A-7 magneto switch

[Bird]

I see there is a A-7 for sale on ebay. Are these things really that hard to come by--$300 or therabouts

[M Towsley]

Re: A-7 magneto switch

That, or more, seems to be the going rate for the A-7. I remember buying and selling restored ones and they were always good investments. There is also an A-9 that is starting at $299.

[Leenicklas]

Re: A-7 magneto switch

In a related item,there ws a thread about a month ago that ccontained an article re refurbishing an A-7. In the article, it mentioned using "an old-fashioned ink erasure" or a "stainless erasure" , "that can be obtined at any welding supply shop". Does that go by another name? I called several welding supply stores in my area and they didn't know what I was talking about. Now that I know the going rate on mag switches, I am more determined than ever to refurb mine. Lee Nicklas

[M Towsley]

Re: A-7 magneto switch

The article has been reprinted here somewhere on this site. Just use a small piece of Scotchbrite pad to clean the contacts and make sure everything is clean upon reassembly. A regular pencil eraser works just fine, too.

[NY86]

Re: A-7 magneto switch

A regular pencil eraser works just fine, too.

An "ink eraser" (for a ball point pen) is more abrasive and should still be available.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: A-7 magneto switch

The weak points are the small tabs that hold the case together. You can't straighten and re-bend them many times before they will break off so only open them the absolute minimum needed to get the back cover off and don't bend them closed till you check the switch to make sure it is assembled right and working. You can hold the switch together to check it out and you DON'T want to have to open it up just because you left the B-B our or something isn't aligned.

Hank

[M Towsley]

Re: A-7 magneto switch

Hank,

What BB???

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: A-7 magneto switch

There is a small metal ball that goes under the spring. The spring pushes the ball into a series of detents that make the switch snap from one position to the next. When you put it together again expect the ball to slip out several times before you get it together right. That's why you DON'T want to bend the tabs down till you are sure it is right.
Hank

[M Towsley]

Re: A-7 magneto switch

I never remove the rivets to disassemble the handle from the face, maybe that is why I haven't seen it.

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: A-7 magneto switch

The one I restored was pretty badly rusted. Not the worst I have ever seen, but not moveable or working. I had to completely disassemble it and restore all of the internal pieces individually. The tabs broke on the worst one and the internals were completely corroded away so I did a cosmetic restoration of the front plate and handle, then mounted a key mag switch behind it.
Hank

[Leenicklas]

Re: A-7 magneto switch

Followed the instructions in the article. Didn't take the rivets out to get to BB. I'm getting ready to put it back together. No lubricant of any kind where the BB fits into the indents???Lee

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: A-7 magneto switch

I didn't lube the metal ball, I thought it would just get soaked into the hardboard back plate and weaken it. I don't remember any lube in the whole switch.
Hank

[M Towsley]

Re: A-7 magneto switch

No lube called for. I placed a very, very small amount with a needle dropper in the detent area.

[Larry Lyons]

Re: A-7 magneto switch

I placed a small amount of silicone grease on the edge where the lever and case come in contact. Made a world of difference but then I had to fight the "no paint stick" problem. So if I do it again I will have it back to fully painted before applying any lube of any kind! L