How to make a 767 Yoke

Given that there are not many commercially available yokes for hobbyists, and those that are available
are either very expensive or not particularly rigid, I decided to make my own, as shown here. As I
needed something which is hollow for the cables but also rigid. Ive used copper pipe and fittings
which are standard UK metric sizes and when coated with glass fibre are exactly the right size.
If you decide to have a go at making some yourself you will need the following (to make 2 yokes)
4---22mm elbows
2---42/35/35mm reducing Tee pieces
2---35/22/22mm reducing Tee pieces
2---35/28 reducers
2---35/22mm reducers
1 metre 22mm pipe
2---wooden block for the centre(or nylon or similar)
1Kg glass fibre resin (+activator)
1 square metre glass fibre cloth
Gas blowlamp
Solder
Flux
Wire wool
A rough half round rasp or file
Pipe bending spring
500g Automotive body filler
1 small tin Fine filler(stopper) to fill fine scratches
Abrasive cloth/paper 120 grit down to 400 grit e.g 120/240/400 wet&dry grades are best
1 can Aerosol Primer
1 can Aerosol paint
2 lots 7 core cable for the switches
Good quality dust mask.( your health is worth more than a dust mask!)
Disposable plastic container to mix resin
Small stiff brush for the resin
Small plastic syringe (10cc)to measure activator (normally available where you buy the resin).
Rubber gloves
Thinners or paint solvent to clean up
I bought the switches from Arcolectric as they are a perfect fit.
All the materials cost me 93
Lots of patience!
This drawing shows the sizes

First job is to soften the copper pipe by heating it with the blow lamp until it is red hot then
immediately quenching it in cold water. This will make it easy to bend the pipe as the handles are
curved.
Assemble the fittings loosely as shown below, cutting and bending the pipe using the bending spring
inside the 22mm pipe to prevent buckling.
Cut pieces of pipe about 80mm long and split them lengthwise and flatten the pipe out to give a
rectangular flat pieces of copper. Bend and cut these to form the housings for the multi-com switches at
the rear as well as the thumb grips.
When you are happy with the dimensions and positions, clean all of the fittings and pipes where they are
going to be soldered with the wire wool.
Apply the flux and solder the fittings together. It should look something like this

The wood block has a hole at the rear which goes down to the bottom centre for the cable, block is
approx 28mm thick.
The block should also have a 10mm hole drilled from the centre to the bottom to allow for the cable.
Install the cable now.
Drill through the pipe and screw the pipe to the wood block. 2 screws are enough as the fibre glass will
hold it all together. The holes will be covered by the glass fibre later. This block can be used for fixing
the front label holder later.
and of course make a mirror image for the FO side

Using the rasp, roughen everything to give a key for the glass resin to get hold.
Mix the resin/activator at 1 % activator i.e 100 grams of resin +1cc of activator, this allows about 1 hour
before hardening (dependant upon temperature, greater than 18 C is required). I used the wifes
electronic kitchen scales to weigh the resin accurately.
Beware! the resin stinks so dont do it in the house!
Apply a light film of the resin over all, then wind the glass fibre tape/cloth around, using a stiff brush to
force more resin through the cloth/tape, dont worry about getting it all right as this is only the first coat.
Try to avoid air bubbles by forcing resin through the cloth, you may need to tie some wire around loose
ends of the tape/cloth to hold until hardened.
When dry PUT ON YOUR MASK and a pair of gloves, and use the rasp to remove the strands of glass
that are sticking up.(these are really sharp so take care) Use the rasp to shape the glass fibre roughly to
shape as required.
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THE KEY WORD HERE IS GLASS. WHEN YOU FILE OR SAND GLASS FIBRE THE DUST IS
GLASS POWDER AND VERY DANGEROUS TO YOUR HEALTH. DO NOT BREATH IN THE
DUST IT WILL SHRED YOUR LUNGS AND AIRWAYS. Alternatively buy Polyester matting but still
avoid inhaling the dust.

If you use a power sander to do the shaping make sure you have a good mask and some form of dust
collection/extraction available, but it is safer to do it by hand albeit slower. Using a power sander also
risks sanding flat lines into the curves, whereas your hand can curve round the yoke to get the required
shape.
Mix more resin and apply as many layers of glass fibre as required to give the desired shape and size.
Use the rasp in between coats to continuously shape the glass to the desired profile. Use 120 grit
abrasive to get in the curves.
When you are happy with the overall shape, mix some automotive body filler and coat the whole yoke
with it as this fills in all the sanding marks and holes and dents in the glass fibre, like this

you can see I remembered the cable!

Now using abrasives sand the yoke down to get the right shape and work down in abrasive grades
checking between grades for any holes which may need re-filling with the body filler. Work down to at
least 400 grit abrasive as this will give the smooth finish required for painting. Use wet and dry
automotive abrasives with slightly soapy water as this keeps the dust down and gives a better finish as
well as prolonging the life of the abrasive by preventing clogging. Use the tips of your fingers to feel
how smooth the yoke is, as your fingers are incredibly good at feeling small dents/lumps/holes. Your
target is a finish which is smoother than a babys bum!