2018-10-11 (Th) 6-32 External Threads to 8-32 Internal Threads COMPLETED

I found some old switches at the local surplus store and the motion and feel of them was really quality but they seemed needlessly long so they were inexpensive. That isn't the point though. The point is that they had a threaded lever on one end and the threads were imperial 6-32 and standard knobs for cabinet and drawer hardware is 8-32. In other words, the hole in the knob was too big for the shaft of the switch. I didn't want to pay for shipping on 6-32 knobs so I decided to try to mate the parts despit their differences. Since they used the same thread spacing, it was possible.

A length of bare wire was cut and added to the materials. I chose a simple knob to match the switch.

Fancy switch, drawer knob, and wire

The wire was coiled around the threaded shaft so that it went between the threads and essentially enlarged the shaft. It was easy to wrap since the troughs of the threads provided a channel for the wire.

Switch with wire wrapped around it

The wire was trimmed at the tip and left long at the base. After that, the knob was twisted onto the threads as though it were meant for that shaft. There was some friction and it probably mangled the wire inside but it was not meant to be repeatable. Once attached, the wire at the base was trimmed short.

Trimming the spare wire

In operation, the tiny bit of wire still sticking out from between the threads should not be visible at all. This seemed to be a fine hack and cheaper than ordering specialty knobs.

Finished switch with knob

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2018-09-12

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