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Chopping off a piece of a pot?

post #1 of 17
1/30/10 at 4:14pm
Thread Starter 
So I've got a CK2III, and it's in a cheap little case. Looks okay, sounds great. Only problem is, the pot is way too long for the thin plastic case. Now, I could either try and add a half inch of plastic on the inside of the case, which would be stupid, or cut off a bit of metal, which seems to make more sense to me. Any idea how I would go about doing that properly? I don't think my dremel could handle it, and the pipe cutter I've got is mainly for much softer copper.



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post #2 of 17
1/30/10 at 4:29pm
The problem is the pot will want to spin, so a hacksaw doesn't work well. A Dremel with a saw blade will work. Be careful about heat.
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post #3 of 17
1/30/10 at 4:40pm
I like to have the bare pot in a vise and being held be the shaft, then a manual hack-saw gets it done in 1 minute. note, you don't want to get filings into the guts of the pot! I tape some plastic around the pot before I take that whole thing to the vise.

others do like to saw this off in-place with a dremel.
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post #4 of 17
1/30/10 at 4:44pm
A decent vice, a hacksaw, a file, some silicon carbide sandpaper, and elbow grease.

se
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post #5 of 17
1/30/10 at 6:21pm
I was going to suggest an X-Acto saw but unless you already have one it would be a waste to go buy one when a dremel with an abrasive wheel will make short work of it.
Remove it from the enclosure first though.
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post #6 of 17
1/30/10 at 6:23pm
I routinely chop down pot shafts with my dremel and a fine cutting wheel, works like a charm, just make sure the pot shaft is turned all the way down before you hit it with the wheel. You want the rotation of the dremel NOT to be causing the pot to spin.
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post #7 of 17
1/30/10 at 6:35pm
Fine diamond blade on my hacksaw has always worked well for me, in-situ. As above, the blade will cut best in one direction, turn it all the way in that direction. Let the blade do the cutting (no large amounts of pressure required).



Sam
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post #8 of 17
1/30/10 at 7:50pm
Use the dremel all the time just don't rush
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post #9 of 17
1/30/10 at 10:28pm
I'm a patient man.

I use a small saw blade and saw it down. Use a plier to hold the other end of the shaft so it does not move around.
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post #10 of 17
1/30/10 at 10:41pm
Guys... is it really necessary to chop at all?

Why not replace the knob with one that fits better....
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post #11 of 17
1/30/10 at 11:30pm
replace it with a better knob. Or, if you are lazy like me, or don't have any tools on the hand, take the pot to your local gym that has lockers. They probably have lock cutters, just ask them politely to cut a piece of it off for you.
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post #12 of 17
1/31/10 at 1:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ujamerstand View Post
replace it with a better knob. Or, if you are lazy like me, or don't have any tools on the hand, take the pot to your local gym that has lockers. They probably have lock cutters, just ask them politely to cut a piece of it off for you.
If you mean bolt cutters, ugh, what a mess they would make of the pot shaft. A hacksaw or dremel would be far more appropriate.
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post #13 of 17
1/31/10 at 2:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by fordgtlover View Post
If you mean bolt cutters, ugh, what a mess they would make of the pot shaft. A hacksaw or dremel would be far more appropriate.
Oh yes, very messy. :s But if you can't keep any scary looking tools around where you live, its a very last resort.
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post #14 of 17
1/31/10 at 2:46am
It helps to clip some needle-nose vise-grips or some large hemostats on the shaft to give you a decent guide to work with. The splines on most pot shafts can be a PITA to cut freehand.
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post #15 of 17
1/31/10 at 3:48am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ziplock View Post
Guys... is it really necessary to chop at all?

Why not replace the knob with one that fits better....
because a knob thats an inch deep would look ridiculous, almost as much as having a knob sit a half inch from the enclosure. I have a whole bunch of cutting wheels for my dremel, and I'm going to try one of the metal things, looks like a circular saw blade. If that doesn't work I'll have to take it to my folks place, the old man has a vice and a hacksaw that will probably do the job. Thanks guys! I'll get this amp cased properly yet.
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