So.
I have had the 19b in my hands for about a week now and I haven't been able to stop tinkering with the dang thing since I opened the package. Mostly it has been little tweaks here and there- mostly on the switch. I tried my hardest to get decent quality pics so I apologize to the macro and lighting snobs now.
Once I got the switch apart and decided I didn't want to keep the magnet, the challenge began. I ended up shredding the magnet entirely and finally ended up with the button clamped in a vise, cold-chiseling the Magnet frags out of the switch cup (yes, there is an easier way but it gave me an excuse to use that tiny little chisel in my set. And hammers are fun too.)
Once I got the switch pin cleaned up, I started to think about what I should use to replace the magnet. Some members I have read about using a brass screw or nut to fill the void, but no. Simple is not me, and the handle of the hammer was still warm soooooo-
I dug up an old piece of brass round stock and thought that with the right amount of brute force and finesse, I could whip SOMEthing up.
As pictured below, I started with the stock and cut off a thickness about 3/16". Using my handy dandy hammer and anvil, I flattened the disk out until it was a tad larger than the original magnet. Using a fine file, I slowly worked around the edges making sure to keep it as round as possible and not file too much at once. Thickness was of no concern at this point. Once the replacement contact was a hair larger than the cup in the switch pin, I inserted both into the vise and pressed (carefully) the new contact into the cup in place of the magnet. No glue, just good old-fashioned force and friction.
Once I had the switch pin set, it was only a matter of filing down to the proper clearance to fire the
mod with the shortened
throw (if you so choose) which brought me to the next step.
I saw videos and read posts about using an o-ring to shorten the
throw and it seemed like an easy enough fix, so I tried. Hated it. The already wobbly switch seemed to get more wobbly and it occurred to me that it was just sloppy all over. The best fix I could find was to get a piece of heavy plastic and cut it to the size of the inner well on the delrin. This not only shortens the throw, but gives the switch pin a tighter fit inside the delrin and the wobble is gone. Switch pin upside-down in the delrin to show the fit:
And alone:
Right then. With the throw shortened and the switch de-wobbled, I swapped the spring with one I had lying around- nothing fancy and who wants to see spring pictures anyhow, right?
My last problem was the hot, sparky button. It was my understanding from reading and such that the big issue was the point of contact between the switch button and the body of the mod itself. As luck would have it, I found some thin copper flashing that I had been saving for such an occasion and I cut a ring that fit snugly against the Locking ring so that the button would have sure contact when depressed. Looks ugly but haven't had a misfire, hot button or *bzzzzzt* yet:
The copper "washer" serves a bit of dual-purpose for me, because I couldn't stand that the button needed to be pushed all the way up into the locking ring to fire. My sensitive pinky didn't agree with the edge. By adding the washer and balancing out the throw, the switch fires without having to fully depress, thus not needing to press it entirely into the locking ring to fire. Hoping that makes sense....
So that was my week of tinkering in a nutshell- I spent a little time on the POS nzonic cap- flushed the 510, ditched the spring and cut a groove into the existing post so that it could still be used and truly adjusted, but that wasn't as much fun as the switch.
In summation- it is an awesome mod for a great price and I had zero guilt about ripping it apart within 30 minutes of opening the package. With a little work, it can hang with the best. I'm finding it hard to resist the urge to find a laser-etching place to finish it up for me. This should do nicely.....
)
