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A bit off topic, but ...
Do you folks have any recommendations for a source of nice
*soft* rubber feet that accept a mounting screw? This isn't
for the Drakes, but for my ever growing collection of paddles.
They all seem to arrive with rock hard plastic feet that have
no grip, so with my heavy fist they skate all over the desktop.
I've searched around online, but it's impossible to guage the
"stickyness" of these things by looking at a web page. It would
be helpful to get some recommendations from people who know
first hand where to buy these from.
Thanks!
--lyndon
P.S. As a quick hack workaround I find putting the key on top
of an upside-down mouse pad with a grippy underpad works pretty
well.
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Vibroplex sells feet for their keys. There's no reason why they wouldn't work on other brands.
I replaced the feet on my Standard Iambic a few years ago and it has been fine. I've had that key since 1984 and it seems that the feet just get rock-hard after around 30 years...
Steve Wedge, W1ES/4
Time flies like an arrow.? Fruit flies like a banana.
Sent with Proton Mail secure email.
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On Saturday, March 16th, 2024 at 4:24 PM, Lyndon VE7TFX <lyndon@...> wrote: A bit off topic, but ...
Do you folks have any recommendations for a source of nice
soft rubber feet that accept a mounting screw? This isn't
for the Drakes, but for my ever growing collection of paddles.
They all seem to arrive with rock hard plastic feet that have
no grip, so with my heavy fist they skate all over the desktop.
I've searched around online, but it's impossible to guage the
"stickyness" of these things by looking at a web page. It would
be helpful to get some recommendations from people who know
first hand where to buy these from.
Thanks!
--lyndon
P.S. As a quick hack workaround I find putting the key on top
of an upside-down mouse pad with a grippy underpad works pretty
well.
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Try some of the stuff you line tool boxes with to keep the tools from moving around.
and or the stuff cabinet makers use to hold wood on the worktable for sanding
mike wb8vge
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On Mar 16, 2024, at 7:25 PM, Steve Wedge, W1ES/4 via groups.io <w1es@...> wrote:
Vibroplex sells feet for their keys. There's no reason why they wouldn't work on other brands.
I replaced the feet on my Standard Iambic a few years ago and it has been fine. I've had that key since 1984 and it seems that the feet just get rock-hard after around 30 years...
Steve Wedge, W1ES/4
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
Sent with Proton Mail secure email.
On Saturday, March 16th, 2024 at 4:24 PM, Lyndon VE7TFX <lyndon@...> wrote:
A bit off topic, but ...
Do you folks have any recommendations for a source of nice
soft rubber feet that accept a mounting screw? This isn't
for the Drakes, but for my ever growing collection of paddles.
They all seem to arrive with rock hard plastic feet that have
no grip, so with my heavy fist they skate all over the desktop.
I've searched around online, but it's impossible to guage the
"stickyness" of these things by looking at a web page. It would
be helpful to get some recommendations from people who know
first hand where to buy these from.
Thanks!
--lyndon
P.S. As a quick hack workaround I find putting the key on top
of an upside-down mouse pad with a grippy underpad works pretty
well.
|
Steve Wedge, W1ES/4 via groups.io writes: I replaced the feet on my Standard Iambic a few years ago and it has been f=
ine. I've had that key since 1984 and it seems that the feet just get rock=
-hard after around 30 years... Funny you should mention that ... all the keys I'm having trouble with are Vibroplexen. If the current Vibroplex feet are the reference, I'm looking for something stickier than that. I have an Original Standard I picked up (new) last Xmas, so its feet are new. The only reason it doesn't skate (much) is because it weighs 1.8 Kg. I have an older O.S. that's 1.6 Kg, and it would definitely skate with those new feet. But the problematic keys are the vibrokeyers (1.22 and 1.07 Kg) and the iambic (1.24 Kg). New Vibroplex feet would not make those sit still. I also have a semi-homebrew set of road warrior paddles I put together out of a solid steel base (from Amazon) and a teeny set of magnetic base iambic paddles (from China via eBuy). It weighs in at 1.12 Kg. I used some generic stick-on feet, and when I put it down on the table, it Stays Put! So why not just use those on the other keys? Because they are very low profile, and I don't think they would leave sufficient clearance for all the undercarriage the Vibroplexen have. And so, the search continues ... --lyndon
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mike bryce writes: Try some of the stuff you line tool boxes with to keep the tools from movin=
g around. That would work great if these weren't Vibroplex keys, with all the connections running under the base. --lyndon
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Hi Lyndon
Have a look her - there is material box e.g. "rubber, neoprene", "rubber, silicone", "silicone" - and there is a "mounting type" box e.g. "screw mount":
After choosing those as filter, only 11 products are left. Scroll down look if they are interesting.
