I spent some time this afternoon in my shop fabricating a new thumb piece (paddle) for one of my J-36 semi-automatic keys.
I purchased some 1/8-inch black acrylic sheet scrap from eBay a week or so ago, so today I figured I might try making some paddles. I traced some of the original Vibroplex triangular “old-style” paddles, and I also made some J-36 tracings.
I cut the paddles out with my saber saw with a medium blade. The cuts looked good and very smooth. I was wondering how to trim the up closer to the lines when I realized I had my 6-inch bench grinder next to me. The grinder worked fabulously as long as I fed the blank slowly and didn't heat the plastic too much. The rest wasn't square wtih the grinder, so I had to square them with a bastard file, but they came out looking pretty good.
The first paddle I figured I would try was for one of my J-36 bugs. The only thing I had to do was to round the paddle more, but it came out looking very good. The only problem is that the original paddle is thicker than 1/8-inch. It's more like 3/16 or more. I checked my black plastic, and it's actually NOT 1/8-inch — it's thinner, more like 3/32-inch. I paid for 1/8-inch …
I was able to cut threads in the new paddle as required for the J-36. The only problem I had was I misaligned the hole for the smaller screw that holds the rear of the paddle. I had to enlarge the hole a bit, but it doesn't look bad.
With a new paddle, I figured I really needed to complete the refurb on this key. I had done some general clean-up work, but not complete like it needed.
I disassembled the key, grabbed the 409, and started scrubbing the base and assorted parts. It wasn't that dirty to begin with, but the Flitz metal polish really took years of cigarette smoke off the metal parts. While the J-36 has no chrome plating on its parts, they are cad plated and have a flat finish — but thanks to the Flitz, it's a clear metal finish now.
The base of this particular J-36 is a black crackle finish, and the paint is excellent. The only thing left to finish this key is the label.
The Lionel J-36 was given a plastic label that was prone to shrinking and warping in heat. As you might guess, nearly all of the J-36s produced have warped labels or they split apart and fell off. Of the two I bought in the recent eBay auction, neither key had a label, and one had a small portion that contained the Lionel “L” logo.
I made some laminated labels that are decent reproductions that I am putting on my keys where needed. I put one on the first J-36 of the pair I bought, and so I put one on this one tonight. I wasn't sure I was going to get the original pins out — they were fairly well rusted in place, and I sure as hell didn't want to booger up the finish trying to get the pins out.
I wasn't sure what the secret was, but here's what works for me:
Place something to product the finish of the bug down over the base next to the rivet. You may need to pry the rivet out, and you will want to protect the finish near the rivet.
Using a small pair of diagonal cutters (with narrow bladed jaws), grab the head of the rivet firmly, making sure to grab it below the head with the jaws parallel to the base. Use the cutters to apply upward pressure on the rivet, being very careful to do it slowly and deliberately. Be very careful if the head of the rivet appears flush with the surface of the base.
Once you have the rivet up a little, grab the shaft of the rivet carefully with the cutters, and then twist it gently counterclockwise. This should back the rivet out of its hole. Continue to turn the rivet gently, and if you're lucky, it was soon be free!
Once I had all 5 rivets out, I marked the new label, made holes in the label with an X-Acto knife, and put it on. It looks great!
I've got two restored J-36 bugs, and two more unrestored. One of those has a warped but complete Lionel label, the other has no label at all. I may work on that other J-36 and get 'er done. I may take one of them to sell at the Louisville hamfest. I have a TAC “hole in the wall” bug I may clean up and try to sell there too.
I bought another bug tonight, and got a pretty good deal on it. I got a “Cedar Rapids Bug” for about $40 — a good price. It's the second one I have. The first one I got a few weeks ago, and it's in just perfect condition. The one I bought tonight looks pretty good too.
I'll be getting the a used Presentation bug and a WWII Deluxe Lightning Bug this week. They're both interesting keys and look to be in pretty good shape. I'll be excited to get to work on them.
BIG HAPPENINGS ON 6 METERS!
The 6-meter band has been open the last two days. It's been open all over the Eastern U.S., from Florida to the midwest and New England. It's been very nice to have late summer e-skip.
That's enough for tonight … 73 for now.