It's lovely stuff to work with too. I have some pieces from old broken sets and use it to make homebrew components. Here's an adjustable coil with integral reaction I made some time ago from scrap pieces.
Nick
I expect you're right Gary. I haven't tried turning it, so can't say for certain. My handiwork is done with a hacksaw and sanding paper of various grades, finishing off with pumice and polishing paste if I want a nice glossy shine. If you take the shine off it glues surprisingly well and drills very easily too using a tile drill bit on a relatively slow speed.
Nick
Radio panels here could be paper-based Bakelite, or hard rubber (Ebonite). Structural parts might be linen-based Bakelite which is tan or black and generally shows the weave of the cloth through the surface. We were still using the linen-based phenolic in the machine shop where I worked, and I brought home offcuts up to an inch thickness, and some tubing.
(14-06-2015, 10:09 PM)SurreyNick Wrote: It's lovely stuff to work with too. I have some pieces from old broken sets and use it to make homebrew components. Here's an adjustable coil with integral reaction I made some time ago from scrap pieces.
Nick
I like the coil Nick, if it was hand wound it must have taken a bit of patience, what was it's performance like?
Thank you for the compliment Lawrence. It was indeed hand wound. That in itself wasn't too hard, I used to do a lot of whipping work when I was younger as I was an avid fisherman and often replaced the rings on my rods. The hardest thing with the coil was pulling the wire tight enough to get a decent grip to the acrylic. I had a very sore groove in my fingers for a couple of days!
Frustratingly, I still haven't been able to test it either. It's for a home brew three valve TRF made with period components. I have everything I need - including a marvellous name plate made for me by Yorkie, but all my woodworking tools are packed away in readiness for moving house so I can't make the breadboard cabinet for it.
