# Remember multicolored breakers?



## Big City Electrician (Jul 5, 2010)

I remember about 40 years ago, every so often you'd get a Bakelite breaker that was composed of all kinds of different colors, like the left overs from the various colors mixed into a production run so as not to waste product.

Those were real cool...


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Westinghouses were sold with color handles up until about 10 years ago. I still have a few lying around.

If memory serves, 
blue = 15
red= 20
green = 30
grey = 40
light blue = 50
orange = 60
black = 70+


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## Bkessler (Feb 14, 2007)

Big City Electrician said:


> I remember about 40 years ago, every so often you'd get a Bakelite breaker that was composed of all kinds of different colors, like the left overs from the various colors mixed into a production run so as not to waste product.
> 
> Those were real cool...


I know what your talking about, I threw some away a few years ago, I should have saved them.


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## Bkessler (Feb 14, 2007)

480sparky said:


> Westinghouses were sold with color handles up until about 10 years ago. I still have a few lying around.
> 
> If memory serves,
> blue = 15
> ...


take all those breakers, crush them and then mold them into a new breaker to get what BC is talking about.


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## knowshorts (Jan 9, 2009)

Big City Electrician said:


> I remember about 40 years ago..


You are an old fart.


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## ohmega (Apr 19, 2010)

Old Farts... shoot you guys gotta be ancient! farts get crusty after a few years! ancients turn to rocks, but invaluable in information!  You gotta love the elders, worth volumes of old info!:whistling2:


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

480sparky said:


> Westinghouses were sold with color handles up until about 10 years ago. I still have a few lying around.
> 
> If memory serves,
> blue = 15
> ...


 

I think the 90's were a purple color


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## oldtimer (Jun 10, 2010)

jwjrw said:


> I think the 90's were a purple color


 FPE breakers are also color coded, and I believe for a while GE breakers were too.


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## knowshorts (Jan 9, 2009)

Listen to your elders. BC isn't talking about the handle, he is talking about the breaker itself.


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## Big City Electrician (Jul 5, 2010)




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## oldtimer (Jun 10, 2010)

Whats with the pictures???


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

oldtimer said:


> Whats with the pictures???



They're wondering about a photo from the soccer tournament. :jester:


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## RIVETER (Sep 26, 2009)

Big City Electrician said:


> I remember about 40 years ago, every so often you'd get a Bakelite breaker that was composed of all kinds of different colors, like the left overs from the various colors mixed into a production run so as not to waste product.
> 
> Those were real cool...


You are talking about the "marbleing" of colors in the surface, I guess.


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

knowshorts said:


> Listen to your elders. BC isn't talking about the handle, he is talking about the breaker itself.


 
I knew that but 480 said 70's and up were black. I got a 90 in my hand that is purple. You have to point out when 480 is wrong or they will ban you.


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## knowshorts (Jan 9, 2009)

480 is older than all of us put together. You know, from the "let there be light" comment. 480's not gonna get me banned, I know where he lives. He cant hide in a cornfield forever. And, I never said he was wrong.


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

knowshorts said:


> 480 is older than all of us put together. You know, from the "let there be light" comment. 480's not gonna get me banned, I know where he lives. He cant hide in a cornfield forever. And, I never said he was wrong.


 

I said he was wrong and that md or speedy would ban me for not pointing out his error!:jester:


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## knowshorts (Jan 9, 2009)

Sorry, misread ya.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

knowshorts said:


> 480 is older than all of us put together. You know, from the "let there be light" comment. 480's not gonna get me banned, I know where he lives. He cant hide in a cornfield forever. And, I never said he was wrong.



You mean I can get people banned?

Wow.... I have *the power*!


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## Phil DeBlanc (May 29, 2010)

Big City Electrician said:


> I remember about 40 years ago, every so often you'd get a Bakelite breaker that was composed of all kinds of different colors, like the left overs from the various colors mixed into a production run so as not to waste product.
> 
> Those were real cool...


You have it almost right, they were thermoplastic, very similar to the 1st generation black or brown plastic boxes that came out around 63. About the only nice thing about them was if you dropped one on a concrete deck you could easily see all the pretty colored pieces to sweep up. You're right about the colors being regrind at the injection molding plant, and whoever molded them did a crap job using remelt. It was still early on in the injection molding industry.


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## Phil DeBlanc (May 29, 2010)

Big City Electrician said:


> I remember about 40 years ago, every so often you'd get a Bakelite breaker that was composed of all kinds of different colors, like the left overs from the various colors mixed into a production run so as not to waste product.
> 
> Those were real cool...


Yup, drop one on a concrete deck and they were real easy to sweep up all the colorful pieces. They weren't bakalite though they were poorly molded remelt thermoplastic. It was about the same quality as the black or brown plastic switchboxes that came out around 63.

I always wanted to meet the salesman who convinced UL self shattering switchboxes were a good idea.


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

I miss those days of color coded breakers, That was an eighties thing for me. The 74' Dodge tradesman 300 workvan, could'nt kill it. I recently found brown bakelite keyless sockets in thier boxes, Slater receptacles and new pushmatics, stuff lost sometime in 75' . pretty kool and quality stuff compared to todays crap.


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