DIY dunces?

I recall seeing advice that suggests it is actually better to use a crimped bootlace ferrule on stranded wire prior to using in a screw terminal... I think this particularly applies to terminating fines stranded cables, or termination into terminals like U saddle clamps that otherwise are poor at gripping smaller wires.

Reply to
John Rumm
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Yup - sold by TLC as the "ultimate" range. My socket of choice...

Indeed, me too.

You note the sockets come with four plastic plugs each - so you have a spare set with each.

Reply to
John Rumm

No, they come attached to the back of the fitting on little posts. When you are ready to fit them, just pop them off the posts and push them into the screw hole. To remove one, use the tip of a sharp blade to prise it out.

Reply to
John Rumm

Yes, but all the pins fell out when you took it apart to change the fuse.

I may have mine somewhere, as a curio...

Reply to
Bob Eager

Tightening a screw onto copper wire occasionally cuts through the wire weaking & thinning it very much. The little brass ferrules eliminate this problem.

NT

Reply to
meow2222

I think that is the one, prompted by your suggestion I am almost certain it was Wylex. I have searched the WWW before for any reference and like you found nothing about them.

G.Harman

Reply to
damduck-egg

Yard sales & car boots seem to be the only place to find those now. They've been illegal to sell since about 1970. Beware of using them with pvc flex & filament bubls, pvc doesnt tolerate being draped over a hot bulb too well.

NT

Reply to
meow2222

On 2nd thoughts I remember argos recently did, and probably still do, light fittings that come with BC plugs prefitted. The idea is you dont need to do any electrical work, just plug the new fitting into the lampholder of the old one. Rather pricey way to get BC plugs, but you might find one on fleacycle.

NT

Reply to
meow2222

Thanks, that saved me a trip out to the shed.

Everybody used to get that wrong - in fact, the pins were designed to

*break* off from the outside.
Reply to
Ian White

Oh indeed - there are plenty of apps where they're a good idea. But as I said the chances of a prepared cable with them having the correct lengths for a plug is remote. The other question is how well they work with something like the MK Safety Plug which has wrap round terminals rather than the hole type.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

Yup the MK plug would be a problem... not ever been that fond of those though (don't like wrap around terminals, and the things are rather wide).

Reply to
John Rumm

I may take you up on that in about 6 months ;-(

Though I won't be in direct competition with you

tim

Reply to
tim.....

You would be welcome to do so.

Nobody is locally.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

...and at the other end, we're well through a couple of generations of one parent families, where there's no tool box in the home, nor anyone who knows how to use one, so the kids are never going to have a clue either.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

For a time, my daughter shared a flat with a couple of well-educated males from intact families. She was the only one with a tool box - and she knows how to use the contents.

Sheila

Reply to
S Viemeister

Sounds like she has a mum who does have a clue. Sadly, not many do.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

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Same with my dad, and I was very interested. Come to think of it, most of the tables in my parents house were made by dad - a couple of coffee tables and a large dining room table (which had to be built in the room, as it won't go through the doors).

Yes, I was playing with bulbs and batteries around then. For one of my birthdays (probably age 5 or 6), my dad went to somewhere like Proops or Henrys and bought half a dozen battery bulbs and holders, a doorbell and a door buzzer, some diodes, some switches and push buttons, wire and strippers, and a 4.5V battery. He got a small wooden instrument box and cut out some foam to store all the components in. I think that was one of the best birthday presents I ever had. Hours of fun with it by myself, and of course, very educational.

That's all very similar to me. I used to particularly enjoy visiting my grandparents. They had a box with lots of mains lampholders, wire, bulbs, etc, and I would spend hours wiring up circuits, and around age

8, I had a good understanding of wiring up bulbs in parallel and series, and what happens if you wire up dufferent wattage bulbs in series. This was all mains stuff, and before RCD's were around. Frankly, I'm amazed looking back that I was allowed to do this, but very greatful that I was. I didn't ever get an electric shock from it, although I did get a couple doing other things.
Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

I put together a basic toolkit for my daughter when she went to uni, she shared with 8 others & did all the odd repair jobs around the place.

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

So, what cheap goodies would you put in the box today if you wanted to introduce a child to electronics etc? I'm sure most kids would be fascinated but, if your dad doesn't know what a diode is, what chance do you have? :-)

Reply to
stuart noble

yesterday as I ran the streets of south London a female BT engineer was leaving a house with a fair bit of kit, the householder had obviously insisted on carrying her stuff to the van LOL. When he put it down after what looked an effort, she casually picked it up and tossed it into the van.

Reply to
clumsy bastard

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