head swap tool kit

[LarrySabo]

Hi David,

I bought mine July 6, 2014 for $280.63 CAD. Perhaps they modified it if you bought yours later, or maybe I'm just unlucky or clumsy. I have also had the pivot pin break off on the ST3-3 (4) and W2 3 combs. :twisted:

 

[Amarbir[CDR-Labs]]

Hi larry sir ,
i now understand what you mean .But i also say it should not be that tight .The best would be you get a thick copper wire and cut that to size and epoxy one end into the plastic .I can bet that you will love the acetoollab ramp tools very very good just used them yesterday for the first time on a Samsung ST1000lm024

 

[LarrySabo]

Hi Amarbir,

Yes, that's what I am planning to do: replace the missing pin with a short brad (tiny nail), epoxied into the tool. I already have all the Ace Tool Lab combs but they don't have any head swap combs for 3.5" drives. I also have all their unstick combs but they are not suitable as head swap tools.

@Blizzard, I'm going to try to find the broken pin and measure its diameter. I can measure the pins on the other tools that have the tiny pins but can't be certain they are identical. Very strange that three different combs of mine have had their pins broken off yet nobody else has had a problem with them.

 

[Blizzard]

Larry, any chance you exposed the tools to acetone or alcohol for a prolonged period. Maybe it weakens the small part?

 

[LarrySabo]

Larry, any chance you exposed the tools to acetone or alcohol for a prolonged period. Maybe it weakens the small part?

Nope; never.

 

[LarrySabo]

I now realize this comb was never meant for an ST2000DM001. You can see from the actuator arm that the locking pin hole of the comb does not have a matching hole in the arm. I repaired my broken comb using a brad that comes in those picture-hanging kits and some Bondic, and added a hole for a make-shift locking pin where it fits. The comb barely works, as the teeth are not close enough to the sliders to keep them well separated. I found the piece that broke off and it's a tight squeeze to push it into the alignment hole in the arm -- because it was never meant to fit this drive. Now, on to repairing the other broken combs.

 

[Amarbir[CDR-Labs]]

Well,
Good work Mr Larry specially for the metal use

 

[Jared]

I could be wrong, but it very much looks like that head comb was 3d printed. And, not even using an SLA printer but an extrusion one.

 

[LarrySabo]

Good work Mr Larry specially for the metal use

Thanks

I could be wrong, but it very much looks like that head comb was 3d printed. And, not even using an SLA printer but an extrusion one.

I have been told that's the case, but no idea which type of printer was/is used.

 

[Jared]

Well that gives me some hope then. I've been long considering investing in a good SLA 3d printer to make my own tools. If these can be made with a plastic extrusion printer, then SLA should produce 10x better tools.