mark-NJ
Well-known member
I'm restoring an old ('70s) Taiwanese drill press...ground > up. Everything's coming along nicely...almost ready to re-wire it, which should be an easy task. Posting this here, though, because this is a purely electrical question.
The switch plate is all cleaned up, straightened out a few dents, and painted it (and everything else) in hammered copper. Top switch is motor, bottom is a built-in light.
Here's the thing: forty-year-old Despard switches don't 'wow' me. (I've spent my entire life (I'm 65) in the electrical industry in one form or another, and I've never been a fan of Despard switches.) But if I'm going to do a full restoration on this, it only stands to reason that new switches wouldn't be a bad idea, right?
But this may be easier said than done. I find myself confused: every Despard switch I've ever seen have that 'oval' boss that fits the traditional "half-round" Despard cover plate. But notice that these are flat-flush-square.
Moreover, there's the question of current capabilities: I've never seen a motor-rated Despard switch. Ever. The drill press motor has a FLA of 8.7A; these switches are labeled 10A, which I have to believe is a resistive rating. I have to believe the contacts in these switches (well, the motor switch...the light switch is fine, I'm sure) are in not-so-great shape.
So I'm considering my options.
1.) Since the mounting is a standard 1-gang yoke, just abandoned the Despard strap, put in a 2-switch yoke and get a new plate. Won't look original, but it will work.
2.) Put in modern Despard switches (which are rated 15A, albeit resistive) and hog out the existing plate to accommodate the oval boss
3.) Reinstall the original switches (they did work, after all) and don't over-think all of this. If they ever fail, we can revive this thread.
4.) Something else I haven't thought of...
Thoughts?
So that's my story & I'm sticking to it.
The switch plate is all cleaned up, straightened out a few dents, and painted it (and everything else) in hammered copper. Top switch is motor, bottom is a built-in light.
Here's the thing: forty-year-old Despard switches don't 'wow' me. (I've spent my entire life (I'm 65) in the electrical industry in one form or another, and I've never been a fan of Despard switches.) But if I'm going to do a full restoration on this, it only stands to reason that new switches wouldn't be a bad idea, right?
But this may be easier said than done. I find myself confused: every Despard switch I've ever seen have that 'oval' boss that fits the traditional "half-round" Despard cover plate. But notice that these are flat-flush-square.
Moreover, there's the question of current capabilities: I've never seen a motor-rated Despard switch. Ever. The drill press motor has a FLA of 8.7A; these switches are labeled 10A, which I have to believe is a resistive rating. I have to believe the contacts in these switches (well, the motor switch...the light switch is fine, I'm sure) are in not-so-great shape.
So I'm considering my options.
1.) Since the mounting is a standard 1-gang yoke, just abandoned the Despard strap, put in a 2-switch yoke and get a new plate. Won't look original, but it will work.
2.) Put in modern Despard switches (which are rated 15A, albeit resistive) and hog out the existing plate to accommodate the oval boss
3.) Reinstall the original switches (they did work, after all) and don't over-think all of this. If they ever fail, we can revive this thread.
4.) Something else I haven't thought of...
Thoughts?
So that's my story & I'm sticking to it.