Steel Guitar Builder

Eons ago I promised to post instructions on how to make those little clips or retainers for the pull rod. Here we go.
All it takes for the jig is a piece of scrap wood. Mine is 1 1/2"X 3/4" maple, that I clamp in the vise.Get 2 rod scraps about 3" long. You stick those in the holes drilled thru the wood. Holes should make a snug fit for the rod so it won't slide. the hole spacing depends on the width of your bell crank so the retainer clears the crank ok. For me, the hole spacing is about 1".
The first pic shows the wire description - #12 music wire. Cut a 6" length or so of wire and bend a 90 on the end. this bend goes under the top screw in the jig, for holding. With the wire attached to the jig, you tap the bottom rod to the left and out of the way
With small vise grips clamped on the end of the wire you wind the wire around the rod 5 times, making sure you pull the wire very tight all the time. Next post to follow.

Here is a close-up of the 5 coils...go a bit beyond the 5 so that the spring keeps its 5 revs when you relax the wire To make the second coil, you tap the top rod to the left, leaving just enough sticking out to hold on to the coil. Then you tap the bottom rod in so you can wind the second coil. That can be 2 revs. When that one is done, you loosen the top screw and slide the retainer off the rods. You will end up with excessive wire at both ends. Use side cutters to trim off close to the coils. If you want extra smooth finish, sand the cut-off ends with a belt sander, taking care not to touch the coil to the belt.

Now you clamp the wire in needle nose pliers where you want to make the bend to an L shape. hold firmly with pliers while bending the long arm of the L with your thumb, or with another pair of pliers. Bend just beyond the 90 degrees so as to create some springiness, making the retainer want to stay on the rod. You'll have to experiment with the small arm of the L that best suits your preference and the width of your bell crank. Also, the length of the part in between the coils should be experimented with so that you are happy with the overall looks of the retainer. Stick the rod into the 5 coil part of the retainer, like so. Note that I have been a bit sloppy with this one: too much space between coil windings and the retainer isn't bent beyond the 90 deg. Here is the retainer installed on the bell crank. Happy building!

A good one Bent, thanks for the info.

Best Regards

Ron Mc

I love tools like this, very cool Bent!

Nice Bent, . Russ

Simple ,but very effective. Thanks for the valuable information.

Thanks guys. For you Thiel, here you go my friend.

Bent,
Many thanks. A great tool, simple to build and it works great. What more can you ask for?
Joe

Bent ,I just want to say you are an awesome friend to everyone, and an excellent builder, always ready to share ideas and techniques to anyone, thanks from all of us psg lovers/builders buddy! Stormy