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Hello people of TekScopes,

I have a TM503 with a disintegrating handle. The blue outer sheath for the steel inner core has become brittle and ripped open. This just leaves the thin strip of rusty steel in its place, which is not exactly comfortable to hold and may give me tetanus.

I often carry this unit around back and forth between school and home, so the handle is functionally important for me. I've tried various solutions such as cardboard and tape, but they always fail prematurely.

Has anyone here experienced and found a solution to this problem?

Thanks,
Benjamin

On 2/12/25 15:49, Harvey White wrote:

You might consider a length of garden hose or the equivalent for an inexpensive replacement.

Or a Tek HP chimera:? Blue case, greenish beige strap cover...

On Feb 12, 2025, at 2:47?PM, John Williams via groups.io <books4you4@...> wrote:

?Hi Benjamin. I personally have not had any success restoring old tektronix handles. However there are a lot of companies who make equipment handles. Ones intended for audio equipment usually will work if you are not going for an authentic restoration. Just google. Audio equipment handles. Here is one I found easily.

Hmmmm… Seems like cold-shrink tape may come to the rescue. Made by Daburn Industries and Available from Digi-Key and maybe Mouser. Put some foam or bubble wrap around the metal handle and then wrap the tape around that. You stretch out the tape until it gets about half its starting width before you wrap, and voila, it fuses to itself. I have fixed everything from coaxial cables to garden hoses to rug shampoo machines with it. Hardest part is getting the tape off the backing. HTH. Jim Ford, Laguna Hills, California, USA

On Feb 12, 2025, at 2:47?PM, John Williams via groups.io <books4you4@...> wrote:

?Hi Benjamin. I personally have not had any success restoring old tektronix handles. However there are a lot of companies who make equipment handles. Ones intended for audio equipment usually will work if you are not going for an authentic restoration. Just google. Audio equipment handles. Here is one I found easily.

On Feb 13, 2025, at 10:16, greenboxmaven via groups.io <ka2ivy@...> wrote:

… go to a junk store and find a large leather handbag that you can cut into a piece to wrap the metal strap. Roll it smoothly around the strap, tie it with dental floss, and shrink on two layers of shrink tubing. It works well.

On Feb 13, 2025, at 11:57?AM, Dave Daniel via groups.io <kc0wjn@...> wrote:

?Also, for the rusty metal strap, there is a product named "Ospho" (a
phosphoric acid solution) that changes iron oxide into iron phosphate and
stops the iron oxidation process. One removes the loose rust and applies
Ospho and then, once the reaction is complete, cleans off the item.

DaveD
KC0WJN

On Thu, Feb 13, 2025 at 14:33 Roy J. Tellason, Sr. via groups.io <roy=
[email protected]> wrote:

On Thursday 13 February 2025 12:44:51 pm Greg Muir via groups.io wrote:
Most of my handle replacements have been with the older HP equipment

such as that found the 200CD oscillator which is a leather type. I have
had good success taking a badly deteriorated handle to the local saddle
shop who specializes in leather work. They fabricate handles that are
exact duplicates of the HP ones and even stain them the right colors.

If you can find a person or company that does this kind of work a custom

leather handle would look nice on the TM.

Hmm, there being a lot of amish around here that's a distinct
possibility...

I have a 5xx (can't recall the exact number) sitting out in the garage
with the same issue. Someone did send me another of that metal strip that
runs up the middle of the top of the scope, but it wasn't the right size
to fit on there, so I passed it along to somebody who could use it.

Gonna have to look around for somebody who works leather.

--
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space, a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed. --Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
-
Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies.
--James
M Dakin

Say, is that Ospho the same as Naval Jelly? ISTR that NJ was some kind of acid.

Jim Ford
Laguna Hills, California, USA

On Feb 13, 2025, at 2:25?PM, ed breya <eb@...> wrote:

?Also look into "gun bluing" for rustproofing. I have seen many equipment handle core/spring things with that characteristic deep blue color.

Ed