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What material to make shifter handle?

markz528

Hot Rolled
Joined
Sep 25, 2012
Location
Cincinnati
For my anal 65 Fury 2 door cop car restoration with a 3 on the tree standard, I can't buy a handle and need to make it. It needs to be shiney plastic.

I made 3 of them (was practicing) out of black polycarbonate and over time (from hours to months) all 3 cracked/split. The handle is pressed on to the shaft which has 2 nubs sticking out. The first ones cracked almost immediately in the are of the nubs, so I made it a looser fit. That seemed to have solved the problem.

Gave the best one to the restoration shop and after a few months it totally split in an area not near the nubs. All 3 show some evidence of cracking.

I tried making it out of Delrin, but it does not appear that Delrin can be polished to a good shine.

Anyone have any suggestions for a different material?

Unfortunately don't have pictures of the cracks readily available, but here is a picture of an original one.

IMG_1294.jpg
 
I found a picture of 2 that I made. Left one was a good one that I made and right is one already showing signs of cracking. The left one ultimately cracked also after a few months.

IMG_2074.jpg
 
Black Delrin can be polished, but it should be machined with sharp tooling to as clean a finish as possible to begin with.

Can it be polished to a high degree (not sure of the proper terminology)? When I tried to polish the Delrin, I got it to shine but it was still a dullish black not like the results of the polycarbonate.
 
Cool to have a C body with a three on the tree...

I'd use metal and get it coated in Teflon black. To hell with plastic lol. Or better yet, use bone or horn.
 
Ebonized fruitwood. Apple or pear is what i think they used to veneer old Engish ebonized clock cases.
 
I wonder if the original was molded in place over the shaft. this would greatly reduce stress and the possibility of cracking. maybe bore it to a slip fit and fill with epoxy to install.
 
Yes, I am pretty sure the orignals were molded on the handle.

The more I think about this, the more I like my bone/horn idea. While metal is usually better, in this case the coldness can be less than inviting. Most larger cities have a zoo that should provide an ample source for a variety of exotic horn. You only need a little.
 
Agree these things would have been moulded in place from some sort of thermoplastic resin. A completely routine process back in notes day. These days folk making similar control levers claim to use acetal resin based (POM) technopolymer, what ever that might be, and similar compounds.

Bakelite and other phenolic resins are still used for highly polished knobs. If the knob is separate from the shaft rather than formed in place it is said that you must use a threaded insert. Cast phenolic resin can be polished after mating to a high finish. I imagine that the ultra fine abrasive papers could be used these days rather than the pumice stone most older references call for.

Clive
 
polycarbonate is allergic to gasoline and other such things, which will cause it to crack

what did you use for cutting fluid?

make it out of anything and paint it gloss black and clear it
 
I thought about ABS when I first read the OP ... but then I remembered that ABS breaks down fairly rapidly in UV. I think. Whether or not there would be enough UV getting through the car windows is another question.

I think black ABS is probably OK

Well, hey I just made a black ABS shield to cover a ldpe tank that the sun eats up, so I guess I will find out
 
Dont press them on to the shaft, it seems the constant pressure will crack it no mater how light the press fit. Use some sort of epoxy in an oversize hole and your cracking troubles should be over. You might even cast the entire handle in place black epoxy?
 








 
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