Gemini Marine Canvas & Marine Products Custom canvas • DrillSteady • Gemlock struts & hinges Simply elegant. Simply effective. Simply better. Gemlock folding strut assembly guide Please remember that in addition to selling all the components to make your own folding struts, we also sell fully assembled Gemlock folding struts – just cut to length and install. Please contact us for current pricing. If you choose to assemble your own struts, this guide will help. See also our folding strut installation guide for further advice. You will need: One complete strut will require the following parts (remember you may require a pair or more of struts for you application). • • • • • 1 x hinge (either stainless steel or ABS plastic, depending on your application) 2 x pieces of tubing - 7/8” or 1” outside diameter (aluminum should be .058 wall thickness, stainless steel should be .065 wall thickness) 1 x piece of .049 wall thickness sleeve tubing - 1” outside diameter if you are using 7/8” tubing or 1 1/8” outside diameter if you are using 1” tubing. 2 ¼” / 28 stainless steel set screws (or those provided with stainless hinges) 2 x stainless steel spring balls Strut assembly: 1. Cut tubing to desired lengths. IMPORTANT: the hinge will add 1 ½” to the strut’s overall length. Clean burrs from inside of tubing ends using a round file or rotary rasp. 2. Drill for set screws ½” from the tube end. Use 13/64” cobalt drill bit and cutting fluid. Quality and service since 1994 50 Tillson Avenue, Rockland, ME 04841 USA Phone/Fax: +1 207 596 7705 • US toll free 855 596 7705 www.ge

3. The strut design has the two spring balls positioned in relation to the sleeve as shown below with the hinge centered between them (hidden by the sleeve in the view below). The spring balls should protrude to their full height and capture the sleeve between them. This locks the strut open. Drill 9/32” holes place in line with the set screws: for a 5” sleeve, drill a hole for each spring ball approximately 2” from the tube end; if using a 10” sleeve, drill a hole for each spring ball approximately 4 ½” from the tube end. 4. Install spring balls, then insert hinge into tubing. Align hole in...