[CW] Sideswipers

[Mike Hyder -N4NT-]

Oh, and by the way, an old timer made my first sideswiper for me.  He is/was
Hack, K4KP.  For the armature he used a piece of spring brass which is
available at hobby shops.  It comes in strips 1/2 inch wide and 12 inches
long in various thicknesses.  He used the 0.032" thickness.  The key he made
for me was on mahogany wood he obtained from the Chriscraft Boat Company.
It was too lightweight and moved all about the desk when I sent with it, but
it showed me a design that I could copy.  Another friend located a source
for a heavy brass base.  Pipe and Tubing Supply in North Little Rock,
Arkansas, had brass rods that were 1" x 3" x 12 feet long and would cut them
to order and ship the piece out.  I believe I paid maybe $30 for a piece 1 x
3 x 4 inches and used that as the base for the last key.  It is heavy and
sits steady on the desk when I send with it.

To hold the brass armature strip, Hack cut a slot in an old binding post and
soldered the strip into it.  A better (easier) method today would be to use
a slotted contact post from Bencher to hold the end of the armature.  For
the contacts, he just used binding posts to hold straight wires that the
strip would strike as it moved from side to side.  You adjusted the contact
spacing by loosening the binding post and moving the wire.

After not very long, I made my own key.  If you'd like to see it, I can
email it a picture to you.  I was lucky to have some spare slotted contact
posts I got from Joe, W8FYO, years ago and used one to hold the end of the
armature.  I used some more of the old contact posts from W8FYO for the
adjustable contacts.  I had a jewelry-maker bore a hole through the armature
strip, right between the adjustable contacts.  Then he ran a short piece of
fat silver wire through the hole and bradded down both sides to give me
silver contact surfaces on the armature.  This was a great improvement, as
the brass strip would get dirty quickly and not make reliable contact.  A
friend gave me some Indian Rosewood and I fabricated a fingerpiece from it.
The old timers told me it was good to use a dense wood for the fingerpiece,
so I did that.

John, W9OK, and I compared notes over the course of some time and he
fabricated another sideswiper for me.  It was so nice that I had it gold
plated and fabricated a fingerpiece from cocobolo wood.  You can see a
picture of this second one at:
http://www.qrz.com/database?callsign=n4nt
The fixed post that holds the armature on the key shown is the last I had
from W8FYO.  The adjustable contacts came from Stan W9WBL (no, I didn't
scavenge them from one of his fine keys).  The binding posts are made from
little collars from Vibroplex with brass acorn nuts to hold the wires.  W9OK
modified the armature structure so that instead of the full length being the
0.032" thick brass strip, only about an inch out from the post is one
thickness, then the rest of the armature out to the fingerpiece is two
thicknesses of that strip.  Again, the jeweler put contacts in the armature
for me, but this time since the W9WBL contacts are gold, he used a fat gold
wire through the armature and bradded it down.

Hope this is somewhat useful to you -- at least it will give you some ideas
on how you can make your own sideswiper.  If you get contact posts and
contact screws from Bencher, be sure to get the little screws that clamp the
slotted posts closed from Bencher, too, as those little screws are hard to
find in small quantities.

Good Luck and 73, Mike N4NT

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Hyder -N4NT-" <N4NT@charter.net>
To: "Anderson Radioactivity" <ke6wyb@hotmail.com>; <cw@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, August 07, 2002 8:44 AM
Subject: Re: [CW] Sideswipers


> Good morning--
>
> Sideswipers are nifty, but using them is normally not done as you
describe.
> Jerry Bartachek has an article on the web on their correct use.  There are
> other methods, but when I started using one I asked the best ops I could
> find and all but a couple used the key as Bartachek describes.  The ones
who
> didn't said they wished they had learned it that way.
>
> His article is at http://www.mtechnologies.com/cootie.htm  Note that the
> most important thing is to begin each character with the fingers and never
> the thumb.  Then alternate back and forth until the character is done.
>
> 73, Mike N4NT
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Anderson Radioactivity" <ke6wyb@hotmail.com>
> To: <cw@mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, August 07, 2002 1:44 AM
> Subject: [CW] Sideswipers
>
>
> > OM & YL's,
> >
> > Hi.  A quick rundown on me, and then a new thread for everyone's input.
> > I've been a no code for five years.  I'm 43.  I've failed the 5WPM
several
> > times.  I'm determined to work CW, as I'm attracted by it's ability to
> "get
> > through", and I'm just intrigued by it.
> >
> > I do have a fairly severe case of dyslexia, eg: I've re-edited this post
> > more than once to correct errors.  I have been told by several VE's that
> if
> > I did want to work voice, or data (yuck), I'm eligible for a medical
> > exemption.  I DO NOT want to go that route.
> >
> > When I pass, and get on the air, practice making perfect I believe, I'm
> > seriously thinking about a sideswiper.  I don't like the feel of iambic,
> and
> > honestly not a straight key either.  What feels natural to me is a dit
> left,
> > dah right movement, timing by my touch.  CQ then, would be left, right,
> > left, right  pause  left, left, right, left rocking motion with the
right
> > hand.  I'm left handed, but the keys just feel better in the right.  It
> > might be nice to have the pencil in the left hand for me too.
> >
> > What dop you all think??  Also, anyone got any good plans for a homebrew
> > cootie??  I've seen the Spanish and the WhiteRook, but I'd kind of like
to
> > make one that's EXACTLY what I want.  Gotta be more comfortable.
> >
> > Thanks for the inputs and opinions.
> >
> > 73, DW, KE6WYB, SHASTA COUNTY, CA, USA, CN80
> >
> >    Trust in the Lord with all your heart,><>
> >    <><And lean not on your own understanding
> >       <><Proverbs 3:5><>