 201b from June to this past weekend. who the heck wants to take their ship down in the middle of prime time soaring?

Anyways, Over the years of sweat touching the control stick it has began to rust and I need to take it apart and bead blast and prime/paint it..

We tried taking out the stick by removing the two flat head screw drivers but we think the sweat has gotten into the coupler that holds the control stick to the rest of the linkage.

Are there any current or past Libelle owners on this fourm? Preferably someone who has removed the control stick on a 201. was it difficult like mine is, if so how did you get it out?

I tried doing some layers of mouse milk but I feel as if even that isn't a thin enough lubricant.

Please let me know.. many thanks!

I have knocked off the rust using a rotating wire brush, mounted on a hand drill. Then re-painted the stick in place with rattle-can spray paint. Cut a small hole in an old sheet and cover up everything but the stick.
JJ

You should also post this question to the "Libelle Sailplanes" Yahoo group. It is rather active. And would be good to join in any case as a Libelle owner.

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/...tions/messages