Clasic Key on Black Slate

This classic straight Morse key was hand made from steel and mounted on a thick slate base. The slate was salvaged from a skip just down the road from my house where a builder was renovating a property. The builder very kindly allowed me to help myself to various offcuts.

The steel has been corrosion protected by the old traditional toolmaker's method of oil blackening, which gives the steel a bluish-black patina that complements well the textured black surface of the heavy slate base. 

Tension and contact gap are adjustable via a spring and thumbscrews. The precision bearings are taken from old computer hard drives.

All the knurled thumb screws were made on my new Clark CL300M mini late which I am very pleased with. 

Because of the materials used, this morse key has the look and feel of an industrial bygone era.

Below are pictures of its construction: