Topic: Is there a trick to removing handles?

[VPman66]

I just purchased my first foosball table and ended up intalling the handles on the wrong end of all the rods and now I can't get them off!  I was hoping someone here might know of a real good trick to getting these things off.  I suppose I could just cut them off but then I would have to buy all new ones and I was hoping I would not have to do that.  Any ideas out there?

Thanks,

Kris VP

[justanotherhacker]

Kris,

What brand and model of table is it?  Cannot help much unless we know what we are dealing with 


Pat R

[VPman66]

Sorry about that.  The brand name is Harvard.  The handles are shaped like wood handles but they are made of a some what soft plastic or rubber.  I had to tamp them fairly hard to get them on.

[justanotherhacker]

VP

I'll need to get back to you on that one.  I am not too familiar with that particular table.  But I am guessing that the handles are a "press fit".  In that case, brute force is the best option, as long as the force is applied properly.


The pressure should be put on the end of the handle closest to the rod and try to "push" the handle off, as opposed to trying to pull the handle off.  Kind of like a chinese finger puzzle, the more you pull, the tighter it gets kind of thing. 

Same principal, as long as there are no men on the rods, put the rod through the bearing hole in the table and let the table side hold the handle and try to pull the rod out.

Hope that helps.  I will try to get a look at a harvard specifically and see if I can come up with anything else.

Pat R

[VPman66]

Hi Pat,

I finally got the handles off!  In addition to using the table to push the handles off as you suggested, a friend at my office suggested soaking the handles in very hot water for a couple of minutes to soften up the hard rubber and get it to expand a bit and loosen up their grip on the rod.  It was still hard but I was able to push them off using the table.  Many thanks.  Hope this will be helpful to others out there as well.

Kris VP