Anyone know where to buy the little wire snap rings used to clamp the ventilation air diverters together? Trying to freshen up mine and all of them are tarnished or rusty. A few rusted through and need replaced, and one is now in low Earth orbit.

I was hoping to just buy a bunch and replace them all but having a hard time finding them. Couldn't find them at McMaster-Carr or Belmetric. Tried Fastenal too but I can never find what I'm after on their site. Might have to pay them a visit but hoping somebody here has a source. They look to be about 10mm ID.

McMaster has these....
you just have to determine the correct size.

And yes, these definitely can go into near earth orbit.
Bout put one thru my left nostril when it let go.
Finally bought the correct pliers for this type of clamp....and it helps although you still must be careful.

https://www.mcmaster.com/hose-and-tube-clamps

Ah! Thanks! I was looking for direct replicas (C-shaped without ears) but didn't think about these which are the closest match I see.
Should be easy to clip the ears off to match the OEM clips almost perfectly. 3/8" should work and comes in appropriate yellow zinc. Nice!

BTW, I found these on Ebay but they don't appear to be plated.


I'm having no problem finding manufacturer sites with rings that match exact specs of these little dudes. Finding a retailer is a different story. Easy route might be to just clip the M-C hose clamps.

Thanks for your help!

UPDATE: Found these at G.L. Huyett that are a pretty close match: https://www.huyett.com/Products/Fasteners/R...e-Rings/DSW-010 Picture looks like they are flat but are supposed to be round cross section. They are slightly smaller diameter than original but closer than the MC hose clamps which are larger diameter. The finish of these is wrong but I'll just throw them into the batch of hardware to send to the platers. Yes, I'm nit-picking again. it's a sickness.

Hadn't given up on these clips. Easy to find in wholesale quantities but couldn't find anything within reason for small quantities. Then I had a flash of genius. Ever wonder what happens when you cut a coil spring lengthwise? I grabbed the closest match I could find in my parts bin and gave it a go. Wire diameter matches but spring diameter is a bit small (the rusty dark one is an original), but hell yeah it works!

Click to view attachment

Took about 30 seconds to make all these clips. Correct dimensions are 0.49" spring OD and 0.049" wire diameter. McMaster-Carr has a very close match that should work https://www.mcmaster.com/9654k398 Just need to source, cut, and send off for plating.

Very smart idea.
Wonder if you could find a plated spring.

Brilliant!!!! I was just going to twist some wire around the ones that were missing. But now I’m getting a spring and doing it right Thanks.

Brent the Mad Scientist....nicely done.

Well done Brent.
I'll hit up ACE for a couple springs this week. Cut them up and drop them in the plating bucket.