# Push Button Bulldog?



## Abcanfield (Jan 15, 2011)

Found this jewel in a State dept. of transportation herbicide building. Still operational.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Abcanfield said:


> Found this jewel in a State dept. of transportation herbicide building. Still operational.


Did you push any of those buttons..:laughing:


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

We have thousands...still serviceable.


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## Abcanfield (Jan 15, 2011)

HARRY304E said:


> Did you push any of those buttons..:laughing:


Yes, all of them. They were not labeled and (as luck has it) it was the last one!


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

I know that it is not proper troubleshooting but if we have a problem locating a faulted area of the circuit...we step aside and reset...and look. Then, we reset...and look. Eventually, a shower of sparks descends to the floor. We have a lot of roof leaks and the corrosion that is not visible from the ground usually shows itself. Once we repair the lighting buss and reset the SAME Bulldog PUSHMATIC breaker it still performs for years. AND...just in case ZOG is listening, sure, we wear the appropriate PPE.


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## Rockyd (Apr 22, 2007)

PushMatic - the original bolt on breaker:thumbup:


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

State employees are good at pushing buttons on civilians, that was the proper choice of panel for government use. Reminds me of my first electrical reno job i was given when i was 15 yo. a 1949 Pushmatic 6 ckt sub was feeding the job.


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

I do work at a lot of buildings that still have bulldog panels in them. Better than a fp or zinsco.


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

jwjrw said:


> I do work at a lot of buildings that still have bulldog panels in them. Better than a fp or zinsco.


I thought FPE made Bulldog? :laughing:


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Dennis Alwon said:


> I thought FPE made Bulldog? :laughing:


Don't make me drive over there and beat you. :laughing:


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## leland (Dec 28, 2007)

Abcanfield said:


> Yes, all of them. They were not labeled and (as luck has it) it was the last one!




Well, nothings lost 'till ya need it.

And it is always in the last place you look.

I got about 3 full 100A set ups and branch breakers if you need some.

Still a ton of them in use here- very reliable .


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## Abcanfield (Jan 15, 2011)

I appreciate the offer, but I'm not currently looking for any replacements. I'm a fan of vintage electrical and have never seen one of these before. It is great to see it in operation and even better to know that this brand is reliable.


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## Mike in Canada (Jun 27, 2010)

My previous employer had one of those panels (with almost exactly the same rust pattern ) controlling lighting and receptacles in the maintenance shop.


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

Dennis Alwon said:


> I thought FPE made Bulldog? :laughing:


No that was ITE..:thumbsup:


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

jwjrw said:


> No that was ITE..:thumbsup:


I know. It was a joke. You must have missed the thread were DoubleOH insisted that FPE made them.


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## doubleoh7 (Dec 5, 2009)

Dennis Alwon said:


> I know. It was a joke. You must have missed the thread were DoubleOH insisted that FPE made them.


 
I'll get a picture one of these days.


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## Phil DeBlanc (May 29, 2010)

By my recall the one in the picture is 1963 or earlier. They changed to a label after that and eliminated the stamping.

Those breakers were in a class with Square D QO breakers in their time, but they really didn't stand up in commercial locations where they were used as switching devices.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

doubleoh7 said:


> I'll get a picture one of these days.



I won't hold my breath.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Phil DeBlanc said:


> By my recall the one in the picture is 1963 or earlier. They changed to a label after that and eliminated the stamping.
> 
> Those breakers were in a class with Square D QO breakers in their time, but they really didn't stand up in commercial locations where they were used as switching devices.


Are you about 150 years old? :laughing:

Did you used to put Pushmatic in back in the day, or are you just an electrical history buff?


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## Phil DeBlanc (May 29, 2010)

MDShunk said:


> Are you about 150 years old? :laughing:
> 
> Did you used to put Pushmatic in back in the day, or are you just an electrical history buff?


MD, I ain't even made it half way to the 150, but I'm getting closer than I ever thought I would.

We did have plastic handle screwdrivers when I got started, and plenty of pliers with friction and Skotch 33 tape on the handles.

I put more pushmatics in than I can begin to count in the early 60s, can't recall the name of the supply house on Joseph Ave in Rochester, it got looted & burned to the ground in the 64 riots, and never did reopen so pushmatic pretty much sent out of favor in this area. Back then we had 7 supply houses in Rochester, Maynards, Crown, Standard, Empire, REQUA and Kovalsky-Carr. 

I'm half thinking I should work up a bit of initiative and pull out some oldies so you youngsters can learn what the trade was about back then.

If I manage to get this first one up, it's a porcelain plug. Anybody feels like looking up old numbers it's a 300 V 3 A and I figure it dates around 1930.

If I can manage the pictures I'll take some and post them.


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

Phil DeBlanc said:


> MD, I ain't even made it half way to the 150, but I'm getting closer than I ever thought I would.
> 
> We did have plastic handle screwdrivers when I got started, and plenty of pliers with friction and Skotch 33 tape on the handles.
> 
> ...


It is great to hear from someone who knows the trade. I am older, myself but only starting in the early seventies. Welcome.


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## rnr electric (Jan 29, 2010)

i grew up in maine as a elec. helper for about 15 yrs or so.. mostly old farmhouses that had electricity installed after it was conceived and have seen these before and many still working in the mid 1990s, when you see how the "old timers" used to do it it is really cool, they were true craftsmen. hand crank drills,with the holes you could shoot a laser through. alot of folks could really learn alot from these type of people


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## MF Dagger (Dec 24, 2007)

Anyone know where you can buy fuse plugs like that anymore? I've got a couple places they would work nicely.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

MF Dagger said:


> Anyone know where you can buy fuse plugs like that anymore? I've got a couple places they would work nicely.


Lowe's. Just saw them the other day. Come in a baggie.

Sent from my iPhone using the ElectricianTalk Forum app. Please excuse my brevity.


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## MF Dagger (Dec 24, 2007)

Sweet, thanks.


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## oldtimer (Jun 10, 2010)

MF Dagger said:


> Anyone know where you can buy fuse plugs like that anymore? I've got a couple places they would work nicely.


 Check out Electrical Photos Page 9. Porcelain fuse plug. The picture I posted ... Vintage Devices. Is this what you meant...left front.


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## Norcal (Mar 22, 2007)

Think I have posted this here before, but here is a ITE Pushmatic 2-gang all in one panel.


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## Phil DeBlanc (May 29, 2010)

Don't mean to shake anybody up, but that ain't a plugfuse. It's a device you screw into a light socket so an appliance can be plugged into it. The things that make that one unique is it accommodate tandem blades, and it's made of porcelain.

You want pictures of fuses I may be able to accomodate that, pretty certain I still have some renewables in stock.


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