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Old 5th Jul 2010, 1:28 pm   #1
petertheorgan
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Default Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

As some of you will know , I have a small collection of vintage electrical fittings , however I made an interesting discovery the other day , more by chance than by experiment , but I will share this in case anybody else (like me ) like to keep all their vintage stuff on original plugs

Clang made a complete range of these adapters , in the Photos there is one 15 amp to one 15amp and two 5 amps

2 off 5 amp to three 5 amps

2 off 2 amp to three 2 amps

however the interesting thing is that the socket on the right hand side of two of the adapters ( marked with the red dot) has its polarity reversed but identical models have not .
I am surprised that even 50 years ago + one would be allowed to supply an adapter that reversed the polarity on one socket

I wonder if the other Identical looking ones were later models

I would be interested in any comments

Peter
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Old 5th Jul 2010, 1:38 pm   #2
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Default Re: Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

Hi there,

Now that is random

I think i still have in the loft somewhere a whole box of old Bakelite plugs, sockets, adaptors, lamp fittings, switches. almost of every variation. a lot of it made made by MK, Clang and G.E.C if i rightly remember. If i can dig them out I'll have a look at the pin layout on the adaptors and see if there are any the same.

Jan
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Old 5th Jul 2010, 2:59 pm   #3
Dave Moll
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Default Re: Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

Both of the round-pin three-way adaptors which I have also have that naughty reverse polarity on the right-hand socket. No doubt this was simply a matter of cost cutting by using a straight-through connection between left- and right-hand sockets rather than a more complex cross-over.
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Old 5th Jul 2010, 6:04 pm   #4
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Default Re: Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

Hi,
I seem to recall seeing a 3 pin 5 Amp Clang adapter, of the type(s) shown here which had one 3 Pin socket on the front and only 2 pin sockets on the sides, the holes where the side Earth pins would have been on the 3 pin version being replaced by a long screw and nut assembly; Perhaps your "odd polarity" adapters are a 3 pin version of these!

It is also possible that there was a 15 amp version of the 2/3 pin adapter.

I have some clang adapters kicking around in my plug/socket collection and will check mine for polarity differences too!

It is also interesting to note that your odd polarity adapter has shrouded live and neutral pins which, to me, suggests that it may be a later rather that earlier model!

Regards
Andrew

Last edited by AndiiT; 5th Jul 2010 at 6:07 pm. Reason: Extra information added after reviewing pictures
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Old 5th Jul 2010, 6:15 pm   #5
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Default Re: Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

Come to think of it, all the adaptors of this style I have (or used to have) were the same in this respect. Funny that it never occurred to me that the right-hand socket had reversed polarity despite having taken them apart to clean and re-spring the contacts!

I have a white 5-amp Clang adaptor which has the freezer plugged in (on a 5-amp spur with a fairly modern MK socket) and this adaptor has a 2-pin socket each side. This has the same arrangement but of course it doesn't matter with the 2-pin sockets. They are handy for my electric razors and battery chargers etc..


Brian
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Old 5th Jul 2010, 7:51 pm   #6
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Default Re: Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

Quote:
Originally Posted by AndiiT View Post
I seem to recall seeing a 3 pin 5 Amp Clang adapter, of the type(s) shown here which had one 3 Pin socket on the front and only 2 pin sockets on the sides, the holes where the side Earth pins would have been on the 3 pin version being replaced by a long screw and nut assembly;
You recall correctly:
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Old 5th Jul 2010, 8:22 pm   #7
Alan Stepney
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Default Re: Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

There was also one that had a 2 pin 15A and 2 pin 5A that went into a 15A 3 pin socket.
(And, I am sure I recall a similar one that also had 3 pin sockets at the side as well.)
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Old 5th Jul 2010, 10:15 pm   #8
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Default Re: Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

I have a Clang catalogue lurking somewhere, probably in my parents loft, maybe I should scan it!
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Old 6th Jul 2010, 3:09 pm   #9
Lucien Nunes
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Default Re: Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

I'd love to see the catalogue. Now I must confess that when I was little I used to take these things apart, and I have never consciously noticed any with reversed polarity outputs. IIRC putting the little plastic spacers between socket tubes of opposite polarity is the fiddliest bit of reassembly so I'd have noticed their absence.