--
best regards,
Glenn, OZ1HFT
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Hi Lyndon
Another solution is to use supermagnets.
Glue or?screw 4 supermagnet on the key plate - and 4 on the table - they and a magnetic material could all be glued or screwed into the key plate and table. Some magnets can pull 19kg:
Please be aware that some of them have been nickel plated, which can give nickel allergy:
--
best regards,
Glenn, OZ1HFT
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Not sure if it has been mentioned, but I've used a variety of styles for "rubber feet" and find that glueing a small piece of felt on the bottom of each foot gives cushioning and avoids scratching whatever ?is under it, and avoids leaving a mark since some types of rubber feet have chemicals that migrate off of the surface. ?Not sure if cork would be better or not. ?In any case, pre-cut styles are available at most hardware stores.
73,
Evan, K9SQG
On Saturday, March 16, 2024 at 10:28:45 PM EDT, Glenn, OZ1HFT <glenn.mh.dk@...> wrote:
Hi Lyndon
Have a look her - there is material box e.g. "rubber, neoprene", "rubber, silicone", "silicone" - and there is a "mounting type" box e.g. "screw mount":
After choosing those as filter, only 11 products are left. Scroll down look if they are interesting.
--
best regards,
Glenn, OZ1HFT
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Glenn, thanks for the pointer. But that still leaves me in
my current conundrum. I can't tell if they will work just
by looking at a web page. I was hoping to hear from somebody
who had already travelled this road and had found something
extremely grippy.
The search continues ...
--lyndon
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How about using gecko tape?:
Feb 25, 2008, Self-cleaning nanotechnology stickies.
Quote: "...
"Our tapes can be cleaned by water, as shown by the leaves of lotus plants" he says. "In addition, the synthetic tapes can also be cleaned by a contact mechanism similar to that exhibited by the gecko. After mechanical cleaning, the shear strength recovers back to 90% (and 60% for water-cleaned samples) of the values measured before soiling.
...
The researchers also tested the self-cleaning properties of these synthetic tapes by contact mechanics. After a couple of contacts with mica or glass substrate they observed that the majority of these particles are transferred to the mica (or the glass) surface.
..."
--
best regards,
Glenn, OZ1HFT
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Use double sided tape to keep the keyer in place.
Doug
Free Climbing - The ultimate test of strength and endurance
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-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto: [email protected]] On Behalf Of Lyndon VE7TFX Sent: March 16, 2024 10:09 PM To: [email protected]; Glenn, OZ1HFT Subject: Re: [DRAKE-RADIO] Soft Rubber Eqp't Feet Glenn, thanks for the pointer. But that still leaves me in my current conundrum. I can't tell if they will work just by looking at a web page. I was hoping to hear from somebody who had already travelled this road and had found something extremely grippy. The search continues ... --lyndon
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On Sun, 17 Mar 2024 09:01:15 -0600, you wrote: I was hoping to hear from somebody
who had already travelled this road and had found something
extremely grippy. "Museum putty" A pea-sized ball under each foot, everything firmly pressed down where you want it. My Vibroplex paddle (contacts wired together as a cootie key) stays put despite a rather ham-handed..... er...Ham! -- Gary Woods O- K2AHC
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Okay, apparently a lot of people are unfamiliar with the undercarriage
on Vibroplex keys :-) See the 1st picture attached. From L-R those
are the bottom sides of an Iambic, a Vibrokeyer, and a standard
bug. There's a lot of stuff going on under there. Double sided
tape, gluing on rubber sheets, etc., aren't an option. (And though
it probaly won't work here, either, "museum putty" sounds very cool
and deserves further exploration. It could be useful for keeping
things like watt meters from wandering about.)
