seahornetkeywest
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can anyone tell me how to straighten a bent shaft, and things i can do to prevent it?
bent shafts?
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NO. very very difficult --but will attempt
If it is spring steel toss or cut down for a smaller gun if possible. Go to LDS and purchase a new one.
If cold rolled mild steel it is possible using a set of V blocks. The great Herb Samson of Costa Mesa and the developer of the Samson gun marketed a set of V blocks that he was suscssful in straighting shafts... I had a set but never developed the skill that Herb had.
But go to LDS and or a machinest perhaps they can help.
sdm
If it is spring steel toss or cut down for a smaller gun if possible. Go to LDS and purchase a new one.
If cold rolled mild steel it is possible using a set of V blocks. The great Herb Samson of Costa Mesa and the developer of the Samson gun marketed a set of V blocks that he was suscssful in straighting shafts... I had a set but never developed the skill that Herb had.
But go to LDS and or a machinest perhaps they can help.
sdm
Wayward Son
Contributor
Bent 316 stainless is now scrap. You can avoid bending shafts by not giving the fish leverage to bend the shaft. Meaning don't put tension on the line, rather swim to the fish as much as possible and grab the fish to gain control and not the shaft. Freeshafting keeps all this from happening but big bruisers can still bend freeshafts if they get up against the ledge or what ever structure you are shooting on. I had a 44# black bend 2 60" freeshafts 2 weeks ago and am about to put in an order with Ray Odor myself.
Johnoly
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Ditto what everyone else said above.
I'll add that both the cost of the shaft and "lost confidence" in the shaft is just not worth it.
A double flopper line shaft may cost $50 - 65. If you spend $90 - $150 in gas,charter, etc, to get to the dive site and miss an "easy" shot cause it's bent, you'll kick yourself all the way home.
Secondly is "Lost Confidence". Any good spearo will tell you stories of trying to keep using a slightly bent shaft that has been straightened and they keep missing easy shots. Now you start trying to over compensate for the bend and you can't even hit the sand floor. I have never straightened a bent shaft to make it perfect again.
Just like your regulators, replace your spearfishing worn out parts. I go through half a dozen shafts a year, it's just the cost of spearfishing. I have friends that replace the bands on their gun after every 15 dives because it loses the 'snap'. I replace my bands every 2 months and tie my own to keep the costs down. If you want big fish consistently, it takes commitment.
One final suggestion is that you could try using a slip-tip. But you'll suffer in reload time and they add weight to the shaft that you'll need to compensate for again.
I'll add that both the cost of the shaft and "lost confidence" in the shaft is just not worth it.
A double flopper line shaft may cost $50 - 65. If you spend $90 - $150 in gas,charter, etc, to get to the dive site and miss an "easy" shot cause it's bent, you'll kick yourself all the way home.
Secondly is "Lost Confidence". Any good spearo will tell you stories of trying to keep using a slightly bent shaft that has been straightened and they keep missing easy shots. Now you start trying to over compensate for the bend and you can't even hit the sand floor. I have never straightened a bent shaft to make it perfect again.
Just like your regulators, replace your spearfishing worn out parts. I go through half a dozen shafts a year, it's just the cost of spearfishing. I have friends that replace the bands on their gun after every 15 dives because it loses the 'snap'. I replace my bands every 2 months and tie my own to keep the costs down. If you want big fish consistently, it takes commitment.
One final suggestion is that you could try using a slip-tip. But you'll suffer in reload time and they add weight to the shaft that you'll need to compensate for again.
You can make them into stringers.
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:classic:
Steve Alexander will precision straighten spring stainless shafts for $25/piece. The shafts are straightened to a maximum deviation of five thousandths of an inch... FYI that's better precision than any manufacturer.
Here's Steve's homepage:
homepage
Also note that the more they are bent, the more they will be prone to such behavior in the future.
Cheers,
Chris
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