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Old 13th Jul 2018, 7:11 pm   #41
Electricawe
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Default Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by chriswood1900 View Post
I will try to find them but it may take a while!
Please do, thank you for posting

Quote:
Originally Posted by OldTechFan96 View Post
Here is an example of an MK safety plug in brown. I thought that these newer style plugs were only made in cream until I found this. I had wondered if they ever made them in brown.
Never seen one of those, Maybe that was a prototype?, definitely keep it though, Is it the same inside as a normal MK plug?

Regards,

Leo
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Old 13th Jul 2018, 8:20 pm   #42
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Default Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

Quote:
Yes, in the 1970s there were 'low-profile' nylon plugs whose maker I can't remember
Quote:
Here you go, BICC.
We used to have many of these at home as IIRC dad's company had some made with their branding on. After BICC, they were sold under a different, well known electrical manufacturing brand, possibly Legrand, with the BICC name milled out from the mould.

Regarding making a collection of Wylex plugs, I am working on this and it is an uphill struggle. There are a few popular types that are plentiful, but many obscure variants with different pin configurations etc. Early non-polarised types are almost impossible to find.

Returning to the early MK plug with the slotted solid brass terminal nuts and loose washers, clearly there were design flaws for a consumer product. The flat nut underneath that held the pin in place was a trap for the unwary - if that wasn't tight you couldn't make a secure connection with the terminal nut. Not everyone understands how nuts and locknuts behave, and the way wire pulls round a screw. People would lose the washers etc and make a bad job of it. But skilled hands could make a decent connection; with the external hexagon on the nuts, they were easy to tighten despite the threaded pillar invading the screwdriver slot.
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Old 13th Jul 2018, 10:48 pm   #43
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Default Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

Quote:
Returning to the early MK plug with the slotted solid brass terminal nuts and loose washers, clearly there were design flaws for a consumer product. The flat nut underneath that held the pin in place was a trap for the unwary - if that wasn't tight you couldn't make a secure connection with the terminal nut. Not everyone understands how nuts and locknuts behave, and the way wire pulls round a screw. People would lose the washers etc and make a bad job of it. But skilled hands could make a decent connection; with the external hexagon on the nuts, they were easy to tighten despite the threaded pillar invading the screwdriver slot.
For those not familiar with these,
https://www.flameport.com/electric_m...K_13A_plug.cs4
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Old 13th Jul 2018, 11:13 pm   #44
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Default Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

From the linked page:
Quote:
Underneath, remains of a 'guarantee void if seal broken' sticker is applied. This is more likely to be from a previous safety of PAT test, than a manufacturing sticker.
So, replacing a blown fuse would void the guarantee?
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Old 14th Jul 2018, 1:36 pm   #45
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Default Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Electricawe View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by OldTechFan96 View Post
Here is an example of an MK safety plug in brown. I thought that these newer style plugs were only made in cream until I found this. I had wondered if they ever made them in brown.
Never seen one of those, Maybe that was a prototype?, definitely keep it though, Is it the same inside as a normal MK plug?
It looks to be the same as any other MK plug.

I also have a switched MK plug in brown. The cover does not fit flush for some reason. It has the nut and bolt arrangement of attaching wires as mentioned above.
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Old 14th Jul 2018, 1:45 pm   #46
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Default Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

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So, replacing a blown fuse would void the guarantee?
Not the guarantee on the equipment but the validity of the test results. There is logic in demanding a re-inspection after a plug has been opened, because it is impossible to tell from the outside whether the whole plug was rewired / replaced, or just the fuse. |There is also the question of following up what caused the fuse to blow. I have looked for, but never found, equivalent anti-tamper stickers stating 'safety test void if seal broken' or similar, so have resorted to using these in trouble spots.

One thing that my dad brought to my attention early in my learning curve about wiring plugs is that the fuse contacts are rather an Achilles' heel in the BS1363 design, and the plug with the best fuse contacts is, at least for heavy loads, arguably the best plug even if it has other minor disadvantages. Thus, he strongly favoured MK plugs of this era with their highly engineered contacts with stiffening grooves and line-contact with the fuse caps. They hold their own against most alternatives at 13A today.
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Old 14th Jul 2018, 3:02 pm   #47
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Default Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

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Originally Posted by OldTechFan96 View Post
It looks to be the same as any other MK plug.

I also have a switched MK plug in brown. The cover does not fit flush for some reason. It has the nut and bolt arrangement of attaching wires as mentioned above.
Yes, maybe not as rare as I thought, it's the older horseshoe type because the terminals are not on top of the pins. That switched MK plug is cool, shame about the lid.

has anyone heard of the mk plug with sprung sleeves?, I want to add one of those to my collection, I find them very cool

Regards,

Leo
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Old 14th Jul 2018, 3:26 pm   #48
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Default Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

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I also have a switched MK plug in brown. The cover does not fit flush for some reason. It has the nut and bolt arrangement of attaching wires as mentioned above.
I remember those MK switched plugs: I fitted one to my parents' 1970s "log effect" electric fire, which was powered through a 3-way adapter that also fed the TV and the radio - making it easier to switch the fire off without disturbing the other 2 outlets, which invariably happened if you tried to pull the fire plug out!
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Old 14th Jul 2018, 3:57 pm   #49
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Default Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

