How to fix those sticky Dials!

[Steam313]

This is a technique I used on old Mage Knight hard to click dials and I'm using on the older hard to turn/less structurally sound figures.

Materials needed:

1 very small flat head screwdriver or non-sharp xacto
1 sheet of very fine grit sand paper
1 piece of scrap wood to wrap the sand paper around
1 lightly damp paper towel

Step #1: Wash your hands thoroughly with mild detergent(dish soap or hand soap) and dry them thoroughly

Step #2: Take your xacto or very small flat head and separate the Dial's top and bottom (or if you have finger nails to pull it apart do so)

Step #3: Set you bottom dial half aside and flip your figure over to look at the bottom of its bast (where top and bottom dial meet to "click"). Look to see if its warped (most bases because of the manufacturing process have a bulge on side to provide resistance)

Step #4: Take your extra extra fine grit sand paper (once its wrapped around the block/scrap wood) and GENTLY and LIGHTLY sand in circular motions across the whole base until you start to see fine flakes of black plastic (or as they turn white if your using extra fine grit)

Step #5: Examine your sanded surface, does it still have solid black parts to it (tighter fit) or is it a matte finish? If it still has all black surfaces you can continue sanding until they turn matte (for a much looser fit), otherwise take your damp cloth and clean the debris off the bottom of the figure base.

Step #6: Either air-dry or paper towel dry the figure bottom

Step #7: Re-assemble the two halves of the base and test click (remember the more you sand the looser it will click because you are removing the friction of the halves grinding together). If you feel it is too hard to click repeat the above steps until the desired resistance/force is found

DO NOT GLUE THE BASES TOGETHER!!! I cannot stress that enough, these dials are based on the floating pivot point (center of the bottom dial half). If you feel the need I can upload pictures of me doing this with one of my pieces I just did. This process can take anywhere from 2 minutes to 20 minutes depending on how thick the figure base is and how hard it is to click. Remember to dry the base before test fitting or else you will soak your stats dial to translucency.

If you have questions regarding this how-to or need some further details let me know by PM please

[Wimbley]

what ive always have done was (for a cup base) popped the dial out and took an xacto and shaved a lil bit of the nubbin that sticks up and makes the click sound, i thin replace the dial and give it a few good twists and see if its loose enough or if its still a lil tight. if a lil tight just shave off a lil more. and now that i think about it i think i did it for the other bases too.

[JDKenada]

Another trick is to pop the dial out, then put it back in. Sometimes that loosens it enough. Then I cycle through the dial a few times, which in turn probably wears the plastic a bit as well.

[TerribleSage]

Being that my camera can't focus on a darn thing, I can't take a picture. But I always just seperate the dial halves, and shave down that little nub on the inner wall of the dial, the one that clicks into the recesses and is responsible for the "click" sound. Shave it down a bit with a knife of your choice, and you're done! While your method is certainly in depth and well-planned, it may only need to be practiced on the more damaged/warped dials. I did it this way in the past, and made the dial a little too loose; making the figure fall out all the time.

I do have some old Avengers pieces that could benefit from this, though. Good read!

[Steam313]

what ive always have done was (for a cup base) popped the dial out and took an xacto and shaved a lil bit of the nubbin that sticks up and makes the click sound, i thin replace the dial and give it a few good twists and see if its loose enough or if its still a lil tight. if a lil tight just shave off a lil more. and now that i think about it i think i did it for the other bases too.

The nubbin that makes the click sound is pretty integral to the tightness of the dial and the centering. If you want a tight fit with a dial that will self-secure you shouldn't touch that nubbin.

Another trick is to pop the dial out, then put it back in. Sometimes that loosens it enough. Then I cycle through the dial a few times, which in turn probably wears the plastic a bit as well.

While this works sometimes, the method I provide will always work. It's usually not a wear problem that occurs here (unless your repairing a cracked or broken figure) its usually a slight change in the parameters of dial size (as the tolerances are allowed to vary slightly). As with almost all molding processes some are created bigger or warped or in some cases even thinner.

Being that my camera can't focus on a darn thing, I can't take a picture. But I always just seperate the dial halves, and shave down that little nub on the inner wall of the dial, the one that clicks into the recesses and is responsible for the "click" sound. Shave it down a bit with a knife of your choice, and you're done! While your method is certainly in depth and well-planned, it may only need to be practiced on the more damaged/warped dials. I did it this way in the past, and made the dial a little too loose; making the figure fall out all the time.

I do have some old Avengers pieces that could benefit from this, though. Good read!

As with above that nubbin is quite integral to the dial's sensitivity, I would not mess with it unless you can get the slightest of shavings off of it without destroying the dial.

In effect the method I provide makes the inner base of the figure flatter and smoother making the dial easier to turn without sacrificing the ability to click or lock into a set dial figure.

[JDKenada]

While this works sometimes, the method I provide will always work. It's usually not a wear problem that occurs here (unless your repairing a cracked or broken figure) its usually a slight change in the parameters of dial size (as the tolerances are allowed to vary slightly). As with almost all molding processes some are created bigger or warped or in some cases even thinner.

Agreed. My solution is more of a quick test. Yours is certainly more thorough and a guaranteed result.

[Kite-Man]

I typically pop off the base with a butter knife and then run my exacto around the top edge, almost like I'm peeling an apple.
Some shavings curl off, I pop it back in, and it's right as rain.

[Steam313]

I like the idea of the xacto blade on the edge of the dial, but if your a collector (like some people are) you've just potentially ruined a figure. With the method I provide, very little or no damage should occur (typically if done right no visible damage occurs)