After the repeated frustration of loosening and tightening the plastic locking knobs every time I needed to open or close the blast gates on my dust-collection system, I replaced the knobs with ball-nose spring plungers. The spring-loaded plunger puts enough constant pressure against the sliding gate that it won’t rattle closed from the suction of the dust collector. I found plungers that fit my blast-gate threads at McMaster-Carr (part No. 3408A521), but they are also available from most industrial suppliers. I also added a locknut so that I could adjust the plunger tension and lock in the setting. With the plungers installed, the gates easily slide in and out and stay right where I want them.

Jim Richey

Dean Hedstrom, St. Paul, MN

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