Making Door Fasteners the Easy Way




All of the components used here are available at your local hobby store.
The parts required for 1 Door installation are as follows:

3/32 Music Wire - 3 to 4 inches long
(1) Spring from Clevis (Dubro #304)
(1) 3/32 Wheel Collar (CG #491)
(1) 2/56 brass solder end (Dubro #111)
(3) brass eyelets from Futaba Servo (Futaba FSH-21)




Decide on the location for the installation and create bracing as required. You will need a rear support brace to act as a guide for the music wire so cut and fit this brace but DO NOT GLUE in place just yet. Mark a line where the music wire will traverse and then open a narrow slot in the door skin 1/8" x 3/8". This is where the handle will exit the door. Now slide the Rear support brace up against the door edge, using a 1/8" drill, drill though both the door edge and the support brace. A drill press is preferred to keep the holes nice and straight.




The brass eyelets are used as guides for the music wire, one goes in the door jam, 1 on the outside of the door, and 1 on the support brace. The brass extender needs to have the threads cut short, use a 2/56 nut screwed down all the way as the guide, then cut off the remaing thread at the nut with your dremel tool using a cutoff wheel, next remove the nut to clean the threads. This brass extender will now be screwed into the wheel collar, serving as both a tightning set screw and as the door handle.




Adjust the rear support so that when the handle is fully retracted, the spring has full compression, then CA the support in place. Finally, adjust the music wire so that when the handle is fully retracted, the end is flush with the door eyelet. Excess music wire behind the support brace can be trimmed to about 1/2" when the door handle is in the released position.

Email: Marty Petri

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