Mill Hi Top kicker damage

[alan57]

The reels on one of my Mills Hi Tops stopped spinning over the weekend when the handle is pulled. On closer inspection, and after taking the reels off, I noticed the top of the kicker had sheared off - see pictures.
Is this a common fault?, I guess metal does fracture over a period of time when in constant use.
Would I be right in thinking, after taking the kicker off, the top can be welded back?, or is a replacement kicker the way forward.

[treefrog]

Never seen that before......the top plate is sacrificial and you can see had two rivets in which is the part that would wear and be replace. Looks like actual kicker has broken, might be possible to weld, but suspect would be easier to replace

[badpenny]

I've seen it before but not often.
It's not unusual to see them where it's been strengthened with an add on bit, like yours has had at some time.

I have in the past brazed on the missing piece, welding is a bit fierce for such a small part.
Although fitting a replacement would be easier and more long term, you'll need to check it's an exact fit as over the years they did alter the length of the arm.

I once had a Tom Boland bandit conversion that I bought jammed. I could not get it to spin. Then Mick Harris Snr fixed it for me over the phone. The kicker although MLB stamped must have been a replacement following something similar to your current situation. The arm was too high which in turn jammed itself under the kick reels. It would pass under on the way out because of the sprung hinge, but not on the kick.

BP