H960 blank panel clips

[John Wilson]

On Mon, Jul 27, 2015 at 11:58:36AM -0400, Noel Chiappa wrote:
>Saw this auction for a pair of H960 blank front panel clips:
>
>  http://www.ebay.com/itm/391207099375
>
>and though I'd pick them up... until they went for $30 (including shipping),at
>which point I decided I'd go back to my previous plan to fabricate some out of
>some scrap wood, and a pair of screws.
>
>Time to find someone who can do injection molding... (I don't think these
>could be 3D printed, the necks of the bulb-heads are under a lot of stress
>when removing panels, they often snap off; will 3D printed parts be that
>strong?)

This is a great idea!  I feel bad for never getting around to investigating
injection molding, since it seems to be one of the few surviving industries
(that and making wire) here in Western Mass., and I'd love to be able to
fix (or build from scratch?) lights-'n-switches front panels.  I only got
far enough to find that there are eBay vendors who will make molds for you.

The only thing here is, it's a *terrible* design.  Those damn nubs snap
off so easily (I'm sure decades of outgassing haven't helped), even when
you're expecting it and being super careful.  Making more of the same seems
like just more heartbreak.  So I'd be inclined to do a better design where
the posts are made of metal (or at least have a screw or stud through them
for extra strength).

Anyway I too would be willing to buy $100 or so worth, as long as that
translates to a semi-useful qty of them (yeah, more than six), to help make
up a bulk order.  I suppose China's the way to go, although I'd really
prefer to support the guys who haven't been outsourced yet (and my fantasy
is that the EPA or European equiv keeps domestic companies on a short leash
so they're greener, but I'm probably kidding myself).

John Wilson
D Bit