Hacking a MagSwitch (the magnet, not the switch)

[Roger Feeley]

You know those spiffy mag switches where you turn a magnet off and on with a knob. I have a project in mind for some but I need a different kind of knob. I want to know if anyone out there has seen a magswitch without the knob. Maybe you have broken one or (better yet), you had some application where you needed to remove the knob for a special project of your own.

I have two questions before I go destroy one of these things:

1. What's the best way to get the knob off of a magswitch without wrecking it?
2. What does the shaft look like under there?

I do have a metal lathe and plan to turn my own knobs so I can handle a lot. But I sure would like to know what I am getting myself into.

[Ron Natalie]

It might look like what they show in their patent: http://www.google.com/patents?id=nFm...LOGY+WORLDWIDE

[Roger Feeley]

Thanks for the good idea. I looked at the drawings and they don't bear much resemblance to the current production magjig. But it was great to see how these things work. It gives me an idea of what's inside.