Hi yall. I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this, if not, would the moderator graciously move it where he thinks it should go. (hopefully not into the circular file)
Pioneer Reel to Reel recorders often turn up for sale, or after incompetent packing for shipping, with missing reel lock spindles.
These are hollow castings with a stepped screw and a spring inside. They snap off easily and its impossible to use the recorder as the reel falls off.
To fix this costs either eighty dollars or 3 dollars. Spindle hubs with locks turn up for sale occasionally and you can buy one to get the spindle lock or you can make a substitute. All you need is a double hose barb that will fit thru the hole in a reel and a 3mm metric screw to fit the threaded hub. I bought these at Lowes. The hose barb has to fit thru the hole in a reel of tape. Then, You have to extract the broken screw from the hub. Any machine shop can do that if you dont know how. fiddle with it till you get it out. Often you can grab the broken screw with needle nose pliers and unscrew it.
cut one of the barbs off with a hacksaw, then cut the other one off. then choose the best looking one and file or sand the cut end as flat as you can get it so it isnt uneven.
The screw is smaller than the barb but the head wont pass thru the smallest end of the barb. save the center piece of brass. Who knows, you may want to use it to like convert a Kirby vacuum cleaner into a fully automatic rifle or something. Or you can toss it, whatever. we wont need it.
wrap electrical tape evenly around the screw to shim it out untill the tube barely slides into the barb. trim the tape end with a splicing razor blade so there is bare screw at the base.
The finished screw.
inserting it into the Barb
Finished product. The grey is a little paint to help make the joint less glaring.
Screwing it into the hub. You can use some locktite compound on the screw if the hub threads are damaged from extracting the broken screw.
It should extend from the reel as far or a little farther than the original spindle lock.
To retain it, buy a rubber stopper. Lowes sells this stopper solid and I used a power drill to pierce a hole in it. You can buy them predrilled if you go to a lab supply or teachers supply.
Press it firmly onto the hub with a clockwise twist so as not to unscrew the stud. put it on backwwards so more surface area is against the reel for better support. its ok to use a bigger stopper as long as the hole is the right size.
So there you have it, now you can go record some obscure sorta music that sounds like "Wanga-Wanga-Bonk!!" without having the reel go frizbee-ing across the room on ya and scaring the cat. Cats judge people who startle them harshly. -- Greg Fox
Pioneer Reel to Reel recorders often turn up for sale, or after incompetent packing for shipping, with missing reel lock spindles.
These are hollow castings with a stepped screw and a spring inside. They snap off easily and its impossible to use the recorder as the reel falls off.
To fix this costs either eighty dollars or 3 dollars. Spindle hubs with locks turn up for sale occasionally and you can buy one to get the spindle lock or you can make a substitute. All you need is a double hose barb that will fit thru the hole in a reel and a 3mm metric screw to fit the threaded hub. I bought these at Lowes. The hose barb has to fit thru the hole in a reel of tape. Then, You have to extract the broken screw from the hub. Any machine shop can do that if you dont know how. fiddle with it till you get it out. Often you can grab the broken screw with needle nose pliers and unscrew it.
cut one of the barbs off with a hacksaw, then cut the other one off. then choose the best looking one and file or sand the cut end as flat as you can get it so it isnt uneven.
The screw is smaller than the barb but the head wont pass thru the smallest end of the barb. save the center piece of brass. Who knows, you may want to use it to like convert a Kirby vacuum cleaner into a fully automatic rifle or something. Or you can toss it, whatever. we wont need it.
wrap electrical tape evenly around the screw to shim it out untill the tube barely slides into the barb. trim the tape end with a splicing razor blade so there is bare screw at the base.
The finished screw.
inserting it into the Barb
Finished product. The grey is a little paint to help make the joint less glaring.
Screwing it into the hub. You can use some locktite compound on the screw if the hub threads are damaged from extracting the broken screw.
It should extend from the reel as far or a little farther than the original spindle lock.
To retain it, buy a rubber stopper. Lowes sells this stopper solid and I used a power drill to pierce a hole in it. You can buy them predrilled if you go to a lab supply or teachers supply.
Press it firmly onto the hub with a clockwise twist so as not to unscrew the stud. put it on backwwards so more surface area is against the reel for better support. its ok to use a bigger stopper as long as the hole is the right size.
So there you have it, now you can go record some obscure sorta music that sounds like "Wanga-Wanga-Bonk!!" without having the reel go frizbee-ing across the room on ya and scaring the cat. Cats judge people who startle them harshly. -- Greg Fox
