I’ve never been able to follow the instructions to put my kids’ toys together, but I can take a wheel assembly apart and get it back together again, slowly but accurately, by using the following procedure. The bonus is that this procedure works for anything that you need to take apart and put back together again — brakes, toasters, bicycles, and so on.
1. Get a clean, lint-free rag and lay it down on a flat surface, near enough to reach without having to get up or walk to it.
As you remove each part, you’re going to lay it on this rag. Consequently, the rag shouldn’t be in an area where oil or dust or anything else can fall on it and foul the parts. If you’re going to use something that blasts air for cleaning purposes, leave enough of the rag uncluttered to lap it over the parts resting on it.
2. Before you remove each part, stop and ask yourself the following questions, and if you’re worried about forgetting, make notes:
• What is this thing?
• What does it do?
• How does it do it?
• Why is it made the way it is?
• How tightly is it screwed on (or fastened down)?
Most amateurs tend to put things back very tightly, in hopes that the part won’t fly off. But some things, like bolts that hold gaskets in place, shouldn’t be tightened too securely, because the gasket would be squeezed out of shape and whatever it’s holding in would get out, or the bolt threads could be stripped. So try to remember (or make notes about) how hard each thing was to remove. The note needn’t be long — just something like “Part #6: Hook at end of arm on left hooks on to knob to right of Part #7.” Add a picture if it helps.
3. As you remove each part, lay it down on the rag in clockwise order, with each part pointing in the direction it lay when it was in place.
This is the key to the whole system. When you’re ready to reassemble things, the placement and direction of each part tells you when to put it back and how it went.
4. If you’re making notes, assign each part a number indicating the order in which you removed it — Part #1, Part #2, and so on.
If you work systematically and understand the function of each part, you won’t be left with those “extra” nuts and bolts at the end of the job. You can even put numbers on the parts with masking tape if you’re afraid that the rag may be moved accidentally.
5. When you’re ready to reassemble everything, begin with the last part you removed, and then go counterclockwise through the parts.
Never, never do a job in a hurry.
Allow yourself plenty of time. If things get rough, have a soft drink or a cup of coffee. You may get a whole new perspective when you go back to work. Turn on your answering machine or take the phone off the hook, keep the kids and the dog away, and relax. If you hit a snag, sit quietly and think about it — don’t panic. If the parts fit together before, they’ll fit together again.
