[Boatanchors] Crystal Needed

[Bry Carling]

Bill and Richard,

I would like to have a British straight key just for nostalgia sake. That was my first one.
Missing one brass screw of course like most of them!

I even brought it to America with me and used to use it to dial numbers on the phone when I 
only had a hand set in the basement - back in the days before you were allowed to own your 
own phone in the USA (circa 1968) - fun days for a young ham with a bit of ingenuity to figure 
out how the Telco did their "interrupting" to dial numbers!

Bry, AF4K

On 30 Jan 2014 at 20:14, Richard Knoppow wrote:

> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Bill Cromwell" <wrcromwell at gmail.com>
> To: <boatanchors at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Thursday, January 30, 2014 5:52 PM
> Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] Crystal Needed
> 
> 
> > On 01/30/2014 06:04 PM, Bry Carling wrote:
> >> Hi David - I am pretty sure International Crystal does 
> >> not have those 500 kHz ones. I have
> >> one
> >> left here. Yours for $20.00 plus shipping if you would 
> >> like it.
> >>
> >> Also - on the Chinese keys... I have one but find the 
> >> spring tension very very hard, and have
> >> never used it. Does anyone who owns and uses one know how 
> >> to soften it up? Would you
> >> need to use a weaker spring or something? On the lightest 
> >> tension it is real work to push it
> >> down. Glad you posted that link.
> >>
> >> 73 - Brian Carling, AF4K Crystals
> >>
> >>
> > Hi Bry,
> >
> > My key is a J-38 knockoff and when I got it the spring was 
> > pretty hard. I cut off some of the spring and have been 
> > using since the 70s. If that had not worked I would have 
> > scavenged a spring from ball point pen, zippo lighter, 
> > carburetor, liquid soap pump, or etc. The hardware stores 
> > have a nice selection of small springs in the area where 
> > the bins and drawers of screws, nuts, and bolts are 
> > located. At the store where I get such things there are 
> > even pictures on the drawers so that *I* can use them, too 
> > <evil grin>. Now you know it's easy to find them!
> >
> > Don't let that nasty spring stop you from using that key.
> >
> > 73,
> >
> > Bill  KU8H
> >
>      FWIW, I use a J-38 I bought surplus maybe fifty years 
> ago. When I got it I thought it felt "spongy" only term I 
> can come up with.  I lost the spring and replaced it with 
> one I made from a ball point pen spring. That was much 
> livelier and I still use it.  I have since added a number of 
> J-38 and J-47 keys to my small collection. All have a 
> similar feel. I don't know if its the spring shape or 
> material. I also have Western Electric and other keys and 
> generally all feel a little crisper than the J-38 with 
> original spring. I now make springs out of spring stock from 
> the hardware store if I need one.
>     Now, I am a little puzzled by what is meant by a hard 
> spring. If the tension is too great and beyond the 
> adjustment range of the spring screw I suggest making a new 
> one from lighter spring material rather than trying to cut 
> down the old one. If the spring wire is too thick reducing 
> its length may result in its being too short to have any 
> range of adjustment or might result in a strange keying 
> feel.
>     Good Western Electric keys are available on ebay for 
> reasonable prices.  Bunnell keys are also excellent but 
> usually go for higher prices. If you can find a decently 
> priced one go for it. Jessie Bunnel invented the type of key 
> we all recognize. Originally as the Bunnell Steel Lever key 
> and a little later with minor changes as the Triumph key. 
> Again its easy to make springs if the original is missing.
> 
> 
> --
> Richard Knoppow
> Los Angeles
> WB6KBL
> dickburk at ix.netcom.com 
> 
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