How do I fit the footpockets to my C4 blades?

[NiallFlinn]

Sounds like an idiot question I know, but...

I've just taken delivery of a nice pair of (Spetton branded) C4 Flap 30 blades and Spetton footpockets. The blades have big Spetton stickers on them and Scubastore are selling the pockets with a discount if you buy them with the C4 blades, so they are clearly meant to go together. However, I'm having a lot of trouble fitting them. If I spread the rails on the pockets really far apart, I can drop the blades in until the screw holes align, which is good, but after that I'm stuck. The blades have a glued-on rubber strip along the edge of the foot end, that seems like it's designed to locate into the groove in the rail, but the groove seems a bit too small for it to fit. Is this the way it's supposed to be? Should I use brute force to squeeze it in? Water? Lube? Heat? Should I cut the rubber strip off and use sealant to glue the blade edges in?

Any sensible suggestions welcome

Cheers,

Niall

[twentytwomonk]

What you do is bend the siderail back about 180 degrees, and that opens up the groove in it. After that you basically just roll the rail up the side of the blade and the strip on the blades should slide, albeit snugly, into the groove.

[NiallFlinn]

Originally Posted by twentytwomonk

What you do is bend the siderail back about 180 degrees, and that opens up the groove in it. After that you basically just roll the rail up the side of the blade and the strip on the blades should slide, albeit snugly, into the groove.

Aha! OK, sounds like a plan, although 180 degrees sounds like a lot.

Thanks!

Niall

[twentytwomonk]

You don't really have to wory about damaging them, you just wanna open up that gap as wide as possible to make it easier to slip that lip in there.

[NiallFlinn]

Originally Posted by twentytwomonk

You don't really have to wory about damaging them, you just wanna open up that gap as wide as possible to make it easier to slip that lip in there.

Tried it when I got home last night and it works a treat! I used a little liquid soap as a lube and the rails went right on. The only problem I have now is that the ends of the rails are a couple of mm short of the notches in the edge of the blade that they're supposed to fit into. I guess I could take the blades out again and file a few mm off the heel ends so they fit a little deeper into the pockets.

N

[ulysses]

NiallFlinn
When you insert the blade ends into the footpockets you must initially bend the rails to the sides in order to properly/fully insert the blades. Now before you install the rails screw the blades to the footpocket with the mounting kit (screws, plastic bridge and shims) that should have been supplied with your order. If you follow the steps described above, I'd be surprised if the rails were still too short to properly fit in the notches.

Cheers

[NiallFlinn]

Originally Posted by ulysses

NiallFlinn
When you insert the blade ends into the footpockets you must initially bend the rails to the sides in order to properly/fully insert the blades. Now before you install the rails screw the blades to the footpocket with the mounting kit (screws, plastic bridge and shims) that should have been supplied with your order. If you follow the steps described above, I'd be surprised if the rails were still too short to properly fit in the notches.

Cheers

The screw holes on the blades are properly aligned with those on the pockets. The rails aren't very far short - just 2 or 3 mm. If I stretch them a little, the tips of the rails reach the notches, but when I let go, they spring back a little and pull back out of the notches.

Cheers,

Niall

[ulysses]

Originally Posted by NiallFlinn

The screw holes on the blades are properly aligned with those on the pockets. The rails aren't very far short - just 2 or 3 mm. If I stretch them a little, the tips of the rails reach the notches, but when I let go, they spring back a little and pull back out of the notches.

Cheers,

Niall

I have assembled four sets C4 Falcons with the Teknosport/Aquatic footpockets over the years which are identical to the Spetton footpockets (apart from the branding). Actually, I always had to push the end of the rails first back and then into the notches in order to get them in at all (ie they always seemed a bit long rather than not short).

Cheers

[NiallFlinn]

Originally Posted by ulysses

I have assembled four sets C4 Falcons with the Teknosport/Aquatic footpockets over the years which are identical to the Spetton footpockets (apart from the branding). Actually, I always had to push the end of the rails first back and then into the notches in order to get them in at all (ie they always seemed a bit long rather than not short).

Cheers

The angle the notch is at would suggest that the rails ought to be a little long rather than short... I'll peel the rails off and try again this evening. Perhaps if I give the rails a little tug as I'm feeding them onto the blade, they'll end up at their full length by the time I get to the end.