Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018 — How many of you still have the first key you ever bought? The first bug?
My first Morse key was the ubiquitous plastic practice key that is still manufactured today. The key is still mounted to the cutting board my wife and I received as
a wedding gift. Not long after we were married, my wife brought home a puppy, and damned if the critter didn’t chew up one corner of the cutting board. My wife refused to use the cutting board again — she couldn’t get past the knowledge the dog’s teeth marks were still on the corner.
Months later (in anticipation of getting my ham ticket) I ordered a Heathkit code oscillator kit, and the kit included the practice key as part of the key. I bought the oscillator and mounted the key to the cutting board. I used the key to make a number of my first CW contacts on my Heathkit SB-102. But the key lacked actual contacts — it was steel on steel, and I worried about making scratchy dits and dahs.
I found my second straight key which was an upgrade of sorts at a hamfest — a Ham-Key HK-3. At the time I (like many others) thought the Ham-Key company was somehow connected with the Brown Brothers whose keys preceded Ham-Key. The HK-3 had silver contacts, and they key’s action was pretty nice. I fell in love with the Navy knob and never went back — I keep a supply of poker chips in the shack in the event I need to create a Navy-style knob on a straight key that isn’t so equipped.
VIBROPLEX NO. 1. For the first 10 years of my ham radio pursuits, I was fascinated by the magazine ads for the Vibroplex bugs. Every graphic of a Vibroplex bug included what I know now was a wedge cord. But to the uninitiated ham (which I was), I had no clue what the hell that pointy-looking thing had to do with Morse code or CW.
I wanted to buy a Vibroplex bug for a long time, but didn’t want to spend a lot of money. I saw what appeared to be a derelict key in an eBay listing. The key’s serial number dated it to about 1921; one of the early keys made after the company switched the keying lever hinge from the “pinned box” to the “bent lug” style. The key had a non-original base of rusty steel; the upper parts were black with gunk and years of dirt. I had the highest final bid, and thus I acquired what I refer to as “Vibroplex No. 1.”
No. 1 had some surprises in store once it arrived — there was a lot more there than I imagined. For starters, I disassembled the key and cleaned the rust from the base. While cleaning the rust away I found that the base had been carefully engine-turned and apparently it was originally painted with a clear varnish to protect the bare steel. This explains why the key had a different base — someone wanted to create a special, customized Vibroplex bug!
The upper parts of the key in the photos appear to have a natural brass finish, but it isn’t brass. It appears the original nickel plating was painted with a very durable colored varnish or other paint-like coating. The color isn’t a solid pigment. The coating is far from perfect, but was reasonably complete enough to convince me to leave it as-is and not strip it away.
The key arrived without finger or thumb pieces; the ones on it are replacements from Vibroplex. The red handle on the circuit closer has always made me wonder if the previous owner had some customized red finger and thumb pieces crafted for the key.
Judging from the wear on the circuit closer blade, this key worked hard for living. The key arrived with a period-correct wedge cord, most of which was neatly wound up. When I had No. 1 cleaned up and back together, I felt like I had rescued a little piece of history — even if the bug was simply a tool that a talented telegrapher used in order to make his living nearly 100 years ago. And 90-plus years ago, a telegrapher was proud enough of his Vibroplex key to customize it and make it his own. I know this sounds silly, but it was the first time I realized that when it comes to collecting keys, we aren’t just collectors, but we are the temporary owners and curators of history. These keys have outlived three generations of owners, and with any luck, they will go on to find new homes once I become a Silent Key.
So yeah, Vibroplex No. 1 has a special place in my heart. It’s not collectible; its not really very attractive. But it was my entry into appreciating the history of CW keys, and that alone makes old No. 1 worthy of celebration.
73 es CUL … GN de KY4Z SK …. dit dit …