WS19 Control Unit Rubber Grommets
 

Hi,
Over the past couple of months I have revived my WS19 set Sherman turret project (on hold due to home and business renovations) and need some assistance in replacing some of the rubber components that come out of the bottom of the Control Unit No. 1 and No. 2. These "Grommets, Sleeve, No. 2", identified on Pages 80 thru 85 (and others) in the EMERS Repair Schedule, have all have either become brittle and broken off complelely or are only a portion of their true lengths. I am ideally looking to find three NOS if possible Grommets and hope a number of you will have one or two in their spare parts kits. Happy to buy them and pay for shipping costs to Toronto.

Any idea on how to best "preserve" the existing grommets I have, is there "one product" that is highly recommended?

I've included a few pics to show current state of project. I am now fabricating the TMG shelf for the Thompson magazines out of acrylic as I need it to be stronger to support the resin magazines I recently purchased. I also need to sculpt the shell-ejection port handle so if anyone has basic dimensions these would be appreciated. Other that that, only the exterior needs to be better sculpted before I begin to add the interior weld marks to those components that were factory welded in place.

Any assistance you can provide is greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Patrick

Hello Patrick. Interesting you should raise this question now. There is a pair of these on the front panel of the 52-Set Supply Unit I am keeping an eye on now. My two still have very supple, flexible sleeves but the state of the actual grommet ring surrounding the panel is still unknown. I am hoping they will still be soft enough to remove and reinstall safely.

Sleeves grommets were extremely common fittings years ago and the numbering system for them leads me to believe there was a standard form of sizing system for them which could make finding new ones today much easier than it might otherwise be.

Having seen the photo of the one you posted, it looks like different suppliers may have met the ‘No. 2 Standard’ with subtle variations in design. Yours has equal sized rings for either side of the panel at the grommet end. The ones used on the 52-Set have an inner ring with a smaller outside diameter, which would make installing and removing them a lot easier if they are getting old.

A good starting place for new replacements would be the following company down in Westchester, Illinois, though their Corporate HO is in the UK somewhere I believe.

www.essentracomponents.com


If you can, send them the actual specifications from one of the wireless parts manuals as a reference guide for them to work with.

With regards to reconditioning old, hard rubber, there are a number of products out there that work to a point, but I would suggest you stay away from anything automotive. The tyre ones are far too aggressive on the rubber for thin items and the rest tend to be of a wax and polish kind of thing that coat the rubber to make it look new but just add more layers of crud to the rubber in the long run.

What you want to find is a rubber rejuvenator used for rubber patens or rollers as in old typewriters, or newer printers and photocopiers. These will soften a thin depth of the rubber, which might be all you need for a thin sleeve. There are also some rejuvenators out there for treadmills, but I would stay away from them as well as they have a significant lubricant element to them.

Hope this helps, Patrick, and I like the way your turret is going.

David