rodders3 Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 (edited) Have a serious head scratcher here that there must be a simple solution but am struggling to work it out. I have a Solidsteel S5-4 rack that I love so much that I wanted to add another shelf. Ordered the appropriate shelf from Selby and arrived today. No instructions but seriously, how hard can it be? Very hard is the answer. To add the extra rack I want remove the top cap so I can screw in the extra leg. Problem is the caps lie flat and snug and will not budge. They were inserted to lie flat as per original instructions and just like you see in every pic of them. I tried some blutack (cheap white version)to see if that gripped but after half an hour - nothing. Tried both to unscrew and also if it popped straight up. Then thought I would try to unscrew the second level but they will not turn at all either. It is locked in. I have a smaller size legs I want to add to the top so adding to the bottom is not viable either. I am loathed to try and pry out with a knife as it will easily damage. Surely I am missing something obvious. Hope it is not a case of disassembling from the bottom as that will a major PITA as the shelf I bought I want second from the top. Edited September 21, 2020 by rodders3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean Gale Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 Is the cap metal or plastic ? If its metal you could try a magnet like from a speaker cone , the blu tac you need to spread it out more to cover the entire surface and leave it over night . Otherwise narrow blade paint scraper or butter knife work it in and under Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalspec Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 Bad news I'm afraid. You will need to dismantle it. The top caps are under decent tension and will not be budged with blue tac, magnets etc. Also trying to loosen the legs under the caps to reduce the tension will just bind them up on the level below (unless you dismantle it from the bottom up). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_m_54 Posted September 22, 2020 Share Posted September 22, 2020 Wouldn't you just start at the bottom, loosen the bottom legs 3 or 4 turns, then screw the next level legs down a bit further till they are firm against the bottom shelf, do the same for the next level, till you get to the top set of legs. When you screw the top legs down, put pressure on the top shelf, which should push the top caps up proud of the top shelf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodders3 Posted September 22, 2020 Author Share Posted September 22, 2020 Ahhhh.... yes I came to the conclusion myself that I have to take everything off and dismantle. I remembered that when I assembled you do it upside down. There is also absolutely no give in trying to loosen other shelves legs - they are tightened hard as instructed and the caps on each leg allow for no play at all. I guess there is a good reason they don't tell you this before you buy. Well the rack is quality and I cannot otherwise fault it. Never thought I would say this but thank god for lockdown! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selby Thornbury Posted September 22, 2020 Share Posted September 22, 2020 On 21/09/2020 at 7:00 PM, rodders3 said: "Have a serious head scratcher here that there must be a simple solution but am struggling to work it out. I have a Solidsteel S5-4 rack that I love so much that I wanted to add another shelf. Ordered the appropriate shelf from Selby and arrived today. No instructions but seriously, how hard can it be? Very hard is the answer. To add the extra rack I want remove the top cap so I can screw in the extra leg. Problem is the caps lie flat and snug and will not budge. They were inserted to lie flat as per original instructions and just like you see in every pic of them. I tried some blutack (cheap white version)to see if that gripped but after half an hour - nothing. Tried both to unscrew and also if it popped straight up. Then thought I would try to unscrew the second level but they will not turn at all either. It is locked in. I have a smaller size legs I want to add to the top so adding to the bottom is not viable either. I am loathed to try and pry out with a knife as it will easily damage. Surely I am missing something obvious. Hope it is not a case of disassembling from the bottom as that will a major PITA as the shelf I bought I want second from the top." Hi rodders3, I'm sorry to hear of your difficulties with this product, This rack is designed this way so that the shelves don't vibrate, providing better acoustic isolation of your equipment. Yes, this does mean you will have to undo all of the shelves from the bottom up if you wish to place this shelf second from the top. If you would like some assistance in assembling this you're more than welcome to call us at the Thornbury store on 03 9999 7717 and we'd be more than happy to help you through the process over the phone. Kind regards, David 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_m_54 Posted September 22, 2020 Share Posted September 22, 2020 3 minutes ago, rodders3 said: Ahhhh.... yes I came to the conclusion myself that I have to take everything off and dismantle. I remembered that when I assembled you do it upside down. There is also absolutely no give in trying to loosen other shelves legs - they are