After the unfaithful Swiss technician tried thieving my C37 and I brought it home only thanking two loyal hood Swiss friends ( Jürg and Walter), I carefully checked the machine when again safely in my hands and some sought-after and pricey E283CC and E188CC tubes were gone - stolen! - and same happened with the T shaped tool placed under the tape-heads cover… also stolen!
The original still in-place, at the Swiss workshop (2018)
I shopped around for the premium tubes needed, but the tool was - WAS - unobtanium.
Thanks to my tape-machines technician who asked to a very, very, very famous Italian artist studio-manager - who also own and use a well-kept C37 - the humble tool on loan to be back-engineered.
After a couple of weeks and 12 man-hour lathing, cutting, polishing and punching, the missing part was revived and finally re-installed in the elastic holder in the heads block.
Switzerland 🇨🇭 0 - Italy 🇮🇹. 1
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P.S. - I made some more of these tools for friends in my same situation… if interested please contact me 🤟🎶🤟