Geoff

I think we may have been talking about two different things.The .5mm bearing surface you refer to to keep the polished surface from riding on the aluminum and wearing on the numbers makes sense to me and I like your solution.Trying to remove .5mm from the rear face and then getting it polished would be too much work.Using your technique you might consider using some of the high tech extremely low friction plastics avaliable today.This could result in a very smooth operating slider.Just a thought.

Now the issue Iwas talking about is the recessed portion on the face for the aluminum that is cut in a slight wedge "dovetail"( to lock on the labeled aluminum plate I assume).This angled cut,if neccessary,adds a bit more difficulty in machining.But is certainly achievable.

I just painted a couple of pretty good looking lines using 3M Scotch 218 MQA masking tape.This is a masking tape used in automotive pinstriping and gives a very precision edge.I simply eyeballed a narrow line between the tape,and applied red enamel with a cotton swab on a scrap piece of Lexan.maybe I am not quite the perfectionist that some are,but these lines looked pretty good to me.The pics don't really show enough detail.The lines are not quite as narrow as those on the Vol,bass,treble,balance but it's about as wide as the tuner,which for some reason is a bit wider.At least that's what my 45 year old eyes see!

Keep up the good work!

Hi

The choice of masking material is very important because you can get a lot of creep underneath depending on the liquid that you are using for marking.  Your enamel paint job looks good to me.

I just had to try the effect of scoring the plastic and it worked pretty well for me.  I scribed a line with three strokes of a sharp Stanley knife and then painted over it with an orange permanent marker.  Next step was to get some flat kitchen paper with the minimum amount of alcohol and quickly wipe off the excess without going inside the groove.  The final finish is shown on the test piece at the left of the picture below and it looks very professional.  My wife was suitably impressed and she sets high standards for me.

Regarding the sloping surfaces, I now see what you mean.  I have never found it necessary to put a slight bevel on the out facing edge as long as the aluminium plate is angled slightly inwards and the tab is fully functional.

Keep on trying and we will get it right.  I was wondering what the market size would be for spare cursors??  We could start our own company!!

Regards

Geoff

Geoff

That line on the left looks very good,perfectly acceptable quality.I looked at the ones I painted under a magnifying glass and they are better than I thought originally,very acceptable also.Problem solved as far as I am concerned.To me that was the biggest issue of manufacturing these.Are you,or anyone absolutely certain of the color of these lines?Mine appear to be more redish,but being changed more to orange by the yellowed glass.I only have one unit to judge by and I assume you and others have several to compare.

I am glad to hear that you found no need for that small bevel.that step would add a bit more work in machining.

As far as manufacturing these goes.If someone had a mini mill like mine outfitted with CNC programability,you could simply sit back with a beer and watch it make the parts!As much as I would like to delve into making some of these in the next couple days,it probably won't happen.The wife has a long list of projects for me and,oddly enough,Making new slide rules for the Beomaster is not on that list.

Hopefully you can get a few done soon.

Paul

Hi Paul

Old eyes can be funny things and mine are no exception.  However, in my experience, the lines on the BM3000 have always appeared to be more orange than red.  Others may disagree.  Anyway, in my case, I still have a full pen of orange permanent marker to use up!!!

Pleased to hear that you have found a suitable solution to your problem.

Regards

Geoff

Great work guys!

Regarding the red/orange issue, to my eyes it seems somewhat in between. Not quite deep red such as the ON light, but not on the yellow side either. My BM4400 is on loan, but I seem to remember the tuning meter needle was an example of proper orange.

Agreed.After closer inspection,with a magnifying glass,they appear more orange than red.As I said my sliders are very cloudy and yellowed so it required closer scrutiny.Probably a red/orange combo of some sort will be perfect.I will have to check the tuning meter for comparison.Can't wait to get into the garage to try to make a couple.I think I am going to have to start with some 4.5mm thick material,already have a large quantity in stock.

Paul

Wonderful thread !
Aren't there some kind of orange/red pinstriping that can be used directly ?

Martin

Great work guys!

1.) Sorry, I got nothing accomplished last night, so nothing new to add.

