Electrical DIY

The torpedo switch on my bedside light started to misbehave the other day. So feeling bold, took it to pieces to investigate, to find one of the four connections had frayed apart. Sorted that out, but while putting it back together, found that one of the four small screws which made the connections had been replaced by the wrong screw during some previous round of DIY. Presumably the right screw had fallen down some crack or other.

So while the torpedo switch now worked, I was unhappy about the wrong screw. So, off to Screwfix who did not sell them at all. Carried on to Robert Dyas who had just the thing, the larger one in the illustration.

Well I thought it was just the thing, but having got it home, I found that there were two stickers, removal of which required white spirit and quite a lot of elbow grease.

Next problem was that, as is the custom with such electrical fittings, it had been made as awkward as possible to fit.

But there was some good news. While awkward, the new switch was much better made than the old switch. Poking the wires into little brass blocks is a lot better than trying to wrap them around little brass posts. The switch itself has a much cleaner action. Maybe it will last longer than the 15 years or so of its predecessor. Maybe it will not result in an electrical fire.

Snapped above with the array of tools which I found necessary to do the business. All important army-style knife top right, including the substantial spike quite wrongly said to be to do with horse shoes, but which is actually to do with undoing knots. See reference 1.

Note also the very old-style white flex, of which I am pleased to say I still have modest supplies.

Reference 1: http://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=mole+avon.