So this blog will be the chronicling of my PKE meter build from a red Iona Shoe Polisher model SP-1. It will be mostly a step by step process of cleaning up the Iona Polisher and getting it ready for electronics.

So this is what I started with:




The first few things to do with the Iona was to fill in the bottom of the handle, where the power supply used to plug into. I cut 2 pieces of .125" styrene to fit into the base then filled it with plumber's putty.



I also made sure to reinforce the rear of the handle with more plumber's putty to make sure when I was sanding, if I broke through, I still had something there to hold the handle together.

Then I proceeded to sand down the rear handle. The point is to sand the ridges on the handle flush with the rest of the handle.



I am probably going to go another round of sanding to get it more flush.

Next, I cut off the cone that the polishing fittings would connect to the polisher and cut another piece of styrene to plug the hole. I super glued the styrene plug in there.


I then backed it with more plumber's putty to fill any holes and to add more substance to the hole plug. At this point, I also filled the center screw hole on the handle and cut out the vent on the rear side of the handle for the knob.

Then all that was left was to filling and sanding until everything was nice and smooth. After I was done filling and sanding, I then cut the wholes for the wings. The holes need to be 3.5" x 0.25" on either side of the polisher. I lined them up with masking tape while comparing with reference material on the actual prop.




Also note that on the side of the Iona that the power switch was on, you need to sand down a small ridge that the plate of the power switch would rest up against so its flush with the rest of the shell.

After the holes were cut, It was time to hit it with primer to make sure everything is nice and smooth.






And that's about it for now. Next time I'll be working on the ribs on the back and the faceplate on the front.