I should have realized that this evening was a great radio night — with the change in weather, the atmospheric noise on 75/80 was notably reduced tonight. And being a Friday night and a holiday weekend, chances are there would have been a good bit of CW activity.
I never turned the rig on until a little bit ago, and that was simply to test a Vibroplex key that arrived a few days ago.
The latest key on my desk is a 1921 Vibroplex Original. This key, as you can see in the photo, was “rode hard and put up wet.” This key was listed by an antique dealer who wasn't exactly sure what it was. Despite its very grimy appearance, the key is fairly complete. It's worked hard for a living, that much is evident.
The grime on the key appears to be coal dust and soot. My granddaddy heated his house with coal stoves, and the grime is oh so familiar. I sprayed some diluted 409 cleaner on one corner of the base, rubbed it with a soft bristle brush, and I wound up with the damnedest, blackest goo you ever saw. I'm going to have to really disassemble the key to clean it properly. The gunk is all over the key and its parts.
Tonight I got back to the key to clean the contacts. I use Tarn-X, which works very well on silver contacts. A little bit of that stuff on a Q-Tip, and that's all it needs. The contacts cleaned up perfectly, and the key — though still rough around the edges — plays with a very snappy action.
The feet are original, and time has turned them into hard rubber disks. It doesn't sit in one spot without holding it. I've got replacement feet for it, but I'll address that later.
This key has a lot of “character.” The owner removed the finger piece and replaced it with a wooden paddle which he taped to the original paddle with the old-time cloth rubberized friction electrical tape. Time has also turned the tape into a hard, solid mass. I thought I would cut that mess off the keying lever tonight, but I won't. The keying lever “handle” has been worn over time into something that has a very good feel despite the ugly looks. It may come off later, but not at present.
There was another Vibroplex Original from about the same year listed on eBay recently, and in the list of questions poised by bidders, the seller admitted he found the key laying half-buried in an empty lot near his home. This key reminds me of that one, but there's probably a lot less mud in mine. Just coal soot and grime.
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I'm listening again to the religious rants on 3944. He's been at it for several hours. He's spent most of his time discussing how you get to heaven (hint: no one who goes to church is going to heaven). He's sure he will, but the rest of us are in deep trouble.
It's late and I'm going to bed. 73 ….