I received a new CW key in the mail yesterday. This is an old key (arent' all of mine “old”???), and one I've wanted to try for many years.
It's an old Autronic key — a funky looking single lever double-paddle with a very heavy but streamlined base. It has surprising good action, and the adjustments are complete and the key is easy to adjust.
Unfortunately, the guy who sold it didn't do a good job packing it. He had in his auction some sort of homebrewed keyer that looked incomplete. I paid the guy shipping for the key alone, but he sent the big ass keyer box, and the guy packed the Autronic INSIDE the box.
If he had packed it well, it would have been ok. Unfornately, I could hear a loud clunking noise in the box when I picked it up and moved it. I opened the box and found that the keyer was in good shape for what it was. The Autronic key didn't fare as well.
It had a couple of new chips out of the paint, and the righthand paddle was broken. Damn, I'm getting tired of people selling things at a high price and not packing it worth a damn. I have one woman who I'm hoping to get a partial refund because of a key she really damaged by inadequately packing it (a low serial number Vibroplex and the damper was bent from a hard hit while banging around the box).
Anyway, I e-mailed the seller and complained about the damage, suggesting a refund or an adjustment. I llike the key, but a bent and broken paddle wasn't worth a hoot, and it didn't work well like that anyway.
I played with the paddle through the day, cleaned it up some too. It began to grow on me, too. By the time I got the seller's e-mail, I decided to try to fix the paddle and just keep the darned thing. I took the broken paddle off, and Krazy glued it back, being careful to hold it tight. It stuck well, and while the key is obviously been fixed, it's solid and functional again — and that's about the best I can ask for.
He replied via e-mail that he had it packed well and would file an insurance claim. I figured the heck with that, so I told him to cancel that plan, I'll just keep the thing.
I'm about bug poor again, I've got 4 or 5 keys I'm waiting to be delivered. One I really am anticipating is a Vibroplex Presentation. It's going to take some cleaning up, so wish me luck. It's still going to be cheaper to fix that one up that it would be to buy one new.
Well, I'm off to bed. 73!
I told him I decided to keep the paddle, and to nix the insurance claim.