Problem mounting transformer

[rmryan]

In the beginning stages of my Crack build, and have run into one small issue.  I'm mounting the transformer and I cannot get the nut to get any bite on the screw closest to the safety ground, as a result of the extra washer on top of the transformer bell.  As you can see I've got barely a thread and a half before I put the terminal strip on, and I've tried a bunch of times to get the nut on there securely and I can't.  Any hints?

Thanks!
Rich

[borism]

I remember the fit was tight in my build but ultimately it worked out. Do you have a hardware store nearby? Why not get a slightly longer screw from the store before trying to force something?

[mcandmar]

Try putting it together without the washer on top, nip it tight, then remove the bolt again and add the washer back in.

[Nathan]

Second the idea of buying a longer machine screw. When I built my crack I found I needed to make a trip to the hardware store for a few bits which ran under a dollar.

When I built and installed my Speedball, I made another trip to the hardware store and spent 69 cents on one longer machine screw and 2 neoprene washers (I felt comfortable making the main speedball board a scootch higher because it almost looked like the main board was touching the "A" and "B" boards).

For me part of the fun of DIY is to improvise. Yes, follow the directions to the tee, but do what you need to do as well.

I can't over emphasize to follow the directions precisely. I suggest reading the directions at least once before the actual build. Seems to me the only problems people have with their builds fall into one of 2 camps- either a bad tube or that the directions were not followed. The Crack seems to be a very stable design, and if you build it right, it rewards in spades.

[rmryan]

Thanks, guys.  I will pick up a 2" #8 bolt and cut it off a couple of threads longer than the original.  Just wanted to be sure I wasn't doing something wrong.  There's also about 4 coats of hammered finish paint on both the bell end and the top plate, so that didn't help.

Rich

[Paul Birkeland]

There's also about 4 coats of hammered finish paint on both the bell end and the top plate, so that didn't help.

You can pass a 1/4" drill bit by hand through those mounting holes.  This will scrape the paint out and allow those black shoulder washers to sit in the hole properly.

-PB

[rmryan]

The holes themselves are clear. I just thought perhaps the accumulated thickness of 6 or 8 coats of paint on the top plate and the bell made my problem worse.

Rich