# Push button switches



## robmac85 (Nov 20, 2013)




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## robmac85 (Nov 20, 2013)




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## Magoo5150 (Mar 1, 2007)

That is nice.


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## Monkeyboy (Jul 28, 2012)

I remember using those when I was really young, they are cool. Nice touch.


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## fdew (Mar 26, 2009)

Electricity in 1931. Is this by chance a farm house? Did it get electricity from the town or have it's own generator?


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## Sparky Girl (Apr 15, 2015)

This is the type I remember as a kid. We moved from that apartment when I was in 2nd grade but I do remember playing with them, removing the coverplate and cleaning off the built up paint. Thanks for bringing those memories back.  Another piece to the puzzle that starts with, "How did you ever become an electrician???"


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## sbrn33 (Mar 15, 2007)

You can buy new stuff like this from restoration hardware. Non UL though and pricey.


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## G0049 (Nov 13, 2009)

A place called Classic Accents at classicaccents.net has a huge variety of them and they are UL listed. Not cheap, but they made my wife happy. And that's worth plenty.


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## JRaef (Mar 23, 2009)

This might interest you.
Perkins Switch Co. Price List

This is dated 1902, so before Perkins invented the push button switch in the picture. But check out the prices. A single pole light switch rated 10A cost $0.60 in 1902. The inflation adjusted price for that in 2015 dollars comes out to $16.16! Think about that next time you gripe about what a switch costs.


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## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

G0049 said:


> A place called Classic Accents at *classicaccents.net *has a huge variety of them and they are UL listed. Not cheap, but they made my wife happy. And that's worth plenty.


To bad they don't have the screws on the front like the old days...:thumbsup:


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## Black Dog (Oct 16, 2011)

robmac85 said:


> View attachment 53433


Back in the day those guys would install the device first with the wires pulled out tight at the proper poles they would strip them back at the screws wrap the wire and cut off the extra, there would be no way to remove the device without cutting off the wire at the screws......:laughing:


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## markbrady (Jun 2, 2014)

Cool. Used to rent from a guy who loved really old architectural features and such and although he redid the place he left one old push button switch that was no longer in use since the door swing changed as well as one old gas lamp plug with the old Grecian style plate over it. 
Just made me think of where my wife and me first lived


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## robmac85 (Nov 20, 2013)

JRaef said:


> This might interest you. Perkins Switch Co. Price List This is dated 1902, so before Perkins invented the push button switch in the picture. But check out the prices. A single pole light switch rated 10A cost $0.60 in 1902. The inflation adjusted price for that in 2015 dollars comes out to $16.16! Think about that next time you gripe about what a switch costs.


I've seen that! That's why you find so few switches in old homes, pull chains everywhere. Think about it, when electricity came into home for the first time people were used to walking into a dark room and lighting a gas lamp, so it was no thing to walk in and pull a chain. Today we're like screw that noise I want 3 ways, 4 ways motion sensors, time clocks!


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## robmac85 (Nov 20, 2013)

fdew said:


> Electricity in 1931. Is this by chance a farm house? Did it get electricity from the town or have it's own generator?


Yes it's an old farm house in what at the time was rural Northern NJ. It was the only house down this road so I guess it wasn't cost effective for the power company to string a line down to serve one house. They didn't have running water here till a few years after that! The house was in the family of the people I bought from since the 1860's so I was able to get lots of info about it. 

Here is a pic dated 1877. It was old then!


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## Dash Dingo (Mar 3, 2012)

That's amazing 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## fdew (Mar 26, 2009)

Thanks for that catalog. I collect that stuff and enjoy seeing it. Rob mentions that they didn't get running water until after the electricity. That was typical on farms. Electricity ran the pump that brought water inside. Selling generators (called "light plants") to farms was done with a two pronged approach. The big sale was safety for the people and animals. No more Kerosene lanterns in the barns. The pitch was made in the evening in the farm kitchen to both the farmer and his wife and as an aside it was made clear that electricity could bring in door plumbing including a bathroom. The salesman showed up with a light plant and came into the house with a light and cord and put the light on the kitchen table. To press the point of convenience the salesman was taught to carry a electric coffee pot in his bag and if the sale was a tough one, ask the lady of the house if he could have a cup of coffee. she would look at the stove and think about getting a fire going again and boiling water, but before she started he would produce the pot and say I just need some water. BTW if you had electricity, running water would be as near as your sink.


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## fdew (Mar 26, 2009)

A push button switch set up for overhead mounting and rope control. I don't know why.


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

Here is a site that sells them and they are UL listed for us and canada

http://www.houseofantiquehardware.com/push-button-switch


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