Stupid Rookie Mistake

[ssenesy]

So, my S.E.X came in the mail the other day and after a quick parts inventory, I got to building.

I painted the power transformer bell end, and figured the plate choke frames (PC-3) would look really good with a hammered pewter finish.  Thus my goof - I started to remove one of the plate frames BEFORE reading the forums that this is a really bad idea.  I immediately stopped, but I did exert some force on one side to pry the frame away from the primary.

Is there any way to check/measure the chokes (all I have is a volt/ohm meter) to see if it's still good, or should I just call Bottlehead and order a couple of replacements?

Thanks in advance.

Stan Senesy

[Doc B.]

If the lamination stack looks undisturbed it's probably OK. What can happen is the I lams in the choke can shift relative to the E lams, messing up the gap dimension. That can change the inductance of the choke, and you would need an inductance bridge to check it. As long as you didn't pull the channel frame off completely you are probably OK.

[ssenesy]

Thanks Doc for the quick reply.  I'm noticing a gap in the stack on the end, but am not sure if that was there before I attempted my surgery.  I've attached a pic.

[Doc B.]

If it's just that outside lam it's not a big deal.

[jbarnhardt]

FYI it's a little time consuming but not too hard to tape off the rest of the choke structure (everything except the frame you want to paint) with blue tape and then you can easily spray paint it. That's what I did and it turned out great. A way to still get your hammered pewter finish without removing the frames. Enjoy, it's a really enjoyable kit to build.

-John

[mcandmar]

Thats what i did too, you can actually get the tape to slide in under the sides of the outer frame so you have a nice clean edge.

[ssenesy]

Thanks everyone.  This has been very informative.

I've got the painters tape out and I'm masking things off right now 

[debk]

Stan

I don't know what choke is in the SEX kit, but if you damaged it I may have one at home you can have.
Email me if you want me to look at what I have.

Deb

[Adrian]

Ditto on the masking off and then painting - takes patience but works great.

For my units I paint the top plate, install the hardware. mask what I don't want to paint, and then paint again.

[JamieMcC]

Another easy option is vinyl wrap I covered the chokes on my Sex with some as a easy way of matching my carbon top plate. Six months on it shows no signs of coming off. 

(https://forum.bottlehead.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.head-fi.org%2F0%2F04%2F900x900px-LL-040bc7d5_036.jpeg&hash=aecff419db9ddb9a94399228f66f5f231d84fa88)

[debk]

nice!

[ssenesy]

Thanks Deb.  I think I should be ok but I appreciate the help.

 JamieMcC, I love the carbon-fiber look.  I agree, wraps are a great way to go.  I've used them a lot in some non-electronic projects that I've done. 

Stan