So, the latest on going project has been the Helix HX-4700 (I'm sure you remember from this thread)
This radio was missing one knob. The radio should have 4 knobs, Volume, Balance, Mic in Volume and Mic Echo.
Since I have little or no chance of finding one, I figured I would have my hand at making one.
And since member Mac Daddy Freshness has the same box and is also missing a knob, I decided to make two! Just don't tell him, it's a secret! (I'm gonna see him and Peter this weekend and give it to him!)
First, finding something that is close to the correct diameter as the original knob. I searched high and low around the house, considered cutting the end off a broom handle or anything else I could find. What I did finally find in a pile of trash in my neighbors yard was a length of PVC electrical conduit. They don't need it. It was just rotting in a pile on the side of their house, so I swiped it!
I then cut it to length close to what the final size will be, but just a little longer...
Sanded and deburred...
Next was to get the correct taper of the original knob. For that I had to make a lathe, first out of a hand drill, then I used my drill press.
Then I machined in a chamfered edge to the knob to match the original...
Next was to fill the center with epoxy...
I let them dry overnight. BTW, I purposely set them on a small piece of press board (or fiberboard, chip board which ever you call it). This way when the epoxy hardened, I could BREAK it off and then sand it away, which is what I had to do anyways.
Next came sanding to the final shape of the knob. The knob has a slight dome shape on the top, flat on the bottom...
Next, measuring and drilling the center shaft hole...
Fit's well, but these are D shaft knobs, so just drilling a simple hole doesn't work as the knob just spins on the shaft. But it's getting there...
I then had to make small keys to go inside the knob shaft hole to create the D shaft shape. I made them out of the same PVC as the knob and filed them into shape. Then glued them in place with modeler's super glue.
Lastly was to make them look like chrome to match the other knobs. This is the hard part and I cheated a bit. I simply covered them in Tin Foil. First cutting a disc shape for the dome and then wrapping the sides. The conical shape required a conical piece of foil to cover the sides. I used elmers glue to affix the foil, smearing it on the knob with a Q-Tip, spreading a very fine layer of glue.
Is it perfect? NO, but better than no knob at all...
WITH AND WITHOUT THE KNOB.
It's kind of cheesy, but from 3 feet away, it's not too bad.
This radio was missing one knob. The radio should have 4 knobs, Volume, Balance, Mic in Volume and Mic Echo.
Since I have little or no chance of finding one, I figured I would have my hand at making one.
And since member Mac Daddy Freshness has the same box and is also missing a knob, I decided to make two! Just don't tell him, it's a secret! (I'm gonna see him and Peter this weekend and give it to him!)
First, finding something that is close to the correct diameter as the original knob. I searched high and low around the house, considered cutting the end off a broom handle or anything else I could find. What I did finally find in a pile of trash in my neighbors yard was a length of PVC electrical conduit. They don't need it. It was just rotting in a pile on the side of their house, so I swiped it!
I then cut it to length close to what the final size will be, but just a little longer...
Sanded and deburred...
Next was to get the correct taper of the original knob. For that I had to make a lathe, first out of a hand drill, then I used my drill press.
Then I machined in a chamfered edge to the knob to match the original...
Next was to fill the center with epoxy...
I let them dry overnight. BTW, I purposely set them on a small piece of press board (or fiberboard, chip board which ever you call it). This way when the epoxy hardened, I could BREAK it off and then sand it away, which is what I had to do anyways.
Next came sanding to the final shape of the knob. The knob has a slight dome shape on the top, flat on the bottom...
Next, measuring and drilling the center shaft hole...
Fit's well, but these are D shaft knobs, so just drilling a simple hole doesn't work as the knob just spins on the shaft. But it's getting there...
I then had to make small keys to go inside the knob shaft hole to create the D shaft shape. I made them out of the same PVC as the knob and filed them into shape. Then glued them in place with modeler's super glue.
Lastly was to make them look like chrome to match the other knobs. This is the hard part and I cheated a bit. I simply covered them in Tin Foil. First cutting a disc shape for the dome and then wrapping the sides. The conical shape required a conical piece of foil to cover the sides. I used elmers glue to affix the foil, smearing it on the knob with a Q-Tip, spreading a very fine layer of glue.
Is it perfect? NO, but better than no knob at all...
WITH AND WITHOUT THE KNOB.
It's kind of cheesy, but from 3 feet away, it's not too bad.
BTW You coluld always paint the knob in a gloss black to match the box instead of the other knobs. Although it wouldn't match the other chrome knobs, it might hold up a little longer than the tinfoil.
