[CW] Worn Out Keys?

[D. Chester]

> In all my days, I don't think I have ever seen any type of key or paddle 
> that was literally worn out.

A few years ago I picked up a Vibroplex Original at Dayton.  The serial 
number suggested that it was made in 1925.  It was covered with black crud, 
looked like it had been stored in a chimney.  One of the bakelite finger 
pieces was broken off and the other was worn to the point that the surface 
was concave.  It had some damage from what appeared to being dropped.  I was 
able to haggle down the price when I pointed out its condition to the 
vendor.

I found  replacements for  the finger pieces, and managed to straighten out 
and repair the damaged metal parts.  It cleaned up really well, with the 
japanned base and gold stripe mostly intact.  When I started using it, I 
found it to be the most velvet-smooth bug I had ever tried, and contact 
bounce was almost non-existent.  I immediately put my post WW2 chrome-plated 
Original on the shelf where it has been gathering dust ever since.  The 
later one had a stiff feel, and the contact bounce is horrendous. The only 
thing really worn out in the older repaired one is the pivot axle assembly 
on the moving arm.  It has a tremendous amount of vertical slop that would 
require some precision machine shop work to fix, but that doesn't seem to 
interfere with my using it, so I have been operating it for years just as it 
is. Reminds me of  the comfort of an old nearly worn-out shoe.

That key must have been used in a commercial telegraph office with hours of 
daily use.  I don't think even the most active ham could ever put that much 
wear on a bug, even if he had used it every day for the past 85 years.

Don k4kyv
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