Removing schaller buttons

[markishandsome]

So what's everyone's favorite way of getting the schaller mother of toilet seat buttons off of their shafts? Hammer and ice pick? Acetone bath? Good yank? Is there any danger of damaging the machines?

[Gail Hester]

Stewmac has a reference sheet that describes the method I use, namely heating the shaft with a soldering iron and they slide right off.

http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/I-4004.html

[markishandsome]

Would a heat gun work?

[Paul Hostetter]

Since I am certain I'll never need them again, I eschew heat and chemicals and simply cut a short slot parallel to the shaft inside the button with a jeweler's saw and nip the things off. They give up without much of a struggle.

[markishandsome]

Thanks Gail and Paul. I went with the heat gun and it worked like a charm. Any ideas on creative shop uses for the discarded buttons? One note to anyone trying this: the little knurled barrel thing between the button and the worm is free to fall off the shaft once the button is removed! I took one set out of the vise to examine the nude shafts and one fell off and rolled under the bench!

[Hans]

I just crack them off with an end nipper. Can't see any use for them except dust pan practice.

[Shayne Black]

What buttons are a good replacement for the Schallers?

[markishandsome]

I was gonna make some wooden ones.

[Bernie Daniel]

I started with a new set of Schallers.

I used the clip'em off method with a metal cutter to remove original peal-colored buttons;

Next I cut the shafts off at various lenghts to simulate the pattern found on the early F2/F4 mandos,

Then I used a grinder to square-off the ends of the shafts to give the epoxy something to grip to, and then

Epoxied (clear, high strength) on some ivory-colored buttons from StewMac,

These tuners have worked well for 6 months -- no slippage --and they look decent.

[Bernie Daniel]

Sorry here is the front view.

[Jerry Byers]

Any ideas on creative shop uses for the discarded buttons?

You could drill a hole in the end and then string 'em up on an old E string. Twist the ends of the string together and you've got yourself an immunity necklace - use it the next time somebody accuses you of playing a 'little guitar'.

[markishandsome]

I think they'll end up in my bike spokes.