foggycoder said:
I have a morse buddy (a straight key guy) who recently bought a used presentation Vibroplex Bug for only £50. It did have some issues so he stripped it down and cleaned and serviced it. Not only does it now look stunning, he also seems to have taken to it like the proverbial duck to water.
But I've also heard it said that secondhand bug keys can have many traps for the unwary. Would anyone care to offer tips to a prospective purchaser on how to avoid (or overcome) the typical pitfalls?
There are several things to look out for with bug keys of any make, of which the following points come to mind...
1)
Is The Key Complete?
It may seem obvious but sometimes parts do go missing, either because they simply fell off or got broken, or else one of the previous owners removed them. Some items can be replaced easily, like missing or worn feet, but other parts like the vibrating arm, contacts and the like can be more difficult to find. Vibroplex I think still offer some spares for the more common keys they produce, but I would guess that this would only cover keys that are in production. The most common missing parts are the paddle/button 'plastics', the tuning lever, weights, connecting post screws.
2)
Is The Key Worn Excessively?
Wear on bug keys varies a lot. I have seen 100yr old ones with hardly any wear at all, whereas others which have been only a few years old have had excessive wear. The number one main item to check is the pivot that supports the swinging arm. The arm, when the key is viewed from the side should run parallel to the base. If you see a bug where the arm seems to slope backwards towards the damper then it is a sure sign the main pivot is either out of adjustment (easily remedied), or worn badly (not so easy to fix if indeed at all). Apart from the main bearing or pivot, another thing that can cause apparent tilt is where the riveted joint at the middle of the arm has been strained or forced, causing it to not be lined up with the rest of the arm. The main causes of this are either excessive weight being added to the arm to slow the key down, or very often due to rough handling of the key by previous owners. The riveted joint can also go out of alignment when the key has been dropped on its base, the result being that the weights jerk downwards causing damage. So long as the joint is tight it can very often simply be pulled back in to alignment, or else the arm assembly removed and tapped back in to alignment with a small hammer. Some I have seen over the years have become completely loose, and these may need the rivets tapped back down to close the gap and improve the grip. If the key is not particularly valuable then it is also possible to just use a little super glue on the joint, making sure the assembly is aligned before the glue sets.
3)
Is The Split Arm Pivot Point Worn Excessively?
Apart from the main arm pivot, there is a second area that can wear and that is the split arm pivot. On pretty well all bug keys that follow the Vibroplex pattern, the swinging arm is formed from two pieces. The two are held together by a vertical rod (the pointed ends of which form the main needle bearing for the arm assembly), the larger part of the arm is clamped to the rod, with a shorter 'floating' section that pivots around the rod. If you push the arm to produce dits then the two parts move together, pivoting on the needle points, when pushed to produce dahs the main long section of the arm does not move, just the shorter arm pivoted around the vertical rod. Where this rotation occurs wear will develop over time, the result being that in severe cases there will be excessive vertical movement of the shorter 'dah' arm. The arm will appear to be a sloppy fit and feel loose. Although still useable the key just will not feel as crisp and positive as an unworn key. In really bad cases it will also cause erratic dah production due to the poor electrical contact between the shorter and long arm sections. It is pretty well impossible to correct this wear since it would involve added lost material. If you are equipped with a workshop however it may be possible to remove the original pivot rod and replace it with one of a larger diameter, and also re-drill the holes in the shorter arm. The replacement pivot rod also requires 'points' machined on each end to form the needle points for pivoting of the whole arm assembly. All in all a lot of work.
4)
What Is The Overall Condition Like?
Stating the obvious, but does the key look OK? Does it have excessive corrosion or wear? Is it worth the money asked for it? The main issue generally after missing parts and pivot wear is corrosion and paint chipping. Once the protection of the chrome plating has gone rust spots will soon develop, and although it is possible to polish a key 'back' to produce an acceptable appearance, it will always be prone to the rust reforming on exposed areas. Saying that, all of this is mere cosmetic appearance, and will normally have no effect at all on the general performance of the key. I have seen some real 'rust buckets' that have operated fine.
5)
Postage and Packing
What has postage and packing to do with bug keys? Well, in short, a good deal. You have to first remember that the bases of most bug keys are very heavy, quite a few pounds in weight generally. That in itself is not an issue, but where problems arise is when a key is sent through the post that has not been correctly packed. I have had three bug keys badly damaged in the post due to rough handling, but that damage would not have occurred if an appropriate level of support had been provided by the packing, or by an even simpler solution: Removal of the arm before posting.
If you take a bug key and drop it with the lever downmost, when it impacts with the floor or some other solid object all of the weight of the base of the key is transferred through the main arm pivot. Although well made, this massive impact will destroy the bearing points in an instant, or at least badly damage the points/rod. It has to be the saddest moment when you unpack a bug key to find that the arm has been pushed straight out of the back end by impact damage!
Yet it can be avoided so easily. The very easiest method is to remove the arm assembly and pack it separately (within the same package of course). If the arm is removed it cannot get damaged if the package is dropped.
Another way is to leave the arm attached, but make a packing ring to fit around the arm in such a manner so that if the key is dropped end on, the packing ring will absorb the impact, not the arm pivot.
Another method I have used when sending bugs through the post is to create a tough triangular 'tube' out of corrugated card (think of a Toblerone box), and then lock the key in place within the tube using large cable ties. Again, an end on impact will not damage the arm as the force will be distributed through the ties (think of how a seat belt works).
If you do see a bug key up for grabs, always try to find some reference images from other sources to compare it to. You would be surprised how many keys are actually 'Franken-keys', composed of pieces of two or more keys. Also it will give you a good idea if anything is missing or has been 'modded' for whatever reason.
Most of the Vibroplex keys can be loosely dated by their serial numbers, but an old key will not necessarily be a poor key, and conversely a relatively new key might not be as perfect as you think. It is always best to examine the key in question first hand if at all possible. Failing that, worse case scenario is that you will acquire a 'novelty doorstop' for your shack!
73, Mark...
I'll post a few photos of it.