light switch pull cord

"Alex, switch the bathroom light on...."

I guess this bit is made so that the cord can easily be replaced or shortened.

Cover the knot junction with a block of wood like top left of your photo? Or something more artistic?

Try unscrewing. The idea is to make replacing the cord easy without taking the ceiling fixture apart. On ours the knot necessary to hold the new cord in place is hidden in the link piece.

Find or make a rectangular(ish) piece of metal or plastic with two holes in it. Pass each of the cords through a hole and make a knot so it doesn't go through. Obviously arrange this near the ceiling/switch.

Something like

They vary, but the basic principle is to make a place for joining to cord to the bit on the switch so it can be changed easily. Some are threaded, many are just a plastic "lump" with a recess to hide the knots at the ends of the strings in.

Either replace / craft a new joining bit, or drill out one end of the existing one to take the thicker cord.

That would also work.

The upper and lower cords each have a knot at the end, to stop them pulling through holes in the plastic part, so you can fit or remove the lower cord without opening the switch. If you can't see the knots the plastic bit will be two parts threaded together.

Leave a longish end, fray it and call it a feature? Dip the end in some sort of glue to stop it fraying? Make a crimp from some metal tubing, or a loop at the top by wrapping with some sort of wire? Which ever way you do it, I'd suggest retaining the plastic link.

FWIW I agree with her that they don't look good.

NT

Ah Glasshopper, meditation of the pull chord brings many good things while one contemplates on the loo. Or in other words, who the heck checks out what bit of string is on a switch when in the toilet?

I have seen pull switches without chords though with the fastening inside the housing. Usually twice as expensive as the ones with cords of course.

Brian

No, heat-shrink!

The plastic "blob"is a joint so the string can be replaced.

You can't use anything too heavy or the spring in the switch won't be able to "retract" when let go.

Could you use a snap link from a fishing shop, possibly with a swivel included. I use them for kite strings.