Electrical: Opening Hawk gauges for repair

[jostanton1]

What is the least difficult or best way to open up round Hawk Stewart Warner guages to service them? And then how do you close them up so they will slide into the chrome rings?

[bezhawk]

You don't open the gauge, you remove the rings. Take a small flat screwdriver, and carefully pry the back side crimp open. Don't try to straighten it all at once it takes about 5 passes around a little at a time. Then you have access to the gauge internals.

[jostanton1]

That's what I've been doing, but getting it evenly back together is the challenge. There is no wiggle room to get it back in th chrome ring.

[JoeHall]

You can use a hole saw to cut a 1/4" deep hole in a 2x6. Cut the hole just barely large enough to slip the gauge ring into, then use a screwdriver to, "walk" around the ring in little bites, till you can lift the gauge out. THat's what I have done successfully on speedos and tachs. Not sure about the smaller gauges, but pretty sure it would work OK. The wood just keeps the ring in a perfect circle, and no bending too far outward.

[bezhawk]

And when you put them back together....NEVER tap the ring back into place. Stuart-Warner didn't "Hammer" them on. They are CRIMPED on. Roll the bezels back with a smooth hard piece of steel from the back side. A little at a time just as you removed them. It may take many passes to get it back tight, but do it right, and you wont damage the instrument mechanism inside.

[bensherb]

I use a tool I made decades ago for pushing jewelery bezels when setting stones. It's basically a polished piece of 3/8 rod with a knob on one end as a handle, the working end of the rod is flat and smooth. A gauge bezel is pretty tough so smooth isn't really needed.
You use it by holding the knob and pushing the bezel over by rolling from the outside toward the center. I hold the gauge in one hand , close to my chest, and push with the other; but I do have a lot of practice. The "hole in the wood" idea as a holding device sounds like a good idea. I does usually take 2 to 3 times around the gauge to fold the bezel down completely.

I know people who have made crimping dies fron PVC pipe and use a large vise as a press to close gauges as well.

[PackardV8]

I know people who have made crimping dies fron PVC pipe and use a large vise as a press to close gauges as well.

This makes me think of the laboratory bench press I have. It's gotten very little use, but it was just too cute to pass up. One could make a holder as Joe describes and a pressing tool as Ben describes and set up a gauge repairing assembly line.



jack vines