Monday, Nov. 7, 2011 — I have sitting next to me what must be one of the finest homebrewed semi-automatic bugs I’ve had the pleasure to own.
This key is an eBay acquisition that arrived today. I’ll post photos in the coming days, but this key is something of a surprise find — the seller didn’t remove it from its box to photograph it.
The key is based on the Vibroplex Lightning Bug design, and until you look closely, you don’t really see the many little touches that truly make this a fine piece of machinery. A lot of machining when into the key; the jam nuts are all custom made of brass, like the rest of the key. The brass is satin finish, and it appears to have been shellacked to protect the finish. The upper triangular pivot plate features a subtle engine-turned design.
The base plate is a combination of wood and brass; the base is 1/4-inch brass, and that is attached to a wooden base about 3/8-inch tall. the wooden base is finely finished, like a piece of furniture! The brass base is attached to the wooden base with expertly countersunken small brass wood screws; the are perfectly flush with the surface of the base. Excellent workmanship is visible throughout this key!
Even its wooden case is a work of art. The top of the case opens up, and the bug fits into a very form fitting spot in the bottom of the case. There’s not much room for error, its a tight fit. The end of the box is routed to accept and hold the thumb piece. The inner side of the lid has two wood blocks that basically clamp down on the big — one block holds the key at the top pivot plate, the second block holds the key at the damper. With the case shut, the blocks hold the key tightly; as long as the clasps hold the lid down, the key won’t go anywhere.
The box is cabinet-grade and finished beautifully … whoever the craftsman was who built these, he was meticulous. Just a piece of art, that’s about all I can add.
When I saw the eBay listing, it didn’t really thrill me; I almost decided not to follow it, since it looked like another ho-hum homebrew bug. I have several that are lacking in execution, though I still find it fascinating to see homebrew bugs.
I also received my 1936A McElroy Mac Key w/o the damper assembly. Sounds like I need to get busy, eh?
I’ll post photos eventually, this is too pretty a key to not share!
-30-