A Mercury Switch

This may be the switch my dad once installed in a 1960-vintage car of his, as part of a rudimentary theft alarm. The switch was mounted on the underside of the hood. Opening the hood, or moving the vehicle, would tilt/jiggle the switch causing the horn to sound.

I'm not sure why my dad was so theft-conscious; Toronto in 1960 was not exactly a major centre of urban crime. Perhaps he'd been reading Popular Mechanics magazine, or some such American trash.

Anyway, mercury is neat stuff -- a metal that's a liquid at room temperature. The mind boggles.

When I was a boy, I had a pill vial with a bead of mercury in it that had been salvaged from a broken mercury thermometer. I'd take it out from time to time and roll it about in the palm of my hand; I thought it a fascinating thing to observe.

'Explains a lot, possibly.

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I'll stash this in the box where I keep spare, miscellaneous switches.

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A Leviton No. 1002 Push Button Switch

Does this ever look like an old-timer. It has a ceramic body, and it operates with a great, big CLICK.

I can hardly wait to find a use for it. Meanwhile, I'll stash it with my other spare switches.

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A Kohler P/N 243487 Switch

It's a 'Klixon' item, made in the USA by the the Spencer Thermostat Co. of Attleboro, Massachusetts. It appears to be a resettable thermal cut-out switch.

Stamped on the back are "T6A" and "C6373-7", but there's nothing that explicitly states the cut-out temperature.

This can go in my shoebox full of spare switches.

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Update -- FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2015

The item has been sold.

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A Doorbell Pushbutton Switch

This looks to me like it may have been a garage sale find, obtained for a very reasonable price, rather than the outrageous sticker price of $2.39.

$2.39!? For what!? Where is there $2.39 in that few grams of plastic and metal? 2.39¢ to make and package it, maybe, and it retails for $2.39!? WTF!?

This can go in my shoebox full of spare switches.

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A Kraus & Naimer A211 Load Supply Switch Made For Kohler

It's truly an exquisite piece of gear.

This one was obviously intended for a marine installation -- note the 'SHORE' position. When the boat was docked where a local hydro utility was available, the switch would be set to 'SHORE' to connect the boat's load to the utility. When out on the water, the switch would be set to 'KOHLER' to connect the boat's load to its on-board generator's output.

I'll stash this with my other Kohler parts. If I ever acquire a generator for the house, I may be able to use it.

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A Kohler Muffler P/N 230410

I'll stash this with my other Kohler parts.

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An Automatic Thermo Sales & Mfg. Ltd. Model #28 (or 2B) Thermostat

This item is similar to the preceding one, but its range is 100 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. As with CEW, Automatic Thermo Sales & Mfg. Ltd. of Toronto, Canada appears to be no longer with us.

This can go join its CEW colleague.

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