The mailman brought my 1936 McElroy Mac Key this morning. I was pleased with its overall condition, but displeased with the minor damage it suffered.
The seller packed it in wads of heavy paper, which is inadequate for a small, very heavy object like a Mac Key. As you might guess, the key's dense mass packed the paper as it bounced around inside the box. The damage is minor — the dash lever (which rides on separate pivots on the early Mac Keys) was forced out of the pivots and it damaged the lower pivot screw.
The pivot screws on all bugs are nothing more than screws drilled to accept the pivot pin — which is always shaped to a point. The screws are drilled with recesses on the ends to contain the pivot point. When a key's keying lever takes a heavy hit (as this one did), it often forces the lever to jump out of the pivot screws, invariably damaging one. The typical damage is to actually destroy the thin wall of the pivot hole.
I've been successful in the past with turning the pivot so the gap in it faces the keying lever. In most cases — like today — the keying lever stays put after turning the damage toward the main lever. I have several keys like this that are playing consistently and never skipped a dit. As they say, necessity is a mother.
But otherwise, I'm delighted with the new Mac Key. After I turned the lower pivot pin and reassembled it, I put it to the test. Because of the pressure needed to keep the dash lever in place, its a bit stiff to the touch. I'm going to have to fabricate a replacement. The dash lever needs to float more freely to improve the key's action.
I'm thankful though that the pivot screw took the damage. The finger and thumb pieces on this bug are originals, and impossible to replace with “correct” pieces.
I can use the key as is, but due to the sluggish dash lever, it'll be slow going. I'll have to see about replacing that screw this week. I would like to have this key ready for SKN.
The Mac Keys are interesting keys because they quickly evolved between 1934 and 1945. The 1936 looks much less refined than the 1938 DeLuxe key on my desk next to it. Of course, the Mac Key of that year was also offered in the black wrinkle “standard” finish. The DeLuxe keys are ultimately the most collectible of the bunch. As noted by other collectors,, by WWII, Mac's keys had evolved to be close clones of Vibroplex.