Spreader base

Spreaders are normally positioned in their mounting brackets by a sleeve of rubber hose, which is not always available.

"As I was not able to find the correct hose for the spreader bases, I decided to cast a substitute. Epoxy was one option, but I was given some seriously date-expired Spartite, which is very slightly flexible.

"I made the scrap-wood jig shown here to hold the spreader in position, plugged all the holes with putty (including the base of the spreader), clamped the spreader in position with tension on the shroud and taped over everything near the spreader base (Spartite makes an incredible mess). Also coated the spreader base with Vaseline, so it could be removed when the Spartite set.

"I was concerned that something might move before the Spartite set, but everything worked perfectly. The spreaders now have negligible play fore and aft, which is exactly what we needed." – David Weatherston, Towser