firstorbit84
New member
After realizing there's no dead pedal and reading through Papasonics thread, I decided to make my own dead pedal.
However, I wanted mine to be a little fancier than the basic rubber mat. So I went to lowes and got a 6"x18" piece of sheet aluminum for $10, and then I got the same Reese sure step rubber mats from walmart that Papasonic used. Total spent ~$18.
I already had some velcro and the tin snips though. the velcro is the industrial strength one from wal-mart for about $8 like this:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Velcro-Industrial-Strength-Tape-Black-5/17190465,
it may also be available in a 3-pack of 4 inch strips for a bit cheaper in some stores (but I couldn't find it when I went back to check). The tin snips are the ones from harbor freight for about $7 like these:
http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/snips/heavy-duty-straight-cut-aviation-tin-snips-90718.html
I also had the insulation that I used to finish the edge and the electrical tape to hold it on. so these would probably be another couple bucks if you needed to get them. Total if you needed to get everything would be closer to $35.
First I made a template from cardboard and then cut out the aluminum using tin snips, and bent one side over using wood, pliers and light hammer:
Note: I found a couple better methods to bend this since then, that I will share soon.
Then I found out that I had some heavy duty velcro-brand velcro that stuck well to the carpeting, so I used the rest of what I had to cover the back of the aluminum plate:
I also took a bit of insulation from a wire and cut it down the middle to cap off the curved edge and taped it on with electrical tape.
Finally, I cut the rubber mat (kinda difficult to do in a straight line) so that it fit the aluminum:
Note: you may want to do this on the back with a straight razor first.
And then final installation took about 10 seconds: I just popped it in and pressed down firmly.
Finished product:
However, I wanted mine to be a little fancier than the basic rubber mat. So I went to lowes and got a 6"x18" piece of sheet aluminum for $10, and then I got the same Reese sure step rubber mats from walmart that Papasonic used. Total spent ~$18.
I already had some velcro and the tin snips though. the velcro is the industrial strength one from wal-mart for about $8 like this:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Velcro-Industrial-Strength-Tape-Black-5/17190465,
it may also be available in a 3-pack of 4 inch strips for a bit cheaper in some stores (but I couldn't find it when I went back to check). The tin snips are the ones from harbor freight for about $7 like these:
http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/snips/heavy-duty-straight-cut-aviation-tin-snips-90718.html
I also had the insulation that I used to finish the edge and the electrical tape to hold it on. so these would probably be another couple bucks if you needed to get them. Total if you needed to get everything would be closer to $35.
First I made a template from cardboard and then cut out the aluminum using tin snips, and bent one side over using wood, pliers and light hammer:
Note: I found a couple better methods to bend this since then, that I will share soon.
Then I found out that I had some heavy duty velcro-brand velcro that stuck well to the carpeting, so I used the rest of what I had to cover the back of the aluminum plate:
I also took a bit of insulation from a wire and cut it down the middle to cap off the curved edge and taped it on with electrical tape.
Finally, I cut the rubber mat (kinda difficult to do in a straight line) so that it fit the aluminum:
Note: you may want to do this on the back with a straight razor first.
And then final installation took about 10 seconds: I just popped it in and pressed down firmly.
Finished product:
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