[CW] Adjusting a Straight Key

[Richard Knoppow]

    I don't know when I bought my first key but it was also a new 
in the box J-38, probably around the same time you did. I also 
bought a J-36 made by Bunnell at around the same time. I do 
remember where I got that, it was J.J.Glass in downtown L.A. I 
still have both. I had to make a new spring for the J-38 because 
I lost the original when cleaning. The new spring was made from a 
ball-point pen spring. It improved the feel a lot. Maybe just me.
    The slowest the bug would run was around 25 WPM so I would 
solder around the vibrator. I have since found out that Bunnell 
keys have a reputation for having stiff main springs and running 
fast. The store had a glass counter filled with used bugs, I 
think I can't have paid more than about $2.00 for it. The J-38 
was less than a dollar.
     Assuming the card stock was 110 mils that would be 0.022 inch.

On 3/26/2018 7:10 PM, ROBERT DOHERTY wrote:
> Rich ....
>   
> We started out as WN1GDB in July 1955 ...with our J-38 we bought at the original Radio Shack on Washington St in Boston ... We used the thickness of 2 business cards to set the gap .
> .....#110 card stock ...


-- 
Richard Knoppow
1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com
WB6KBL