Koalia,

Would you post a few more pictures of your 5 spd shift knob as in your post #30 but straight on to the knob instead of at a slight angle? The distance from the shift knob in post #30 I think is good to make an artwork that might have shadows though a straight on picture should make the "shadows" show up balanced.

Thanks,

Mike

Hi all,

I just stumbled onto this post in my search for a genuine(-ish?) gear knob.

Having been through all the options mentioned in this post. I had already planned to make one too.

I thought I would offer my suggestion to this post for your opinions.

I intend to buy a genuine genuine 4 speed knob and fit a reproduction pattern badge to it.

My idea for the badge is to use a piece of clear plastic and engrave it on a CNC router (I have ordered a Chinese made one for other purposes). This would allow an accurate reproduction of the raised letters and shapes.

I would then paint it as shown in my diagram below.

To finish it off I would attach a clear dome or watch crystal.

A quick search on eBay shows lots of inexpensive watch glass and acrylic domes.

(eg. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/LOW-DOME-WATCH-CRYSTALS-28mm-33-8mm-acrylic-plastic-replacement-glass-crystal-/190694625053?pt=UK_Jewellery_Watches_WatchAccessories_SpareParts_SM&var=&hash=item721ae1dc50#ht_2633wt_906)

Like Mike, I would also like to see some more pictures of Koalia's knob:ermm:.

Hopefully one of us will get this right and we can all get a good result.

Cheers

Ian

If you have a CNC router - you would just start with a thick piece of clear acrylic - cut the pattern in the bottom - and cut/form the dome on the top.

FWIW,

Carl B.

GongZ,

Here is a snapshot of the eBay listing for the acrylic watch dome to make this thread longer lasting. Great idea on using a router! Nice graphic showing the process of making a map.

Mike

Edited October 27, 201212 yr by Mikes Z car

Hi all,

My idea for the badge is to use a piece of clear plastic and engrave it on a CNC router (I have ordered a Chinese made one for other purposes). This would allow an accurate reproduction of the raised letters and shapes.

Cheers

Ian

This has been my plan from day1-just as Carl said-cut from one thick piece of Acrylic-just waiting on tiny(I mean seriously small-I believe they are being made specifically for me) router bits to make the corners of the numbers sharp instead of rounded. I want it to look exactly right, not "good enough".

If that does not work, I will use my cnc milling machine to mill a mold in some fortal, and cast them.

Pocket cutting always gives the inside "corners" of the pockets the radius of the tool used to cut the pocket-instead of a sharp corner-doing the final cuts with a fine diameter tool will lower that radius-hopefully to unnoticeable, but fine milling plastic with such a small bit may not give acceptable results-even with good sized bits plastic likes to melt/burn with high speed tools.

In the alternate method I can get as sharp an edge as I want on a corner, while it will still be pocket cutting, the areas that need to be sharp have room for crossing cuts to produce sharp(er) edges.

FWIW

Will

Edited November 5, 201212 yr by hls30.com

I purchased one of those fat shiny knobs but it just doesn't feel good in my hand and when I saw this thread I got an idea.

Found an old metric bolt that fit it, cut off the head mounted it in the drill press. Using a coarse file and 4 different grades of sand paper brought it down to this, not really original looking but much more comfortable and I can see and feel the wood grain now.

Nice job..... and with primitive tools!

Dennis

I wonder if it'd be simpler/better to have the shift map stamped in metal. No worries about it breaking, could be painted to owner's taste, and topped with the watch bevel or a clear filler.

http://www.universalmarking.com/dies.html

http://www.pryormarking.com/marking-products/engraved-dies/embossing-a-debossing-dies.html

Hi again all,

Firstly, I take all of your points WIll. I have only just received my (faulty so far) CNC machine, so I have nil experience with milling plastics .

I look forward to hearing how your experiments proceed.

On a related issue;

Does anyone have an original 'skinny' 4 or 5 speed knob and an accurate way of measuring the wood section?

I bought a new "Genuine Nissan" 4 speed shift knob and I would like to either reshape this knob (using grannyknot's clever drill press approach) or make a new wood section.

This diagram shows what I (and others I assume) would like to have measurements for.

I hope someone can help out.

Cheers

Ian

Hi again all,

Firstly, I take all of your points WIll. I have only just received my (faulty so far) CNC machine, so I have nil experience with milling plastics .

I look forward to hearing how your experiments proceed.

On a related issue;

Does anyone have an original 'skinny' 4 or 5 speed knob and an accurate way of measuring the wood section?

I bought a new "Genuine Nissan" 4 speed shift knob and I would like to either reshape this knob (using grannyknot's clever drill press approach) or make a new wood section.

This diagram shows what I (and others I assume) would like to have measurements for.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]58336[/ATTACH]

I hope someone can help out.

Cheers

Ian

Ian-G'day Mate!

If no one beats me to it I'll measure and post all of it later today. I moved my Mill/Drill/Lathe last weekend, and still have a healthy amount of putting it back together and recalibrating to do to bring it operational-and with the heart of the holidays here, I don't know how much time I'll have to put into this over the next 35 days. I have had several knobs disassembled waiting for me to get time-it looks like I am still time challenged-so I will take the measurements and post them for you.

My intention was to restore used, original knobs by replacing /refinishing what needed it, and keeping what didn't-a properly restored piece is more valuable to me than an all new reproduction.

I don't think making everything new represents any challenge-other than actually matching the original wood species.

I planned to have two sift knobs for my Z-one restored original, and one original knob resto-modded with the metal emblem from a later knob.

Will

Edited November 30, 201212 yr by hls30.com

I found my original notes on this!

There is a little variation between the three examples I originally measured, but middle measurements are:

W1 1.510"

W2 1.095"

W3 1.061"

H1 1.755"

H2 1.225"

I measured the insert as well if you need it.

Will

and one original knob resto-modded with the metal emblem from a later knob.

That's pretty much what I ended up with. One thing to watch for is that the metal cloisonné style maps are a little smaller in diameter than the plastic ones. That's the reason for the flat ring at the top of my knob. I modeled my wood just like the original wood knobs, but with the shift map smaller, you end up with a narrow flat. If the map were slightly larger in diameter, then the flat width would be reduced:

It doesn't bother me and I didn't even realize it until I went back through this thread and looked at the other five speed knobs.

The point is, that if you're trying to put the cloisonné map into an older knob, you'll have to deal with the moat around the edge where the new map rattles around in the larger opening.