Chopping off a piece of a pot?
Jan 30, 2010 at 7:14 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 17

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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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Jan 30, 2010 at 7:29 PM Post #2 of 17
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.
 
Jan 30, 2010 at 7:40 PM Post #3 of 17
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.
 
Jan 30, 2010 at 9:21 PM Post #5 of 17
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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Jan 30, 2010 at 9:23 PM Post #6 of 17
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.
 
Jan 30, 2010 at 9:35 PM Post #7 of 17
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).

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Sam
 
Jan 30, 2010 at 10:50 PM Post #8 of 17
Jan 31, 2010 at 2:30 AM Post #11 of 17
replace it with a better knob.
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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.
 
Jan 31, 2010 at 4:17 AM Post #12 of 17
Quote:

Originally Posted by ujamerstand /img/forum/go_quote.gif
replace it with a better knob.
wink.gif
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.
 
Jan 31, 2010 at 5:16 AM Post #13 of 17
Quote:

Originally Posted by fordgtlover /img/forum/go_quote.gif
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.
 
Jan 31, 2010 at 5:46 AM Post #14 of 17
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.
 
Jan 31, 2010 at 6:48 AM Post #15 of 17
Quote:

Originally Posted by ziplock /img/forum/go_quote.gif
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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