1520 plotter (was RE: Your VIC-20 is worth $300!!! W@W!)

That's fine and tedious job but you do get results. In old days nearly 120 years ago was done by hand for nearly 500 years on everything before mass production was developed. Tools were hand-made too! With good co-od hand, can make nearly anything. That's how I made few small parts by hand machining, cordless drill, few jeweller's files, small bent-nose pliers. I keep fitting the part in progress to the machine till completed. On wear surfaces, I buff smooth with brass wirebrush on dremel. But if you can find right size and right # of teeth pinion rod, buy it and slice a section and drill hole to size. Oh yeah, can make odd sized drill bits out of right size dia rods even my old jeweller's screwdrivers. Not of what I know of but this term applies, think of squirrel cage made of two discs w/ 7 holes, one for center, six for pins as "teeth". Was popular in clocks including cockoo clocks, classic wind up bed alarm clocks, and old timex bed clocks, late timex ones used junky pot die-cast metal to bind all the pins, axle and gear wheel together - cheap, cheap, cheesy cheap but effective. They hardly wear because the pins are usually loose and allowed to roll when gearing. Make a impression in hard clay and pour 24 hour epoxy or potting plastic in it. Drill CAREFULLY on the exact center when hardened. Regular epoxies doesn't bond to plastic at all that small, about good epoxy's job is with wood. They pop off on plastic and metal. You have to use commerical type epoxies made for chip-making types. That what they does work. Cheers, Wizard