Help fixin' an old DeArmond volume pedal

[RD Bennett]

Hey everyone. I obtained this very old DeArmond / Rowe Industries volume pedal along with a steel I just bought. It's one of the very early ones that don't have a model number anywhere and have a hardwired output cable. I'd like to give it to a friend who is trying to get into lap steel but still needs a volume pedal.






Unfortunately the pedal is not keeping good contact with the bolt-on sprocket on the pot, as pictured below. The geared / toothed arm coming off the pedal is directly interfaced with the sprocket; it is frequently slipping out of mesh with the pot as the pedal travels, even under no actual foot-load (operating by hand). I've adjusted the positioning of the pot and sprocket to no avail.




Obviously from the pic, everything in here also needs a good cleaning, but I really don't think that's gonna solve the problems with the meshing. I don't see any damage on any of the teeth.

I'm guessing this may be an issue with the spring that applies pressure to the toothed arm that presses against the volume pot - it is still pressing in the right direction to get it to mesh with the vol pot, but maybe not quite hard enough.

Has anyone dealt with getting one of these back to proper operation and/or can suggest a fix?

Thank you!

[Erv Niehaus]

I started out playing with a volume pedal like that and I still have it.
I haven't looked at it in a long time but I would suggest a stronger spring.
Erv

[RD Bennett]

Erv, yeah, that's what I was thinking. I'm not totally clear on how I can try to replace it yet, but I think that may be the crux of the issue. With your "stock" unit (and I know it's collecting dust), did you ever have this problem with maintaining engagement on the sprocket? Thanks for jumping in!

[Erv Niehaus]

No, I never had that problem.
I really liked that old pedal.
I started out using it with a Gibson lap steel.
Erv

[Bruce Derr]

Also try turning the pot shaft by hand to make sure it turns easily. A hard-to-turn shaft could conceivably cause the gear rack to slip on the pinion.

[Tim Whitlock]

Also try turning the pot shaft by hand to make sure it turns easily. A hard-to-turn shaft could conceivably cause the gear rack to slip on the pinion.

Good advice. Many old pots are sticky and often times a shot of electronics cleaner/lube will clean them up nicely so they offer much less resistance to the turning mechanism.

I had the same issue with my Dearmond Vol/Tone pedal. I think mine was a later model and it had nylon or plastic gears which had worn down. So it didn't mesh well with the sprocket and there were no replacement parts available. I ended up selling it to a Japanese rockabilly kid who thought he could fix it. Yours having metal parts might be salvaged with some ingenuity. Good luck!

[Scott Duckworth]

If you need a gear or rack, see

https://www.amplifiedparts.com/search/n ... B0%5D=2951

[Stephen Cowell]

Cry-Baby wah pedals put a nylon P-clamp against the rack... it would involve drilling a hole in your wah case, but would ensure that the rack never gets free. I believe this is the industry standard way to implement a rack drive in a pedal. Lube it thoroughly of course.

[Jim Bates]

I agree with Tim, and also use some pliers to bend spring in so it increases force to contact gear. Use some white lithium grease on gears help quieten any noise.

When Hank Thompson and his band were in my home town (Clinton, Oklahoma), in the mid 50's, I was visiting with Bob White while he was tuning his steel before show started, AND the string on his Bigsby volume pedal broke. I chimed in and said I live about five minutes from here and I'll go get my volume pedal. You can use it. I brought it back, and he used it for whole show/dance. It was my DeArmond pedal with gears. He said it worked fine.

(It was the original smaller size with metal treads. Still use it when I play standup Fender T-3.)

Thanx,
Jim