2.) I lean towards these being more orange than red.

3.) Pinstriping... Yes, Chartpak made graphic tape for artists prior to the advent of the 'puter. They still do. I found it in red here. They have 1/64 and 1/32 widths spanning the .5mm mark. I have used this stuff before. Very good, but maybe too thick??? If I can dig a roll out, I will try a sample. In the meantime, that scored line (first on the left) looks damn near perfect!

The only thing I wonder is if a pinstriping tape is: is it made to be viewed from the sticky side as it will be installed on the backside of the clear window?

pebmrb:

The only thing I wonder is if a pinstriping tape is: is it made to be viewed from the sticky side as it will be installed on the backside of the clear window?

Agreed... I am not sure what the adhesive side will look like yet, but it is something that does concern me. All I can say is that in the past the quality of the tape was first rate, but that means nothing when looking at the adhesive side of it applied in this manner.

I think the scored/painted line will likely be the winner!

I agree.I looked at mine with my face 6 inches from the glass, using a magnifying glass and it looked excellent.I am sure Geoff will second this for his experiments.Unless someone out there has super vision,we do have a winner.Now my next dilema is getting the wife to relieve me of some home improvement duties so I can get into the garage to work on this.....

pebmrb:

Now my next dilema is getting the wife to relieve me of some home improvement duties so I can get into the garage to work on this.....

Let me know how that works out!

If you come up with a solution, please post pics!

A solution for the master?or the Beo master?if it's the later,I'll post pics.

Wow!   Fascinating thread.
It never ceases to amaze me how Beoworld members come up with these threads.
Stanley knife scoring appears to be the best method so far.
It may be my imagination, but the green cursors on the 4000 seem a lot thicker than the red/orange ones.
Thanks for this thread guys.

Andy T.

I don't own a 4400 but I saw some pics and it appeared the cursors were thicker on that as well.Maybe someone can verify this.

Hi

I have compared the thicknesses of the cursor lines on both the BM3000 and BM4000.  The green lines in the latter are around 0.7mm compared to 0.5mm orange lines in the former.  I tried to photo the comparison but it is hard to do.  Anyway, it seems that the wider cursor glass was accompanied by a thicker line.

Regards

Geoff

You can start to understand why I have developed an interest in fixing cursors and sliders.  Surely there must be a complete set in this lot somewhere.  However, I am still looking for the black tuning slider for the BM4000 ??

Geoff

Geoff

Are the wider windows of the 4000/4400 also of thicker material by chance?

I have three nearly complete for my 3000.So far so good.I had hoped to do all 5 in an assembly line fashion but my mill would only accomodate 3.I also have been mixing some colors to get the proper orange and have been consistently able to make clean lines on a scrap piece.Hopefully I can post some pics soon.

Paul

Geoff

Do the thin bearing surface shims that you added need to be clear?I have some white material available of the proper thickness.

Paul

Hi Paul

It sounds as if you are making some excellent progress.  After you get into mass production, I will probably order some from you.

I have measured the cursors on both the 3000 and 4000 and they are a similar thickness, around 4mm depending on whether the ridge is included or not.  At the moment, all of my units are assembled so I am unable to get the micrometer across the glass but they are pretty well the same thickness.

I have tried different materials as a shim for the ridges.  In practice, you can see very little of the edge of the shim and the rest is hidden behind the metal work.  The thinner the shim, the more difficult it becomes to shape to the cursor and that is why I settled on some thin transparent plastic.  You will also have to take the thickness of the material into account when cutting the shoulder of the cursor.  The total thickness of the backing plate, the shim and the shoulder has to fit neatly into the metal cover.  The good news is that all of the cut out work lies behind the two metal covers and remains hidden from direct view.

I will attach some photos of my primitive handiwork.  They will give you some idea of what I have been doing.

Regards

Geoff

Blank cut from 4.5mm Perspex with protective covering in place.

Bottom cutouts made for the wheels

Small nicks made to locate the pins on the backing plate

Test assembly for a good fit

Shims cut from 0.45mm thick plastic