Gosh Darn It and To Heck Anyway

[PaulyWally]

I spent the better portion of my afternoon re-wiring my Peavey. I pulled out all the old electronics and installed new Ultra Jazz PUP's, two on/on/on switches, two CTS pots, and a 4-pole 6-way rotary switch.

 

Lots of wires and lots of time, as you might have guessed.

 

So I get it all done, and start putting it back together. What happens? I strip the threads on the rotary switch.

 

I know I did NOT put that much torque on that nut! They just used very soft metal.

 

Piece of poo! There's no way it'll hold as is.

 

Since I flat out refuse to wire another one of these switches... and really don't want to spend more money on a new one that might just strip again anyway... I only see a couple feasible options:

 

1.) Pull out the 2 screws that hold the switch together, buy longer ones, and go through the body.

 

2.) Put a thin plate on it, screw/glue that down... and screw through the body into that.

 

I'm leaning toward #2, cause pulling out those 2 screws to mount it will result in the switch coming apart. And that could be a pain in the butt.

 

What do you guys think? Any other ideas I haven't thought of?

[PaulyWally]

I suppose I could try and re-thread it too.

 

I guess I can't really make it any worse. *shrug*

[Incubitabus]

i'm confused as to exactly what stripped...

maybe shoot some pics?

[bassman1956]

If it's the nut around the mounting threads of the switch, let me ask: Are there threads left exposed when the nut is tightened? If so, you may be running out of threads at the base of that threaded portion? The threads often end just before where that threaded part joins the body of the pot or switch. Some times it means that the nut won't screw on all the way to the body, other times it means thatthe nut will screw on that far, buthas no holding power.

 

The fix, if you can, is to put a washer or 2 or 4 or such over the threads first. They will then fit between the body of the switch and the inside of the bass body. Less of the threaded part will stick out of the finished bass body. So make sure it's enough to still get the full nut width on.

 

Does this sound like what you're dealing with?

[bassman1956]

BTW, my first thought on reading the thread title was that Radar O'Reilly had joined the forum!

 

[PaulyWally]

Attached is a pic of the switch in question. Not mine, but gives you an idea of what I'm up against.

 

 

Does this sound like what you're dealing with?

 

 

Nope. The top 1/8" of the threads are stripped. And I have good threads lower on the shaft. But I can't get more of the shaft through the hole to use them.

[bassman1956]

 

Attached is a pic of the switch in question. Not mine, but gives you an idea of what I'm up against. Basically, I stripped the threads on the shaft of the rotary switch. Nope. The top 1/8" of the threads are stripped. And I have good threads lower on the shaft. But I can't get more of the shaft through the hole to use them.

 

 

That bites.

Sounds like replacement switch time.

[bholder]

Go over the stripped threads with some "plastic steel" epoxy, let it mostly set, then use the nut (lubricated) to cut some new threads in the epoxy. Ought to hold as long as you don't crank it down too hard.