Leaf switch tool ?

[larry_d]

Hi, just taking a little break from working on my mechanical slots and sorting out my 1966 Williams full house E.M. pinball machine. My question is does anyone know where I can purchase an adjustment tool in the UK to adjust the many leaf switches on the machine? I have been using a pair of mini long nosed pliers but would prefer to have the correct tool in my toolkit. The only ones on ebay are in the US but the postage etc. makes it a bit silly. If I can't find anything I'll have a go at making one. Many thanks. Larry D.

[gameswat]

A small diameter of stainless rod with a fine hacksawed slot through the end works just fine. And you can make a few with different bends to suit particular stacks of switches that can be hard to get to.

[larry_d]

Thanks for your suggestion my friend. I think I will at least have a go with mini vice and as you say fine hacksaw or very sheepish Dremel tool. Cheers.

[raj]

You need ex BT switch adjusting tools, if you can find any, which are specifically made for the job... Sorry you can't have mine! Car boot, vintage auto shows may be useful sources. There is a shop on Steep Hill in Lincoln that is packed with vintage radio gear, old bulbs & switches who may be able to help. Sorry, can't remember the name, but BP will know it if he is watching the posts....

[larry_d]

Thanks Raj, that's a bit more food for thought. Funnily enough I was just thinking back to the days when my old Jags had RB340 cut outs on them with leaf type contacts inside. I will persue this further on the BT side of things. You are a bit mean not giving me yours though lol, Take care.

[bob]

I found that an iron 6 inch nail which I had on hand to be ideal for this purpose. These nails were easy to cut with a mini hacksaw blade which produces an ideal size slot and also was easy to bend to the shape required. Stainless steel rod as well as not being so ready to hand would be not so easy to cut the slot in with a mini hacksaw.

[larry_d]

Thanks Bob, I'll have a root round in the garage as I know I have some of those. Cheers for the idea,
Regards L.

[badpenny]

You need ex BT switch adjusting tools, if you can find any, which are specifically made for the job... Sorry you can't have mine! Car boot, vintage auto shows may be useful sources. There is a shop on Steep Hill in Lincoln that is packed with vintage radio gear, old bulbs & switches who may be able to help. Sorry, can't remember the name, but BP will know it if he is watching the posts....

Fascinating old boy with a fascinating shop, sadly he has no website or business phone (well .... one that he answers anyway) His excuse being "What's wrong with Morse?"
Anyhoo, he's in the shop less and less these days and unless you catch him personally it's no good as he's the only one who knows what's out the back, in the other shop across the road or stored roof high in the two corrugated sheds in the garden. I'll keep trying anyway.

Incidentally there were a whole stack of individual tools on eBay UK only a few weeks back.
They were under Ex GPO Uniselectors and tools. About a dozen of them I recall and went for about .75p each.

Personally I 'd make my own.
BP

[bob]

It's important to have these tools for working with EM switchblades as long nosed pliers tend to put a kink in the switch blade. The technique is to "stroke" the switchblade with the tool and create a bend or curve along the length of the switchblade in the direction that you want it to bend rather than a kink in one point.

[pennymachines]

Incidentally there were a whole stack of individual tools on eBay UK only a few weeks back.
They were under Ex GPO Uniselectors and tools. About a dozen of them I recall and went for about .75p each.

I'm still looking for that Siemens Uniselector

[badpenny]

I'm still looking for that Siemens Uniselector

Your need for a uniselector when Stuart had your machine was what made me visit Burkitt's in the first place, he laughed and said he'd had thousands of them but scrapped them for the silver, copper, gold, platinum, and palladium.

As I said I haven't seen him since then.

[larry_d]

Thanks fella's, I appreciate each and everyone's help. It's true you have to be ever so careful using pliers as they can easily cause damage. I just find it all very strange that, as far as I can make out, none of the UK based pinball suppliers stock this tool and the US ones mean that the postage is dearer than the item. Thanks for your efforts Badpenny, nice of you to try for me. He who dares, wins. This time next year we'll be leaf switch tool owners.

[badpenny]

Before attacking them with an adjuster it's always worth cleaning both faces of the switch with an emery board.
It's not easy to see with the naked eye, but the contacts get coated in carbon.

BP

[JC]

The contacts ARE carbon, aren't they?

[larry_d]

Yes I am carefully cleaning the contacts but not concentrating too much force and making double sure to get the faces square.

[moonriver]

US postage is not expensive for something so light.

[badpenny]

The contacts ARE carbon, aren't they?

Clearly I don't know, perhaps I mean soot.