SPG spool oring installation

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Kupu

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It was time to put new orings on a SPG spool this morning, which I have manged to somehow accomplish a few times in the past with just fingers and sweet talk. Today, it got the best of me and I realized it was time for a tool to help the process. Since shipping for purchasing that one item almost doubled the price, I looked for alternative.

I took a brass oring pick and straightened out the tip, slid the oring on and inserted the tip into the spool opening. A push on the oring with thumb and index finger and the oring was on the spool. Having the pick as guide for the oring removed 90% of the difficulty.
20191013_134606.jpg


This method worked great with this shouldered spool, but at least some of the straight and bullet nose spools have a smaller opening that would make this solution less of an option. The proper installation tool will go on the shopping list for a time when I need a few more items to spread out the shipping cost.

There is a DIY service video I watched where a fellow slid the orings on the spool with his fingers and what looked like zero effort, guessing either he has the magic touch or was not using D90 orings.

Are there any other ideas out there for making the job easier without buying a tool?
 
The desire to fix things on the cheap no matter the cost is a curse that I am under. I have several new spools with orings stashed away, but wanted to use some of 100 spool orings in my repair box instead. Luckily, my dog is ok with my issues...
 
What usually works for me:
Lubricated oring is laid flat on my neoprene work mat. Push the spool down through the oring, working it a little side-to-side to get it to open up the oring. Sometimes it doesn't quite pop on and I have to push it the rest of the way once I have it started. And sometimes a firmer surface works better, or piece of cardstock laid on the mat first.
 
Having had several spools where duro 90's just WON'T go on without splitting, I've switched to duro 75 for certain "square-ended" spools. The o-ring is so tightly captured inside the SPG and hose fitting, that I haven't had an extrusion yet.
 
It was time to put new orings on a SPG spool this morning, which I have manged to somehow accomplish a few times in the past with just fingers and sweet talk. Today, it got the best of me and I realized it was time for a tool to help the process. Since shipping for purchasing that one item almost doubled the price, I looked for alternative.

I took a brass oring pick and straightened out the tip, slid the oring on and inserted the tip into the spool opening. A push on the oring with thumb and index finger and the oring was on the spool. Having the pick as guide for the oring removed 90% of the difficulty.
View attachment 544789

This method worked great with this shouldered spool, but at least some of the straight and bullet nose spools have a smaller opening that would make this solution less of an option. The proper installation tool will go on the shopping list for a time when I need a few more items to spread out the shipping cost.

There is a DIY service video I watched where a fellow slid the orings on the spool with his fingers and what looked like zero effort, guessing either he has the magic touch or was not using D90 orings.

Are there any other ideas out there for making the job easier without buying a tool?

Nice....I just put the little o-ring in my work bench and mash the end of the hp spool on to to get it started...a little wiggle while mashing it gets it stretched over the end and then I can just push it into place...I have more of problem getting the little buggers off than getting the new ones on.

-Z
 
Sitting the oring on flat surface and pushing and rocking the spool has worked for me previously, but today I stopped after finger cramps started. Perhaps this spool was a bit different, or maybe just an off day for me.

I used a viton D75 in the past, small island with no other option. It worked, but also wore out noticeably quicker. Imagine the quick wear was more a result of not using nitrile rather than lower durometer.
 
Hmm, I’ve never had an issue using a tad of lube and my thumbs?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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