Vibrato bar adapter
Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2020 12:21 am
I was hoping that I could make this a quick project, but didn't take stock of my tooling before I started and didn't realize that I can't locate my 3/16 chucking reamer. So here's an incomplete project for now.
I have a pre-refined Deluxe that needs a trem bar. Having bought one from eBay last week, I need to change the mounting location on the trem. Initially, I was just going to bore out the stock hex broached one, to 5/16 and make a delrin sleeve for it, but thought that it might be best to keep the stock one in case it's important to someone down the road if I ever sell it. Also, boring it to 5/16 only leaves 0.031" wall thickness and as the threads are 0.021" deep, it would create future trouble...not to mention the trouble of heat management while trying to ream to 5/16 in 6/4 ti with a wall that thin. I could ream to 1/4" and make a brass sleeve to shim it down to 3/16...we'll see how it goes.
After checking my rod stock, I only have 7075 aluminum, brass, O2 steel and 6/4 titanium in 1/2" OD and the only appropriate choice is the titanium for this project (unless I had stainless). The ti rod is actually slightly oversized, which is nice since I can cut about 0.010" off the OD and get a decent surface finish.
This is my last insert with a small radius and it's worn out, so the surface finish isn't as nice as it should be, but it's my only tool that will do a nearly square shoulder (the nose is 0.005" IIRC) so I'm stuck with it.
Turning the shoulder
Pre-Refined Parker Fly Deluxe Trem bar mount adapter by Sean Chaney, on Flickr
Cutting the threads
Pre-Refined Parker Fly Deluxe Trem bar mount adapter by Sean Chaney, on Flickr
Test Fit
Pre-Refined Parker Fly Deluxe Trem bar mount adapter by Sean Chaney, on Flickr
There's still a bunch of locking compound on the nut so until I get that off, it won't spin on all the way. The bar should be here in a few days and thankfully I don't have to use the lathe until then so I'm just going to leave this chucked up until the bar arrives and then will decide what to do next. If it's actually a 3/16 bar I'll probably drill this to size, skip the reamer and perhaps bore a hole to the centerline, make or modify the set screw to bear down on the trem bar to set the tension. It looks like the hex bar fitting is held in place with a wavy washer (mine is crushed but it looks like it was wavy) under the nut and the nylon topped set screw allowed the whole assembly to rotate. Having not seen the round bar yet, I'm not sure if it's intended to rotate inside the mounting assembly or how tension is set so I'll wing it once it arrives. The diameter tolerance of the new bar is going to dictate what the next steps are. Let's hope it's a true 0.1875 to make it easy.
I have a pre-refined Deluxe that needs a trem bar. Having bought one from eBay last week, I need to change the mounting location on the trem. Initially, I was just going to bore out the stock hex broached one, to 5/16 and make a delrin sleeve for it, but thought that it might be best to keep the stock one in case it's important to someone down the road if I ever sell it. Also, boring it to 5/16 only leaves 0.031" wall thickness and as the threads are 0.021" deep, it would create future trouble...not to mention the trouble of heat management while trying to ream to 5/16 in 6/4 ti with a wall that thin. I could ream to 1/4" and make a brass sleeve to shim it down to 3/16...we'll see how it goes.
After checking my rod stock, I only have 7075 aluminum, brass, O2 steel and 6/4 titanium in 1/2" OD and the only appropriate choice is the titanium for this project (unless I had stainless). The ti rod is actually slightly oversized, which is nice since I can cut about 0.010" off the OD and get a decent surface finish.
This is my last insert with a small radius and it's worn out, so the surface finish isn't as nice as it should be, but it's my only tool that will do a nearly square shoulder (the nose is 0.005" IIRC) so I'm stuck with it.
Turning the shoulder
Pre-Refined Parker Fly Deluxe Trem bar mount adapter by Sean Chaney, on FlickrCutting the threads
Pre-Refined Parker Fly Deluxe Trem bar mount adapter by Sean Chaney, on FlickrTest Fit
Pre-Refined Parker Fly Deluxe Trem bar mount adapter by Sean Chaney, on FlickrThere's still a bunch of locking compound on the nut so until I get that off, it won't spin on all the way. The bar should be here in a few days and thankfully I don't have to use the lathe until then so I'm just going to leave this chucked up until the bar arrives and then will decide what to do next. If it's actually a 3/16 bar I'll probably drill this to size, skip the reamer and perhaps bore a hole to the centerline, make or modify the set screw to bear down on the trem bar to set the tension. It looks like the hex bar fitting is held in place with a wavy washer (mine is crushed but it looks like it was wavy) under the nut and the nylon topped set screw allowed the whole assembly to rotate. Having not seen the round bar yet, I'm not sure if it's intended to rotate inside the mounting assembly or how tension is set so I'll wing it once it arrives. The diameter tolerance of the new bar is going to dictate what the next steps are. Let's hope it's a true 0.1875 to make it easy.
What kind of monster does that?!
