[CW] Semi-Automatic Keys - Teach an Old SEADOG New Tricks?

[David J. J. Ring, Jr.]

The Vibroplex Original is a beautiful key, one of the best.

I refinished my Presentation because the base got scratched - I won't 
tell you how much it cost to refinish the top plate in 24k gold - it was 
20 years ago and was nearly $90 from a cousin who owns a gold plating 
shop and gave me a discount!

If I had access to a shop that did PVD vapor finishing,  I would 
refinish the base in PVD finish as it is much tougher, I found even by 
being careful and stowing my 1/4 inch cord inside the Vibroplex 
Presentation instrument case, it eventually made scratches in the gold 
plating.  Maybe this is one of the reasons I don't use it much.

The key I used most often?

My late 1960s Vibroplex Original. I brought that with me on my ships, it 
flew in carry-on luggage from Honolulu, Singapore, Tokyo, Panama, 
Rotterdam, Puerto Arenas, Chile, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil -- too bad I 
didn't have room on the carrying case for stickers.

Recently though, I've started a preference for my I1QOD J-36 bug.  The 
dots almost never stop on this thing it's so beautifully made.  Alberto 
deserves credit.  I've also been sending with an Begali Intrepid which 
at first, I didn't like because it has a completely different feel that 
other semi-automtic keys.  It's like a watch rather than a pendulum 
clock like the Vibroplex.

I1QOD Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8JXr3I2ycQ
I1QOD Picture:
i1qod_j36.jpg

I also was gifted a beautiful Intrepid "Russian Bug" style with two 
levers - the added cootie lever for making every other dash - most 
useful on numbers for making uniform dashes at high speeds.  I've asked 
Piero for a spacer block to minimize the separation between the two 
levers.  It will be a better more useful key then because the "turn 
around time" with the wide spacing is just too much for smooth dashes.  
The distance between flats of each paddle finger piece should be 23mm.

Begali Video of his bug in action (short one). https://youtu.be/phpSHbdP2n0
Picture:
Begali_Russian_Cootie_Bug.jpg

The spacing between the flats of the paddles in the Russian type Bug 
with two levers should be 23mm, I've asked Piero Begali for some 
spacers.  He made this bug from photos.  It works very well but the 
spacing makes "turn around on repeated dashes" at high speeds difficult 
to send them flawlessly.

73

DR
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