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Re-corking a clutch is idiot simple. No special tools are needed, you
don't cut out pieces of cork or anything. You don't use a punch. If
you look at the clutch plate you will see the cork holes have a taper.
What you do is buy ordinary bottle corks. You buy the size that is about
an 1/8" (3-4mm) longer than the hole in the clutch plate and about
1/8"(3-4mm) wider across. In other words, just too big to go in
sideways.
You then wander in to the kitchen, smile at the domestic manager, take
a large saucepan half full of water and heat it up on the stove. When
it is simmering just under the boil you chuck all your corks into it.
You will see they all float on the surface which is why you only have
the saucepan half full. You let them simmer until the corks go quite
soft, about ten minutes or so. You can then pick them out one at a time
and push them sideways into the clutch plate. Cork is an excellent insulator
so although its been in very hot water you can do this with your bare
hands. When you have put a cork in all the holes in the clutch plate
you put the plate aside and go and have a beer. You might even pour
out the water and put the saucepan away if you want to keep the manager
happy. It will not have got dirty in any way from the corks.
Next day when the corks are completely dry you will find they have
gone firm again and are solidly set in the clutch plate. You now go
back to the kitchen and get the managers sharpest kitchen knife. You
then kindly sharpen it for her and test it out by laying the clutch
plate on its side and carving off the excess cork until you have it
roughly shaped how it would look like in the bike. You need a really
sharp knife for this.
Now is the technical part out in the garage. Using a disc sander or
grinding wheel or whatever you have you grind the corks down to size
nice and flat and parrallel with about a 1/16-3/32" proud of the
plate. With very little practice you can do this freehand, by eye, without
any trouble at all. Forget all the rubbish about carefully doing this
in a lathe with a specially sharpened tool, etc. Cork is flexible, any
minor errors will be absorbed by the cork when you reassemble the clutch.
Be careful when you grind the cork, it is very soft and you barely touch
it on the abrasive surface. Its like grinding butter.
Depending on the local availability of corks, home brew shops can be
helpful. Only use solid corks, not reconstituted or granulated cork
and if you use cut down wine bottle corks don't use the ones that are
glued together in layers. There you are, how to recork a clutch in the
kitchen.
Villiers Bob
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