Looking for a propane heater knob

[abrodsky]

hi - 1958 flying cloud. propane wall heater missing knob. anyone know where I can find one that will fit? Thanks!

[idroba]

I have no idea what the original knob looked like, but the shaft shown appears to be a fairly standard diameter with a flat spot and a split part so many knobs might fit. In the days when that heater was produced, virtually all radios and TV's had similar shafts for tuning and volume controls. If you don't mind something a bit non authentic, you might start to look at old radio parts.

I am only guessing now but the little red dot in the photo under the shaft may be the safety bypass to allow you to light the pilot first. The original knob may have had some kind of a lockout so you could only turn it 1/4 turn and then press to light the pilot, but I think you can probably do that all safely with a regular knob and some care and understanding of how it all works.

[Phoenix]

Radioshack used to carry a bag of assorted knobs for electronic equipment that might work. They looked like manufacturing end-runs, overstock and leftovers that were just mixed and bagged by the handful. I bought a bag years ago for one knob that I needed, and I have used several of them over the years. If Radioshack doesn't carry them anymore, you might try Fry's Electronics or other electronics stores that carry kits and parts.