Spring End Came Off of Napoleon Damper Handle

[Kingfishr]

My Napoleon 1900's damper handle has a spring at the end, and -- after two years -- the spring has popped off. I can slide it back on, but there's nothing to keep the spring on the end of a slippery metal rod.

Anyone experience this, and have a fix?

 

[jetsam]

Does the springless handle have a notch, groove, or hole in it? I looked at some photos of replacement handles online, and the arm end looks like it's just tightly coiled wire. If the handle is smooth down to the end, you could:

- Take the fallen spring and shim it with some tinfoil inside
-Cut a piece of sheet metal (got a beer can?) to a washer with an outside diameter a little smaller than the spring and an inside diameter a little smaller than the handle. Drill/file a recess on the inside side of the washer for the spring wire to pass through, and thread the washer onto the spring, then work the spring onto the handle.
- Get a couple pairs of pliers and bend the last couple coils a little tighter.
- Buy a new spring

If it was me, I'd probably go get my dremel and a carbide cut-off blade (please note that everything *I* would do would void the warranty on something; this is kind of a constant with me)- slide the handle on to where I wanted it, scratch a mark on the handle in the middle of the base of the spring, then go get a retaining ring a little smaller than the handle, and notch the handle for the retaining ring. Push the retaining ring in through the springy.

 

[Beerdog]

Kingfisher...

I didn't have my Napoleon stove for even a month or two when the damper spring came off. For a short time I was able to re-screw it onto the lever but at some point I was never able to tighten the spring down so it would hole fast. My solution was to replace it with a small Vice Grip (cheap generic) purchased for a couple of bucks at Lowes.

John

 

[jetsam]

Come to think of it, JB Weld is rated to 600°F, and regular old solder melts at 350°-400°. RTV silicone and some FIPG gaskets (which I suspect of being repackaged RTV silicone at 5x the price) go up to 600+ too.

Next time you're running the stove flat out, hit the handle with an IR thermometer and see how hot it gets.

 

[Kingfishr]

Thanks, folks. Pushing in is easy enough -- it's pulling it out that's the issue. If the metal rod had a hole through it, I'd be all set -- I could just add a ring (like a key chain ring). I'll look into the JB Weld. I'm sure it doesn't actually get very hot at all, but five family member grabbing, twisting and pulling is going to mean a whole lot of torque, and the spring and rod surfaces are both slippery metal....