You've got a jammed or fractured slug in your favorite radio and decide to carefully drill it out.

DO NOT DO IT BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING.

If you try to drill it out chances are better than even that you'll damage the coil or even pull it loose. These old slugs have become fragile over the years and often crack when you try to align the radio. There is no way to get a fractured slug out without destroying it.

Here is a simple foolproof way to do it without doing any damage.

Take a coping saw blade that will fit through the existing hole and break the end off. Drill a hole in a dowel rod and epoxy the coping saw blade into it with the rake of the teeth facing out so it will cut while pulling it outward. Gently, with patience, cut a slice in the slug then do another without going completely through. Get your favorite vacuum nozzle and gently probe the slug to see if it will collapse. If not, do a little more. This method is absolute --- it works every time without fail and I have very shaky hands. It has worked for me hundreds of times.

We have also replaced the coils that have been torn loose from drilling or aggressively twisting. I’m not a brain surgeon and don’t wish to be but in the Hal line of radios, you need someone from the Mayo clinic to direct the job.

Good luck --- Kindest regards Jim K9AXN