Status: RARE. Nine known in collections. Bernard Breedlove was an industrial machinest, inventor, and telegrapher. He developed this right-angle bug design in 1951. One day a telegrapher friend of mine asked me to identify an odd key for him, and this was it. He told me he had been given it by his "Elmer" in 1952 when he had passed his General exam at ten years of age. At that time it was an unfinished prototype that had been sent to his Elmer to try out, and so as a boy he had spray painted it, albeit poorly, and later replaced it with the more desirable Vibroplex. he tossed the key into his junk box where it remained for over fifty years.

I explained to my friend that while it was rumored some 200 of these had been made and sold in either Australia or Europe, none had ever surfaced. Exactly seven of these hand-made keys were known in collections today. He asked me if I would restore it for him, and make it usable again. I agreed. My price was to use the key for a few months after restoring it before returning it to him.

The key arrived in a non-functioning condition. My first mission was to disassemble it, understand the mechanism, and assess the job. My second mission was to find photographs of what it was supposed to look like. Lastly, I also found photo-copies of the original instructions that went with the key.

And my last research effort found Mr. Breedlove himself, alive and well in North Carolina, licensed as N4BKR. Unfortunately he was 94 years old at the time, and had lost most of his memory. Here you see the key apart, and the mechanism dislayed.

I cleaned all the parts, replaced the rotted connecting wires, and sanded off the spray paint he had put on the key as a boy. I obtained some wonderful crinkling spray paint that worked like a charm! I also made new finger pieces from Central american Cocobola, a relative of African Ebony. i copied the shape of the original ones.

The next challenge was to find white lettering and apply it simulating the original painted markings. I used press-on letters, and lightly sprayed over them with a clear protective coating that is essentially invisible.

The last trick was something like the ship-in-a-bottle game, getting the mechanism inside the closed tube. It required more than one try!

The final outcome was very satisfying. I returned the key to its owner in time for that year's, FOC Bug Night, New Year's Eve. But I have to admit to a tear of disappointment to not be using it myself.

Time to ship, but what packing would be suitable? Only one thing to do. Make a shipping/storage/carrying case for it. I found an almost perfect fitting cigar box. With a little encouragement, the box became a form-fitting home for the eighth known codetrol.