At the bottom of the 1st pic is the butt side of the road warrior key
I put together. Those stick-on bumpers stick like glue! If I could
find a taller version of those, I could just remove the feet from
all the keys and replace them with the bumpers.
I did come up with a workaround for the main offender, though. (See
2nd picture attached.) I found some small stick-on bumpers I had
forgotten about. These keep the key nicely stuck to the desk, but
they elevate it to where the finger pieces are higher up than I
like. It will work for now, but it's not a long term solution.
Anyway, still searching ... :-)
--lyndon
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Just looked on Amazon...lots of "soft rubber feet? for Cutting Board"....maybe depends on whose "soft" tho
Jim
On Sun, Mar 17, 2024 at 12:32?PM Lyndon VE7TFX < lyndon@...> wrote: Okay, apparently a lot of people are unfamiliar with the undercarriage
on Vibroplex keys :-)? See the 1st picture attached.? From L-R those
are the bottom sides of an Iambic, a Vibrokeyer, and a standard
bug.? There's a lot of stuff going on under there.? Double sided
tape, gluing on rubber sheets, etc., aren't an option.? (And though
it probaly won't work here, either, "museum putty" sounds very cool
and deserves further exploration.? It could be useful for keeping
things like watt meters from wandering about.)
At the bottom of the 1st pic is the butt side of the road warrior key
I put together.? Those stick-on bumpers stick like glue!? If I could
find a taller version of those, I could just remove the feet from
all the keys and replace them with the bumpers.
I did come up with a workaround for the main offender, though.? (See
2nd picture attached.)? I found some small stick-on bumpers I had
forgotten about.? These keep the key nicely stuck to the desk, but
they elevate it to where the finger pieces? are higher up than I
like.? It will work for now, but it's not a long term solution.
Anyway, still searching ... :-)
--lyndon
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Try McMater-Carr...
They have a multitude of various rubber feet and bumpers available.? Not the cheapest around, but a large variety.
A lower "durometer" number means softer, higher indicates harder (or firmer).
HERE:
73,
~Alan
W5ARM
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This is a perennial topic. Museum putty - or 3M or Gorilla mounting putty works very well.
However, a better solution I've used for many years allows instant moving or changing of the telegraph instrument on the desk.
It is slip-resistant tape, sold my 3M as "Safety Walk" heavy duty anti-slip tread. A small piece of it under each foot of a key will keep it in place. It should be the heavy duty version.
This stuff is designed for walkways around swimming pools and such. Since it's thin it won't raise the key very much. Other brands probably will be inferior.
My local Ace Hardware sells it in a roll, by the foot, so I buy one foot 3 or 4 inches wide, good for dozens of keys. If you mail order it the price for a 60 foot roll is about $45.
Pete
WB2QLL
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-----Original Message----- From: < [email protected]> Sent: Mar 17, 2024 2:32 PM To: < [email protected]> Subject: Re: [DRAKE-RADIO] Soft Rubber Eqp't Feet Okay, apparently a lot of people are unfamiliar with the undercarriage on Vibroplex keys :-) See the 1st picture attached. From L-R those are the bottom sides of an Iambic, a Vibrokeyer, and a standard bug. There's a lot of stuff going on under there. Double sided tape, gluing on rubber sheets, etc., aren't an option. (And though it probaly won't work here, either, "museum putty" sounds very cool and deserves further exploration. It could be useful for keeping things like watt meters from wandering about.) At the bottom of the 1st pic is the butt side of the road warrior key I put together. Those stick-on bumpers stick like glue! If I could find a taller version of those, I could just remove the feet from all the keys and replace them with the bumpers. I did come up with a workaround for the main offender, though. (See 2nd picture attached.) I found some small stick-on bumpers I had forgotten about. These keep the key nicely stuck to the desk, but they elevate it to where the finger pieces are higher up than I like. It will work for now, but it's not a long term solution. Anyway, still searching ... :-) --lyndon
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3M was the major US manufacturer for Adhesive Rubber Feet.
3M? Bumpon? Protective Products which featured a urethane composition
with a pressure sensitive adhesive.
Bumper Specialties (West Deptford, NJ)
West Florida Components (Tarpon Springs, FL)
Heyco Bumpers and Feet (found with major distributors)
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Alan - W5ARM
Greg W9GB