Shims fixed with superglue and cut to the same profile as the Perspex.

Everything is now ready for final assembly.

Geoff

That's some nice work for just using a dremel tool!I have three completed with the exception of the orange line,the spacers,and something I didn't realize:the edges need to be polished!How did you get the exposed edges polished?My thought will be a few grades of fine sandpaper for starters,followed by a polishing compound on the dremel.

Geoff, I have a spare 4000 tuning slider that you can have.  Looks in good nick.

Andy T.

Hi Jandyt

What a great reply, you have a PM

Regards

Geoff

Making the cursor edges totally transparent after cutting is a chore.  To date, I have resorted to the same procedure - progressively fine sanding followed by polishing with commercial liquids such as Plastx.  Yet to come up with a pure edge though.  I am now looking at a technique that involves heating the edge but have yet to see it work.  I will post if I have any success with that one.

Geoff

Geoff

Just got done polishing the edges.I'm very pleased with the results,nearly as polished as the faces.The mill leaves a pretty smooth finish so I went 400 grit,600 grit,1200 grit,10 micron paper,followed by the buffing wheel on the dremel with some sort of rouge that came with the dremel kit.The heating technique I have done on other projects.It can work well,but is difficult to control.Too much heat and the piece will bubble and essentially be ruined.I finally got the nerve up to mask and paint the lines on my three pieces.Paint is drying now.If the results are good,I will post pics soon.If the results are bad....You may not here from me.LOL.

Paul

Results were good! 3 down,2 to go.Guess which one is the original.

Looks fantastic, you are going to have an excellent looking beomaster 3000.

Pse send photo and details of your milling machine - beats the Dremel any day.

Geoff

I had a good look in my Dremel box of tricks and found an unopened block of grinding paste that you referred to.  With a bit of time and patience, it certainly generates a far better finish than I have been able to achieve in the past.

I agree with your comments on the heating technique, you have to reach high temperatures to achieve the desired result and then run the risk of converting all of your hard work into a big blob of plastic.  Still, I'm going to give it a go since I have plenty of spare plastic to experiment with.

Thanks for all of your help.

Geoff

Geoff

The mill is made in China and is sold by many names.One that comes to  mind is Grizzly.It cost me about $450 US several years ago.It's decent quality but not as nice as those of Sherline,and some others.Actually,I saw a router table accessory for the dremel that might be as good as,if not better than, the mill for making parts like these.

In regards to the Beomaster windows we still have a bit of work to do.The tuner slider you remanufactured looks a bit more complex than the others.I have not taken mine apart yet.

I really appreciate the hard work and ingenuity you have already put into this.If it were not for your inspiration I would have just lived with my extremely yellowed sliders.You can see in the pic how bad they are!

The Dremel paste I used is a redish brown color labeled Cat no.421.It's at least 12 years old.I have never used it till today and it literally made the edges nearly as polished as the faces.The heating technique,if done correctly,could put a nice finish on those edges in a couple seconds.The info on melting temps of the plastics is probably available on the internet.That Polycarbonate/plexiglas/lexan has a very precise melting temp.Ten degrees too low and you won't get it smooth,ten degrees too high and it bubbles and the part is ruined.One tool that comes to mind is a handheld iron my father used to have to apply skin to his radio control airplanes.Simply dial up the temp and run it on the edge.If it works it would sure beat sanding!

keep up the good work!

Paul

Impressive results ! 

Martin

I'm very impressed with all of the work done so far.

We love these threads on here so keep up the good work guys

It certainly proves what an ingenius membership we have who refuse to sit back & settle for anything but perfection.

Chris.

WOW!

Looks fantastic! Great work!

Hi Geoff.
I posted the slider this afternoon (Monday). Out of curiosity, can you let me know when it arrives?

Andy T.

Andy

Many thanks for your generous offer, I will most certainly keep you posted on the outcome.

Regards

Geoff

Paul

Many thanks for the photo of your magnificent milling machine.  I can now see why you are getting some very professional results.

I have actually got the Dremel router table, it does a reasonable job but the tool support has too much free play and tends to wobble a bit.  You cannot easily get perfectly straight lines.  Anyway, it usually takes a very keen eye to spot the flaws in the final product so I am happy with the results.

I look forward to seeing a photo of the BM3000 with all of its new cursors.  Your efforts are going to be well rewarded.

Regards

Geoff

congratulation to your excellent rebuilding work... this is a really constructive thread. i like it. ;-)

Geoff

I have a full set completed and hoped to get them installed and post pics.But I ran into a small problem.I realized the top edge(and bottom) will be visible and need to be polished.So I put masking paper on them and hit the edge with sandpaper and the polishing compound.In the process,I smeared the lines on two of them with my finger!The paint I used is an excellent paint but tends to dry very slowly.I should have known that a day would not be enough time.Anyway,problem solved.I took a cotton swab with a bit of paint thinner,removed the smeared lines then painted new ones.Now I am going to wait a bit before even touching these things!I found some thin teflon sheet that I plan to intall for bearing surfaces using thin double faced tape.The total thickness will be .020 inch.Slightly more than the .5mm you specified.Do you think this will be acceptable?The teflon is very slippery and should make a nice bearing surface against the aluminum.

Paul

Done!

Before:

After:

Hi Paul

Great job - told you it would be worth it.  Now you can settle back for some serious audio fun - I still think that the sound from these old machines is great.

Well done and thanks for all of your help, advice and tips.  Now you will need a new project.

Regards

Geoff

Thanks Geoff

Really the success of this project should be credited to this forum and especially yourself for taking on the project to begin with.I might have likely just lived with those horrible yellow sliders were it not for the success you already had and the enthusiasim of the folks on the forum.Thanks to all I say!

I agree with you on the excellent sound of these machines,I got my start on restoring vintage tube audio which are considered by some to be superior in sound quality to the transistor gear.But this thing is in the class with my tubed gear,with personal preference being the only difference.My next project?My CDX still needs a bit of work,and my BG3400 needs a recap and lid repaired.I still would like to get a 4400 too.........

Paul

Great job guys! Very impressive. I too love threads like this.

Paul - I can't wait to see how you get on making the preset cover for it!!

I do remeber quite some time ago someone did make a preset cover - from a CD case if I recall.

Preset cover??!!!!????I didn't even know there was such a thing!I was wondering what those two vertical grooves were on the face!Got any pics?details?dimensions?I guess I have my next project.

Very unusually a couple came up on eBay recently - probably from some old stockroom clearout. I've never seem them for sale before & don't expect to ever see them again for sale and your only hope is to make one - if it's possible. 

I do have one at home on a BM3000-2 that I can measure for you & take detailed pictures. Just shout.