tightened hard as instructed and the caps on each leg allow for no play at all. I guess there is a good reason they don't tell you this before you buy. Well the rack is quality and I cannot otherwise fault it. Never thought I would say this but thank god for lockdown! Yes, but rather than fully dismantle, just loosen the legs from the bottom legs up.. Like dismantling, except not fully. ie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodders3 Posted September 22, 2020 Author Share Posted September 22, 2020 2 minutes ago, Selby Thornbury said: Hi rodders3, I'm sorry to hear of your difficulties with this product, This rack is designed this way so that the shelves don't vibrate, providing better acoustic isolation of your equipment. Yes, this does mean you will have to undo all of the shelves from the bottom up if you wish to place this shelf second from the top. If you would like some assistance in assembling this you're more than welcome to call us at the Thornbury store on 03 9999 7717 and we'd be more than happy to help you through the process over the phone. Kind regards, David Thanks David - as I say it is a quality product. Appreciate the response. Cheers, Rod 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_m_54 Posted September 22, 2020 Share Posted September 22, 2020 1 minute ago, rodders3 said: Thanks David - as I say it is a quality product. Appreciate the response. Cheers, Rod Haha, as you are only adding an extra shelf, start dismantling, with the rack upside down. Remove bottom legs/feet. Screw in new legs in place of feet. Fit new shelf refit feet.. You only need to add the new shelf to the bottom of the rack anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selby Thornbury Posted September 22, 2020 Share Posted September 22, 2020 3 minutes ago, rodders3 said: Thanks David - as I say it is a quality product. Appreciate the response. Cheers, Rod Not a problem at all Rod. Agreed, we use the Solidsteel products all over our showroom, one of the best brands we sell. Let us know if you have any other questions or need anything else. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodders3 Posted September 22, 2020 Author Share Posted September 22, 2020 9 minutes ago, bob_m_54 said: Haha, as you are only adding an extra shelf, start dismantling, with the rack upside down. Remove bottom legs/feet. Screw in new legs in place of feet. Fit new shelf refit feet.. You only need to add the new shelf to the bottom of the rack anyway. Wish it was as easy as that but it isn't. The legs I bought are smaller than the others, especially the bottom shelf as that is larger to fit a power amp. This shelf was to go second from the top which means the whole she-bang comes undone. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalspec Posted September 22, 2020 Share Posted September 22, 2020 You can but it's a PITA. Caps move, legs don't seat, thread engagement changes. Faster to flip, strip and reassemble. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiofeline Posted September 22, 2020 Share Posted September 22, 2020 It might be a PITA of a job to do properly, but when it's done and you're enjoying the music all the extra work will be forgotten. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodders3 Posted September 22, 2020 Author Share Posted September 22, 2020 4 hours ago, audiofeline said: It might be a PITA of a job to do properly, but when it's done and you're enjoying the music all the extra work will be forgotten. This all day. Doing it properly atm. The real pain is unplugging everything and moving a couple of heavy items. Took photos before strip down for ease of knowing what cable go where helps. The good is I am also giving everything a clean - it is quite dusty underneath as expected. The rack itself is actually quite easy to disassemble and it feels like the quality it is. I had forgotten how really good this rack is. Things fit well - always a good sign. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodders3 Posted September 22, 2020 Author Share Posted September 22, 2020 Getting there! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiofeline Posted September 22, 2020 Share Posted September 22, 2020 2 hours ago, rodders3 said: This all day. Doing it properly atm. The real pain is unplugging everything and moving a couple of heavy items. Took photos before strip down for ease of knowing what cable go where helps. The good is I am also giving everything a clean - it is quite dusty underneath as expected. The rack itself is actually quite easy to disassemble and it feels like the quality it is. I had forgotten how really good this rack is. Things fit well - always a good sign. A number of years ago I started to label my cables with a zip-tie that has a label tag on it. It makes connecting/reconnecting/troubleshooting much easier. Especially good to identify power plugs. The ties can be easily removed without any damage to the cord. I have a couple of SolidSteel racks from many years ago when they didn't have a modular design. But I can identify with your comment about the build quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selby Thornbury Posted September 23, 2020 Share Posted September 23, 2020 15 hours ago, rodders3 said: Getting there! Looks Great. That's a nice collection of equipment you have there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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