[Milsurplus] BC-375/191 adjustment tool needed

[Mike Hanz]

On 5/28/2010 1:38 AM, Laura and Jim wrote:
> Am refurbing the relay contacts in my BC-375E and expect to have to readjust the contact spacing when I'm done.
>
> All contact surfaces in this beast so far have been oxidized to the point of non-conductivity. I get a ripping 10mA total plate current at 500VDC. It dips and I can hear CW/MCW on the other side of the garage w/a '348, so it's not totally dead.
>
> Anyone have a custom set of needle-nosed pliers I can borrow for a few days (hope springs eternal, hihi!), or know where I can get one/fabricate one? The '191 manual says to just drill out a pair of regular needle-nosed pliers, but the steel on even the Harbor Freight cheapies is way too hard for the skinny drill bits and loosey-goosey drill press I have. Maybe a custom 2-fanged grabber tool out of piano wire?
>    

Piano wire pliers won't cut it, Jim.  The lock nuts will very likely be 
too tight after all these years.  For those of you wondering what he is 
talking about, see 
http://aafradio.org/docs/BC-375_&_BC-191_antenna_relay_tool_plans.pdf  
from the July 1945 TM 11-4017.  The tool in the photo is a fairly 
standard drop-forged pair of needle nose pliers that should drill 
without a problem using a center drill, but my experience with the 
Chinese versions is that you never know what kind of steel it is, and it 
is almost certainly not drop forged to reduce stresses and strengthen 
the casting.  If it cuts with a stroke of a small file, then it should 
be easy to drill.  If it doesn't, look for another pair - it likely has 
a high (unknown and variable) carbon content and may not even respond to 
annealing without special equipment.  Imagine the tips drooping down 
when you get them hot enough... :-)   Sometimes there is no substitute 
for quality steel.

I've had good luck at garage sales looking for old tools like this to 
make specialty pliers and the like.  Anything American or European made 
over 30 years old is usually golden.  The needle nose pliers I used to 
make this same tool was one I found in a gutter while walking our dog!  
A little rusty but it cleaned up fine and drilled like butter with a 
carbide center drill.  The pins are .063" in diameter...broken 1/16" 
drill bits are perfect for this application - just lop of an appropriate 
amount with a Dremel cutoff wheel.  If you drill the hole oversize, not 
to worry.  Loctite will fill a .002" gap quite nicely.

Best 73,
Mike  KC4TOS