strat pickup jig

[StarryNight]

I don't know if anyone else gets frustrated with putting strat bobbins together but I couldn't take it anymore and spent a little time with my milling machine. I came up with a pretty rough jig but so far it seems to work. I had some steel from one of those crappy plastic clamps that broke in about a week and went to work drilling holes to fit the rods so that they were nice and tight. Then I sawed the thing down the middle and on one side to make a hinge. The other side has a screw to clamp it down. Now I just place the rods in the jig, clamp it down and they all go straight in the bottom forbon with a little tap. I can keep the jig on the rods for the top forbon and press it over the rods with my mill (or drill press) and a hex drill extension bit. Remove and repeat!

If I had some 1/4" square rod I would have used that instead which would have saved me the hassle of slicing down the middle.

If anyone has some improvement ideas (or other jigs) feel free...

[David Schwab]

Nice work!

There was a version posted here that looked like a clothes pin that also served as a spacer.

[belwar]

I was going to start a thread on this the other day. I cannot figure out how to get magnets to go into the flatwork straight and stay straight after the top is put on them. Every bobbin I make comes out crooked and leaning to one side. Though Im just using a hammer on a flat surface. I understand an arbor press is supposed to be the shit but I dont get it yet. Can anyone illustrate how they put strat style bobbins together?

bel

[copperheadroads]

Here's something i made a couple of years ago from a sheet of 1/2" lexan

Just use a ready made bobbin as the template for the holes & a true drill press
start off with a solid one piece of lexan ,then drill all the holes needed then rip the piece in two (the cut should be centered in the middle of where the magnets will be)
then redrill the magnet holes after it is assembled

[belwar]

Can I ask when you get those eyelets? they look good

PS, thanks for the photos. The positioning pin idea was great

[copperheadroads]

The bobbins are just standard Mojo bobbins
eyelets here
Eyelets

[belwar]

They look way nicer than the stew mac eyelets. Do you find you have to file them much?

[copperheadroads]

I guess i should of taken some pics in action
I use this with my arbor press ,but a drill press works just fine to press the magnets in .
to press the magnets in straight i have a piece of "1/8 steel layed on the base of my press ,It's only purpose is to let the eyelets hang over the edge & keep the flatwork level (the eyelets on Mojo & most of the ready made are not flush with the flatwork )& if you don't compensate for this your magnets could get pressed in a little off vertical

[SonnyW]

I just use a neo magnet stuck to the ram of my arbor press. I press them in one at a time. The neo magnet holds the pickup magnets nice and square. My press is just one of the cheap ones from Harbor Freight. For me it works great - no frustrations.

Here's a photo.

[belwar]

I broke down and made a jig today on the CNC. Done from two 1" x 1/2" by 4.5" aluminum bar stock. Just used my drill press to push them in but it worked great. The only arbor press I have is a fret press and I dont want to take it apart. I even mounted the eyelet setter I have in the drill press and did the setting with that. Worked like a charm.

[Plucky]

They look way nicer than the stew mac eyelets. Do you find you have to file them much?

The mojo eyelets don't pass all the way through the bottoms, except on thinner bottoms like a tele neck.

[big_teee]

The mojo eyelets don't pass all the way through the bottoms, except on thinner bottoms like a tele neck.

I like how the Eyelets are already installed in the Mojo flatwork.
All the others, You have to install the Eyelets.
Terry

[FunkyKikuchiyo]

Another thumbs up for mojo eyelets - I switched over to them after trying them once. They're more robust than the stew-mac ones. I think I'd rather get a sampling from mouser or digikey and find something even better to be honest, but I've gotten used to the mojo ones so I'm sticking with them.

Great jig! The last time there was a thread on these, I had suggested that someone do a small batch and sell them. Many people here (myself included) would buy some, and it could be a good way to make some money off of that nice milling machine in so many garages right now.

[RedHouse]

Another thumbs up for mojo eyelets - I switched over to them after trying them once. They're more robust than the stew-mac ones. I think I'd rather get a sampling from mouser or digikey and find something even better to be honest, but I've gotten used to the mojo ones so I'm sticking with them.

Great jig! The last time there was a thread on these, I had suggested that someone do a small batch and sell them. Many people here (myself included) would buy some, and it could be a good way to make some money off of that nice milling machine in so many garages right now.

Ooops.

[jason lollar]

clam shell is a good idea.
I have used the hammer method for probably ten thousand strat type pickups and overseen trainees make many times over over ten thousand strat bobbins with a hammer and the trick is to will the magnet to go in straight- make the tools and materials do what you intend. its that simple.
About a year ago I modified a foot press so I can put all the magnets in at once with one step on a pedal, put the top plate on with some spacers for the coil height, hit it again and its assembled- perfectly straight every time and the coil spacing is exact every time. Doing it by hand- getting the magnets straight isnt that hard but getting the coil spacing exactly right and how far the magnets stick up- or how evenly- takes a little finesse or at the least some attention paid to what you are doing. That said some people really dont have the aptitude to work with tools- i have seen that a few times
Now with the foot press its like- clunk.............clunk
it use to be TAP TAP TAP TAP TAP TAPP TAPPP TAPPPPP TAPPPPPPPPP all day long!!!!