Metal fader knobs?

The Lounge General Discussion
#1

I’ve been known to “upgrade” the my pots. And when I do, I sometimes get aluminum knobs instead of plastic. I like the heft of them for some applications.

Now I’m looking at upgrading some faders, and I’d really like to give them more weight by replacing their knobs with something metal. But while there are, like, 80 suppliers of aluminum knobs for pots, I can’t find anything but plastic ones for faders. Is it just a bad idea? Too expensive to manufacture? Or am I just looking in all the wrong places?

#3

My guess is the Galvanic Series is at fault.

Fader shafts are usually (always?) metal, but pot shafts are often plastic. Aluminum caps on steel shafts will form a battery and slowly corrode / weld together. Or very rapidly at your beach house / resort bungalow.

There are 3d print on demand services that will make small objects in unit quantities. Many offer a metal print option. A quick search brings up a ton of 3d print models of fader caps.

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#4

God, I love this forum. Thanks!

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#5

There’s a new MIDI controller from a company in Berlin called MIDIQUE.

I can’t tell for sure if the fader caps are stainless steel too ( or metal of any sort ), like the rotary knobs, but at least they look like they are. The price seems pretty good, all things considered as well.

Perhaps either they’d sell the fader caps, or there is a source for metal fader caps somewhere. ( Assuming they really are metal.

Here’s a Gearnews article on the KNTRL9.

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#6

I’m sure some digital desks used metallic caps in order to detect if their motorised faders were being pushed by a fleshy digit (Sony DMX R100?) - has that approach fallen out of favour?

#7

All the touch-sensitive faders I’ve ever used have had plastic caps with metalic-looking paint on them. Maybe the paint is conductive enough for their purposes? Or maybe they sense touch in some other way? I’m not sure.

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#8

Defo conductive - way back i remember a story involving such a desk at an outside broadcast (BBC songs of praise) and they happened to be wearing gloves…a bit of panic as they pushed the faders up and nothing happened.

Conductive paint, may well be, would make them lighter and get around the whole corrosion thing.

Just found a review for the r100 and it mentions metalised faders.

#9

Am wondering what the chase bliss cxm 1978 uses. Even if only metalised the look like they’d have good feel.

#10

Those are specifically what I’m looking to replace. Unlike everything else on the device, they’re super cheap an plasticy. Makes me sad every time I touch them.