[Elecraft] Re: best straight key

[Ron W]

Hi all,
         been reading the posts on the keys with interest. I went
"homebrew". Found a set of old alternator diodes in my junk bin that were
pressed into solid heat sinks. I removed the diodes, and found the outside
diameter was the same as a set of ball races I had recovered from a computer
fan.
With a bit of judicious hacksawing and filing...then drilling and tapping, I
mounted the bearing carrierers on a substantial aluminium base, and made the
arm out of  12 x 15 mm brass stock  curved to give a 35mm mounting height
for the mushroom knob when  the mechanism was mounted on a 20mm wooden base
plate.
The mushroom knob was cut from the sheds yard broom and is 30mm high and
28mm wide.It was shaped with a drill press and rasps/sandpaper...then
varnished.
The resulting key is very light in action and a joy to use after trying
several WWII key types.
I use the old "British" sending method.....ie. straight fore-arm and use a
wrist action.
However......I use paddles most of the time (also homebrew with magnetic
"springs"), but I still enjoy handkeying every so often. ( My XYL doesn't
like the shortened yard broom!)
One of the joys of the K2 is being able to change from one mode to the other
easily in a menu.
Incidently, and on a different tack. As far as I know New Zealand has 6
K2's, and two of them were used in our Club station in our Field Day in Feb
this year. Percentage wise....does that rate a  World record?  {:-)
Cheers.....Ron ZL1TW

Cheers...Ron ZL1TW
My appologies if this posting is "off subject".....