Whereupon We Gave the Needle a Sharp Whack with a Brass Hammer

And it then began to seal. Yes, I had just rebuilt a Stromberg carb for a
C-85 and we were checking the level of gasoline in the float chamber when
gas began leaking by the float valve. Now you must set this rather
critical float level by using different thicknesses of washers under the
seat. It's trial and error and a pain in the neck. You have to keep
trying until you get just the right combination. Then you have to use one
of Sacramento Neal's neat little tools to measure the level of fuel in the
chamber.

So we did all that and got a correct level using a head of gasoline to
simulate actual fuel pressure from the tank on an aircraft. But we kept
getting a leak by the float valve. Whereupon we gave the needle a sharp
whack with a brass hammer. And that stopped the leak. I had tried all
kinds of other persuasions, like jeweler's rouge, fine lapping compound, and
automotive rubbing compound but nothing helped until I remembered that
Forrest Barber in Alliance, Ohio at Barber Field and a celebrity
Taylorcrafter had suggested using a small hammer as a persuader. Which we
did and it has worked. And now the little Cub doesn't pee all over the
hangar or ramp, doesn't run rich, and purrs like a kitten.