I had a real pleasant surprise today courtesy of some very talented amateur radio operator from long ago.
On Friday, my wife had picked up a box for me at the post office. It was one of my many eBay packages, though I typically get them myself as to not let her know just how **active** I am buying and selling.
The box sat in the shack until earlier today, when I took time to open it.
I had forgotten about this semi-automatic key, but was pleasantly surprised and delighted to find a beautifully handcrafted bug, carefully packaged and well protected in a shipping box.
The key is shown on this page, and frankly, the photos don't do it justice.
The key looks plain, that's true. But if you look closely, you'll see the key is really quite a piece of craftsmanship.
The bug has four feet on the bottom, all intact. The bottom right front rubber foot is notched to allow clearance from the screw that holds down the dash contact post.
The contact wiring is done with wires rather than straps. I had to pry up slightly on a terminal that was shorted to ground when it was pushed against the base.
The terminal lugs were unique and very nice. The screws are all general hardware items, and the lock nuts are just that — nuts. Contacts on the screws appear to have been silver soldered on the ends of the screws. In lieu of contacts on the dit contact spring and the dash lever, it appears that silver soldered “blobs” have been soldered in place and carefully shaped and polished.
The Vibroplex influence is clear with this key — its frame design comes directly from the Vibroplex Model X (the “original one”). Rather than an offset pivot point, the homebrew bug centers the pivot point. The pivot mechanism design is taken straight from the Vibroplex Original. The pivot for the dash lever is designed just like the pre-1920 Vibroplex Original lever — using a pinned hinge rather than the “bent lug” design of later years.
The key has a circuit closer switch identical in design to the Vibroplex Original. The lever's handle is missing; it appears that it had been soldering in place, justing by the switch and the missing handle spot. I'm not sure what they might have had there, but I venture it was not a very large switch, judging solely by the amount of space for the fingers (or lack thereof) at the business end of the machine.
I've wondered how much the key has changed since it was first built, as the roughest part of its construction appears to be the attachment of the dot contact and the attachment of the mainspring to the weight rod. Both are rather sloppily soldered in place. Still very functionaly, but lacking the execution and detail that the rest of the key exhibits. Repairs by a later owner perhaps?
The key was likely built about 1920, or was built by someone familiar with Vibroplex keys of that era. But why would someone use the pinned hinge type lever when the bent lug design was easier to make and less finicky? Your guess is as good as mine.
The key is made entirely of brass, and it has a wonderful brownish patina, much like that of an old penny. I've theorized the key was coated with something, as wear spots on the key's finish show brighter brass is there. The underside of the base lacks the coloration, it just looks dull brass.
Interestingly, the key's finger and thumb piece come directly from a Vibroplex key of that era. They show wear, but not abuse.
The damper is a very simple affair that is very similar (again) to the damper found on the Vibroplex Model X. The damper amounts to a large brass disk mounted to vertical post. The Model X damper was adjustable for placement of the disc; the homebrewer set the post in the spot he believed optimal.
Since this bug is made entirely of brass, it lacks the heft of the Vibroplex key. Even the Blue Racer of the era was much heavier. The little bug is lightweight, and I could see someone actually carrying this key with them in the pocket of their coat.
The key tends to dance around the desk a little, but I haven't really tried to do anything about anti-skid on the legs. I suspect that operating it on the actual desktop will help remedy that.
The action is pretty good. It still could use some fine tuning, so that remains to be seen.
I'm off to bed, so 73 es CUL …. de KY4Z SK …… dit dit ………..