How hard are the MTL 903 couplers to assemble? Should I even bother with them or just go for the already assembled 905?
Why don't you try an unassembled pack and see if you can do it (in a reasonable amount of time). I would recommend using an OptiVisor so you can see what you're doing.
Anthony: Before you start, stop by a fabric store and pick up a spool of silk (NOT cotton) thread. Thread a couple feet of it through the spring before you start the assembly process. Install the spring as normal, then gently pull out the silk thread. One spool is a lifetime supply. If you don't have the thread, then when the spring jumps on you, you'll never find it again. And trust me, unless you've done more than a hundred couplers, the spring WILL jump on you more than once during assembly. Silk thread is small enough, and *slippery* enough to not get in the way during assembly. Cotton thread if far, far too fat and *rough* and will pull the spring out of its final position no matter how carefully you pull it out. I wish I could take credit for this trick, but its a couple decades old now. And it really works, and saves having to buy many, many envelopes of MTL replacement springs over time. Hope this helps, Bill K. Houston
That is a good spring trick Bill. I buy the 903's to save money, and have assembled over 100 so far. (about half of them the springs pop out during assembly) I like to use serrated jaw needle nose pliers to insert the trip pins before removing the parts from the sprue, and I use the assembly jig MTL sells. -Robert
