Refurbished Straight Key

[KE5ZRT]

I bought this ugly old straight key for five dollars at the club meeting this weekend. I spent the afternoon today with a screwdriver and a jug of Brasso polish and I ended up with a really nice key! I mounted it to a hunk of finished oak I had laying around. My military metal polishing skills were useful today! Now I need to continue my Morse Code studies. I only know six letters so far, but I'm working on code and Extra Class Exam studies a little everyday.

BEFORE



AFTER

[SSBLUE]

That came out very nice. Been thinking about doing the same with my old WWII key.

[Andy N1ORK]

Nice job Chris! Guess I should brush up on my CW. Used to be able to do 10wpm on a straight key, but that was back in the '80s. Be happy to do 5 now, 3 when I need to look at the cheat sheet.
73

[KF5BET]

Looks very nice. I was going to learn code this past winter. Guess I waited too long huh?

Man, it seems as though time flies by faster and faster.

I really need to be more diligent on my studies.

[K4AC]

The key looks like the one that Radio Shack sold back in the '70's- got one in the closet! Excellent job cleaning it up; I don't think they looked that nice new.

Doug
K4AC

[WD8QBQ]

Pretty nice piece of scrap wood you found, that wouldn't be your wifes hair brush now would it?

JIM

[One Country Boy]

Man that thing looks like a new one Chris. What's the mailing address? I've got a couple of items I need polished up abit.

Keep up the work on the CW. I worked a station the other day on 40 meters, W4RMM. It was my first CW contact in a number of years. CW has always been my favorite mode. I just got away from it. The QSO with W4RMM, reignited my interest. I might add, he had a perfect fist on a straight and he had been a ham for longer than I've been born. It's really nice to work old timers like that. He informed me that CW is his ONLY mode. At the end of my year as a novice, back in about 1970, I was running 30 to 35 wpm. I can't do that now, 10 to maybe 15 is about max. But still just as much fun. Finish learning the characters and get on the air Chris. Will be more than happy to set up a sked to be your first contact. About the best advice I can give is don't try to send until you have learned to receive.

Good luck with it. You can do it and will never regret it. It sort of seperates the men from the boys on the amateur bands. Hi Hi

[ke5zru]

No, it's not my hairbrush, but the pattern was taken from my hair brush. Hah.

And hey, I know more letters than Chris does...and I'm not a man or a boy...OHOH!!