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MICRO SWITCH EXPLOSION PROOF SWITCH

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Tools and Hardware779 of 9815Vintage Kwikway of Kwik Way  Zip Electric 8" FanI came across these two items
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    Posted 3 years ago

    AnythingOb…
    (1778 items)

    Probably one more nifty curiosity for the rust garden somewhere, but we'll see *what* it really is first I suppose (with y'all's help, I hope??) and mebbe it'll end up part of my "industrial switch collection" instead . . . ??? <lol> This recovered this afternoon as another house on my block is being cleaned out for new tenants, apparently after laying in a backyard for awhile. Lord only knows how it got there. Pic 1 is its 'top', 2 is its 'underside', 3 is the makers label plate on the switch box cover itself, and 4 is the actuator mechanisms, slightly bent up. Pictured on top of a milk crate for size reference, with the heavy iron ring it has a good bit of weight to it for its size.

    That 'ring' seems to be a multi part frame of sorts to have been mounted in some kind of machine or something, I'm guessing it might have had some kind of a diaphragm also attached to it (?) that would act upon the round metal disc in pic 1, that disc is mounted so it can move side to side as well as up and down, relative to the frame. Underneath the frame (pic 4) that disc's arm is attached to a crank with a counterweight (the largest round thing) that works against a roller (smaller round thing) on a lever arm, which turns the axle to actuate a switch inside the rectangular box holding the nameplate, (pic 3) turning something on or off. Got it??? <lol> Cursory looking around the Googles shows the switch box itself (or similar anyway) available as a component of its own, so MICRO-SWITCH might not actually be the maker of the whole assembly. I haven't yet opened the switchbox itself to see exactly what's in there.

    SO HERE'S the THOUSAND DOLLAR QUESTION: what the heck did this thing come OFF of???

    I'm actually guessing some variety of grain handling equipment at a farm where maybe it could indicate when a bin is full or somesuch, but that's a COMPLETE guess -- anybody gots a better idea?? (if I find more info sooner than anybody else might clue us, I'll update this post!)

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    Comments

    1. fhrjr2 fhrjr2, 3 years ago
      well I will throw in my 2 cents worth. Long ago when I was a County Mountie out in Kansas grain elevators were always a concern for explosions. There were switches like this that controlled the ventilation system and also everything electrical from light switches to conveyor belts. I don't know if I ever truly knew the actual way they worked but they did. A grain elevator goes up like a napalm bomb when the dust is exposed to a spark or excessive heat.
    2. AnythingObscure AnythingObscure, 3 years ago
      MANY THANKS to vetraio50, Irishcollector., Vynik33rpm, fhrjr2, fortapache, Alfie21, Ben, Cisum, Newfld, dav2no1, blunderbuss2, & vintagelamp for your <love it>s for this oddball item!! (it suits me perfectly in that,I guess...)

      I appreciate your opinion fhrjr2, makes me feel good that perhaps my own guesswork wasn't completely out in left field for this thing! I grew up around corn and soybean fields, down here its more cotton and rice, all known to occasionally go "boom" if somebody gets a little too careless with the dust, just as you correctly point out! (sawdust in a wood shop can do the same thing)

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