Yeah drybeam, the last time I paid for spares for my Victa the guy overcharged me. I asked if he sold a gasket kit to overhaul the fuel system, for some of my more worn out machines, he said no. I paid a small fortune just for the plastic cap for the air filter casing. I needed it that day to work so handed over the cash. I have had the same problem with chain-saw chain, the cheap stuff will stretch quickly and can jump off the bar and cut your hands. I only use Stihl chain now, it costs more but lasts longer and is much safer. I used to work for a tree lopping crew and the boss would not even buy decent files to sharpen the blades. A blunt chain can mean life or death when working really big timber. Every week or so we heard about guys that had died on on the job in the timber industry. I looked at a web site the other day that sold bulk spares for mowers, the markup cost can be a rip off. a lot of manufactors in todays market place sell new gear at a loss and make their income on spare parts. I picked up some new brass guides for my line cutter head for my brush cutter a few years ago to replace the broken cheap light guides at a mower spares place. The guy gave me some good advice about the weight of the nylon cutting line. Using too heavy line can damage your machine because it slows the revs and puts extra load on bearings, clutch and other moving parts. The quality of metal products can vary a lot. We used to manufacture great steel in Australia but now we have to buy cheap low quality steel from overseas countries that is just plain dangerous. Some of the older engine blocks actually get stronger with age, the crystalline structure of the steel changes with heating and cooling rates. I had a mower blade snap once and it flew off and impaled itself in my leg. I was lucky it did not hit bone and was able too pull it out.An oxy acetylene torch can be a great way of repairing machinery. Bronze type alloys are stronger than steel but it has to be applied at the right temperature or else the bond will fail. The acetylene is a really dangerous gas and can explode at too high a pressure. Thanks folks for all your great ideas. Cheers.
