I had some time between coats while painting the kitchen (gag) and decided to try to fix my original oil pressure gauge. I know they're not all that expensive but I like to bring original pieces back to life when it's feasible. This one had about two-thirds of the needle broken off and was left in the remnants of the cluster when everything was painted OD green. I flushed and oiled the movement and it still worked so I cut a sliver of .005” brass shim stock for a new needle. In order to stiffen it, I broke a small crease length-wise in the same profile as the original needle and soldered it to the remaining stub, then painted it flat black. I painted the face with Duplicolor T229 silver, which looked to me to match the other gauges pretty dang close, and applied one of Darryl Lennane's decals. Those things really stick and it was tough trying to work it under the needle without it sticking to everything along the way! I'm sure the time to apply them is before the needle is installed but I didn't want to push my luck and try to pull the needle off. Anyhow, I lucked out and got it in place and I think it turned out pretty decent! The splice on the needle will be hidden by the faceplate. This all sounds more time-consuming than it really was and it was kind of fun to revive the old gauge. In any case, it sure beats the heck out of painting kitchen walls!
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