I once built an adaptor chain with 100 adaptors, just for fun, and a few dozen of them must have been Clangs. The polarity was correct at the far end (perhaps there was an even number of reversers!)

Are your rogue ones definitely geniune Clang? Close copies were produced in the far East, some of which I think were sold in the UK under the Lyvia brand, although perhaps really manufactured for those former colonies where BS546 plugs are still in common use.

Lucien
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Old 6th Jul 2010, 3:51 pm   #10
Dave Moll
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Default Re: Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lucien Nunes View Post
Are your rogue ones definitely geniune Clang?
Both of mine are labelled "CLANG" and "made in England". This is clearly visible in the one I have pictured above.
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Old 6th Jul 2010, 8:02 pm   #11
McMurdo
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Default Re: Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

Lyvia made some pretty decent electrical fittings!

PS Clang are now Legrand
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Old 6th Jul 2010, 8:20 pm   #12
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Default Re: Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

both my " rogue" ones and correct ones are clearly marked "clang" and "made in England" too
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Old 6th Jul 2010, 8:38 pm   #13
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Default Re: Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

A few bits here from the 30's, not Clang
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Old 6th Jul 2010, 9:07 pm   #14
Malcolm G6ANZ
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Default Re: Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

Another company that made these adapters was Grelco. The name is now a generic term in theatre lighting circles for 15 amp adapters. They're used to parallel stage lights.15A round pin are standard for stage lighting where the fuse is at the control dimmer and not in the plugs.

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Old 6th Jul 2010, 9:13 pm   #15
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Default Re: Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

Those were the days... when they ran everything electrical in the house from a single light pendant I notice there are 2 amp plugs / sockets as well as the more familiar 5 & 15 amp. These are still available, as I discovered when doing some wiring work in a mates new porch. He wanted a socket for a table lamp but the only power was from the lighting circuit so I refused to fit a 13 amp socket. I had thought of looking for a small fused spur like the sort they used to fit for mains clocks but was offered the 2 amp socket instead.
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Old 6th Jul 2010, 10:21 pm   #16
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Default Re: Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

Yes the adapters on the right page of my scan are grelco, the original page of the catalogue shows them very clearly, it's when I uploaded it to this site that the quality went down somewhat!

A couple more pages from the 1937 MAC catalogue
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Old 6th Jul 2010, 11:05 pm   #17
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Default Re: Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

Thanks for those interesting photos from your catalogue

I have attached a few more photos for general interest , I have learnt something , I always assumed these adapters were more 1950s than 1930s, I have learnt so many interesting facts from this forum !
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Old 12th Jul 2010, 11:41 pm   #18
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Default Re: Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

Here's what I used to use back in the day when I needed to adapt anything to anything!

Anything that I'm likely to find today that still has an old style plug fitted is unlikely to be in a fit state to just plug in (but you never know?), so this jumper board set up is now redundant to the loft..........

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Old 14th Jul 2010, 10:25 pm   #19
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Default Re: Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

I used to collect old plugs and sockets as a Kid , still collect interesting light switches now. I recognise a lot from the catalogue pages .I love these old catalogues ,so interesting. Some of the switches could be mistaken for post war if it wasnt for these important references .
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Old 17th Jul 2010, 7:56 pm   #20
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Default Re: Vintage Clang Plug Adapters

Hi, I have an ancient "Loblite" adapter that has one 15amp socket & two 5amp ones. The 15amp socket is sideways when the adaptor is plugged in and the live pin is straight through to the neutral socket with a strap connecting the neutral pin to the "live" socket, thus reversing the polarity. If you follow.
However,when we moved to France I was surprised to find that polarity doesn't seem to be an issue. It's quite normal to find adaptors that reverse the polarity of one or more of their sockets. Furthermore, you can get twin gang wall sockets with one of them reversed. They're a reputable make & carry all the usual European approval marks.
Sorry if I've strayed OT a bit I got carried away!
Cheers de Pete
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