Cutting down already installed pots

[samguaiana]

Hi there,

Very much not a DIYer but I’m wondering about cutting down already installed metal pots. I have two Neve clones I’m looking to put higher quality knobs on and the pots are too long for the CAPI Marconi knobs I ordered. Any advice/insight on how to do this without doing any damage to the pots?

Thank you!

 

[rock soderstrom]

Hi there,

Very much not a DIYer but I’m wondering about cutting down already installed metal pots. I have two Neve clones I’m looking to put higher quality knobs on and the pots are too long for the CAPI Marconi knobs I ordered. Any advice/insight on how to do this without doing any damage to the pots?

Thank you!

Dremel or any other rotation multi tool with a cutting disk will do this.

 

[TwentyTrees]

Another way I've found to cut down a metal shaft pot without utterly wrecking it, is a bolt cutter held in a vice. Extreme care needed, obviously, as the end will shoot off like a bullet!

Not sure how doable that would be if the pot is already installed though, you might accidentally put a lot of force in the wrong place. Not possible to just desolder the pots and install ones that would fit?

 

[metalockpick]

If you do use a rotary grinding tool (And the shaft end you wish to cut off held firmly in a metal vice), do it in several passes to insure the heat from cutting does not damage the pot.
If you can hold the shaft in the vice, a metal cutting handsaw with a fine tooth blade can work.

 

[Gold]

Definitely put the shaft and not the pot in the vise. I like to wrap some tape around where the shaft meets the bushing to prevent any debris from getting inside the housing. I like a rotary tool better than a bolt cutter but I have used both. The bolt cutter tends to deform the shaft.

 

[TwentyTrees]

The bolt cutter tends to deform the shaft.

Very good point.

 

[Tubetec]

Junior hacksaw with the shaft clamped in a vice is my way of doing it .
Tidy up any edges with a file after . profile the top of the shaft etc .
A bolt cutters I never tried , just sounds like a bad idea to me .

I have used an electrical snips to cut plastic pot shafts , but never with the pot mounted up because the force stands a good chance of doing damage .

A vice like you see below can be set with the jaws vertical to grab onto the end of a front panel mounted pot shaft , You support the workpiece with one hand ,hacksaw with the other , 30 seconds its job done with a clean finish ,
The cutting wheel idea is a nono for me also , its difficult to get a start and keep it from making a mess and your sending particals flying everywhere .

 

[rock soderstrom]

These are my favorite cut-off wheels. Works great even without a vise. I always do it this way, no problem.

https://www.amazon.de/Dremel-2-615-...36&hvtargid=pla-419918242062&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

 

[rock soderstrom]

its difficult to get a start and keep it from making a mess and your sending particals flying everywhere .

Make a small notch with a key file and you can start very precisely. The pot shaft is usually made of aluminum, the Dremel goes through like butter.

 

[Gold]

The cutting wheel idea is a nono for me also , its difficult to get a start and keep it from making a mess and your sending particals flying everywhere .
View attachment 112503

One could say the same thing about a hack saw. It’s hard to get it started without putting side shear force on the shaft. I have a mini hack saw which looks perfect for the job but I don’t like it. Too much force on the pot shaft.

I suppose it may come down to technique. I’m halfway decent with an angle grinder or rotary tool. I can keep them from bucking. Tape around the shaft and bushing keeps particles out.

 

[k brown]

I've always just used an Xacto razor saw, using mimum downward force, using time and patience instead.

 

[scott2000]

I've always just used an Xacto razor saw, using mimum downward force, using time and patience instead.

Nice....Never knew about these....

 

[KIDVOX]

Hold the shaft in a vice. Then as othets say "cut with a dremel type thing or fine saw"

 

[KIDVOX]

Forget that last ppst its already installed. Silly billy i never read the whole thread

 

[capacitor]

The best results I've had so far have been using a light duty project vise (plastic jaw inserts) and a SpeedClic cutoff tool like @rock soderstrom linked to, on a Dremel flex extension. This works for lots of things, including pot shafts that require trimming, and if one is careful, the cutoff tool disc is useful to shape/burnish the end results.

If you have a bit of extra time and/or patience, those Xacto razor saws look great though.

Edit: if one is creative, cushioning, positioning & supporting an already installed target using a project vise is definitely still feasible

 

[samguaiana]

I've always just used an Xacto razor saw, using mimum downward force, using time and patience instead.

This did it for the smaller pots! Thank you so much. I opted to leave the one longer pot as is and my red Marconi is a little further out, but it's not too bad and the unit looks great now!