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A Reason to NOT Epoxy Knobs

MyHeresyIsMe said:
I'm scratching my head about this one, jleon92f....that's a good question you have posed. The problem with cutting off the knobs is, they are recessed into the faceplate just enough so getting TO the epoxy job (or, in my case, a whack job) that is going to be a tough one. I've been looking through different websites for the right rotary selector switch but haven't found one yet (I'm sure there's one out there). In my radical thoughts, I've thought of just selling it as a basket case, take the loss, and find another. I'm keep myself out of mischief though and try to be patient. Hmmmmm....
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I did not know without pictures what you are working on but, you get my point. The electronics parts are scarce but knobs are pretty easy to come up with. Have you tried a drill to the face of the knob, then a smaller bit to cut with.

John.:music::D
 
I wonder if you could drill the center to expose the end of the shaft, then use a small gear-puller to force the knob off. I guess the worst thing that could happen is the gear-puller simply breaks off the edges of the knob, otherwise not even budging it.

I agree on the Dremel. That tool has saved my bacon more than once.
 
I've been away (work, you know) so I'm catching up on all the replies. Thanks, folks, for your two-bits for the cause! I just wrote the guy who I bought it from and he replied, 'I don't remember ever taking it to a repairman, but if I did, I'm sure he was good' (??????!!!!!!!). Uh.................. Sort of like, 'I don't remember going to college, but if I did, I'm sure I was on the Dean's List.'

Excuse me while I continue to pull that last strands of hair I have out of my scalp. Sell it for parts or keep it and try to find another lame one.... I need more coffee.
 
The speaker selector rotary switch which literally crumbled after I 'over torqued' trying to pull the knob off is electrically out of action. I rewired around the switch, using only the speaker "A" setting. Fortunately, everything in the receiver works fine (except that power-up LED; it needs to be replaced if I'm going to keep this). I was happy to see the unit work w/o the selector switch. Now, to find the right rotary selector switch. If you haven't guessed already, I don't know what brands of replacement parts or even where in Dayton to find these types of parts. Does any Luxman fans know what make/model this switch is? Because this switch is completely destroyed, I can only take the bits and pieces with me and ask for mercy at the parts counter. I appreciate all of your help!! This is a good 'coffee shop' for Luxmanites and would-be fix-it folks.
 
avionic said:
I've use JB Weld to epoxy my dipstick tube to the engine block of my Pontiac Firebird.I don't soften up...
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i used it on my 1956 Bedford 300 engine block water jacket i ground it back cleaned it well clean and used jb weld it pealed off after a few miles . i ended up metal stitching the 14 inch crack it didn't leak a drop its still good after 20 years .
it wont stick for me . maybe it just works for everyone else ?
 
avionic said:
I've use JB Weld to epoxy my dipstick tube to the engine block of my Pontiac Firebird.I don't soften up...
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Which makes perfect sense for anything that is exothermically cured. Heat doesn't make it soft. It gets hot enough it just burns. I would expect that the knobs would melt before the epoxy let go of the shaft. That's why I'd try freezing the shaft and mechanical shock first.
 
there used to be kits to make up your own wafer switches .i know as i have some .they came from radio spares
 
Thanks, petehall347. I'll look up radio spares. I tried just to google in 'rotary selector switches' and found a 1,000 but couldn't find THE right one. I need to get the specifics of what this switch was (this is like an autopsy--so many broken parts). Thanks for the tip.
 
Here's my last installment on my R-1050-epoxied-knobs problem. I've tried the different ways folks have suggested on pulling the remianing knobs that have been epoxied onto the (split) shafts. The two tone controls and the tuner knobs were NOT epoxied, so they came off. That left these knobs that were epoxied on: mode selector, volume, and the speaker selector. When I pulled the speaker selector switch (with gadgets, fulcrums, voodoo chants, etc.) the guts of the knob stayed on and the shell of knob came off. That made me irritated. Then I pulled on the shaft and yes, the shaft came out of the switch, breaking apart the rotary wafers, contacts, spring tension washers, etc. Here's the state of the Luxman now: it is playing away quite decently after I 'hot-wired' it for one set of speakers on the "A" setting. I can't get the other knobs off, so the faceplate is not coming off. The receiver works on all functions, the specs haven't been hurt, and I even put the speaker selector knob back on the faceplate. Voila'. I will start scrounging for another 1050 for cheap and swap out the parts. Zu ende! Thanks, all!
 
I wonder if the people that epoxy knobs on to their stereo also epoxy the lug nuts on their wheels and epoxy in their spark plugs to insure they won't back out.
 
Heat is the only solution.

I work on golf clubs and the heads are epoxied on. To remove them, you heat the bond with a heat gun or torch. The epoxy usually fails at a lower temperature than the plastic ferrule or the paint on the heads. Failure temp depends on the epoxy used, so it may not work on yours. Try heating it with a hair drier while you pry on it from under the knob.
 
In the wireless industry when we build a cell site on a municipal watertank we normally have to epoxy the antenna mounts to the the tank as they don't allow welding. When the occasionally fail, it's almost always on a cold morning.
 
HTHMAN, thanks for your knowledge about epoxy. On these two remaining knobs that are held on by epoxy, the escutcheon plate/ faceplate completely covers the exact site where the epoxy is; in other words, the I cannot get directly to the epoxy. Also, whoever did this slathered the knurled split shaft with epoxy, making the sure the knob is completely filled with it. As I wrote earlier, when I pulled with extreme force (just not a good idea, but there was no other way) I could not hold onto the other end of the shaft to keep the shaft/wafer switch safe. The result was that I pulled the shaft completely out of the switch, destroyed the 35 year old fiberboard wafers. Knowing I have destroyed the shaft, it was time to learned, 'what happened?' (at this point I did NOT know the knob was epoxied on---I could not literally see the end of the knob on the shaft). I took the shaft and the knob and immediately I saw the dried epoxy in a glob from behind the knob. The out shell of the knob came off, leaving the inner knob. I learned that those particular knobs are two separated piecess: the outer, decorative; the inner, the core that has groove for the knurled shaft.
With all of that said, I will try heating the knob with a hair dryer, knowing that I am heating 35 year old outer and inner layers of plastic before the heat gets to the epoxy. You know, at this point, TNT has a certain temptation to it!
Thanks, and I see you location is my former residence of 28 years (Webster Groves).
 
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