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Originally Posted by Lucien Nunes View Post
Quote:
So, replacing a blown fuse would void the guarantee?
Not the guarantee on the equipment but the validity of the test results. There is logic in demanding a re-inspection after a plug has been opened, because it is impossible to tell from the outside whether the whole plug was rewired / replaced, or just the fuse.
Some early plugs had a square aperture at the top, I used to think it was there as a convenient way to directly earth your turntable or crystal set, and I have used it for both, but I subsequently learned it was there to make it evident that an a connection was made internally to the earth pin without the need to open the plug.
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Old 14th Jul 2018, 5:18 pm   #50
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Default Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

During a course on Instructional Techniques, the class was asked to prepare a 30 minute lecture on whatever subject they wished, ready for first thing next day. What I came up with may serve as a useful tip for anyone put into this position.
I decided to base my lecture on the humble 13A Plug and you may be forgiven for thinking that to talk about it for 30 minutes is impossible?
Not when you cover such topics as the need for a fused plug and the ring main system, the fitting of correct fuses, the changes made e.g. to sleeved pins, the identification and wiring up of the plug. The last five minutes were taken up by handing out various types of 13A plug including ones with built in neon lamp, rubber types and ones with built in switches. I even managed to find Council House types with rotated pins to discourage theft. Most of the plugs were MK but I don't remember MK making a rubber one so must have been the odd one out. Though I apologise for slight digression, this thread has brought back happy memories of that day.
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Old 14th Jul 2018, 5:45 pm   #51
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Default Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

MK made some rubber plugs which were square in shape with rounded corners.

My parents had one on their washing machine for years, & unfortunately I forgot to liberate the plug when it was disposed of.

My Dad had stopped removing plugs from old electrical items by this point, which he used to do when most appliances didn't come with a plug so we had a stock of them at hand.

Rotated pin plugs like the Walsall & Wandsworth gauges seemed to be mainly used on non-standard electricity supplies to stop people plugging in normal devices.
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Old 14th Jul 2018, 8:38 pm   #52
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Wink Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

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My Dad had stopped removing plugs from old electrical items by this point
I still do that, but it's good to hear I might yet grow out of it
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Old 14th Jul 2018, 8:46 pm   #53
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Default Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

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MK made some rubber plugs which were square in shape with rounded corners.
Are you talking about one like this?

Regards,

Leo
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Old 14th Jul 2018, 8:50 pm   #54
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Default Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

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I even managed to find Council House types with rotated pins to discourage theft.
Why would local councils be providing plugs in council houses? Sockets I can understand, but plugs?

Having spent the first 23 years of my life living in council houses I object to council house tenants being continually branded as low life.
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Old 14th Jul 2018, 9:22 pm   #55
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Default Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

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Are you talking about one like this?
Yes it was a white version of that style.
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Old 14th Jul 2018, 9:28 pm   #56
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Default Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

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Why would local councils be providing plugs in council houses? Sockets I can understand, but plugs?
I've heard of D&S and Wylex sockets being fitted in council houses, which might have caused problems for tenants sourcing plugs once these types became rare.
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Old 14th Jul 2018, 9:40 pm   #57
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Default Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

My Wife was brought up in a Council estate (Ireland Wood, Leeds, if anyone knows it). They had unusual sockets, a round centre pin with two horizontal pins at slightly different levels. They were difficult to find, and the few they had were wired to bulb holders. Appliances had bulb adapters to fit. Once I had my feet under the table I located some plugs and replaced every one PDQ. Not long afterwards the houses were rewired!
The only ones I've come across with a rotated live pin were for security reasons, to safeguard essential services from random interruption risks.
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Old 14th Jul 2018, 9:40 pm   #58
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Default Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

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I've heard of D&S and Wylex sockets being fitted in council houses, which might have caused problems for tenants sourcing plugs once these types became rare.
I can confirm that.
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Old 14th Jul 2018, 9:45 pm   #59
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Default Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

We were provided with six standard 13A plugs when we were moved to a newly-built council flat in the late 1960's due to redevelopment of our area. Before that we had mostly used the good old BC adaptor in the light socket (our old flat had only had one 5A and one 15A socket). When in the early 1970's my aunt was moved from her prefab bungalow to a prefab house, they were supplied with six of the D&S 13A plugs (the ones where one of the pins was the fuse) that the house was fitted with. Their prefab bungalow had had standard 3 pin 5A plugs (at least two in every room - luxury!). D&S plugs were expensive and getting hard to find in the 1970's, and no mutliway adaptors were to be had, so I made up short adaptor leads terminated in 5A sockets for each of their D&S sockets to allow them to use their 5A plugs and "Grelco" adaptors. Their house was re-wired using standard 13A sockets a few years later.

I have one of those rubber-covered square MK plugs somewhere in the loft. Unlike the Duraplug all-rubber plugs we used to get from Woolworths that couldn't really handle a 3kW electric fire without getting so hot that the rubber got very floppy, I think that only the cover is rubber.
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Old 14th Jul 2018, 10:01 pm   #60
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Default Re: MK Plugs and their various designs.

If a council supplied plugs to new tenants, presumably these were a gift and didn't have to be handed back at the end of the tenancy, so why would tenants want to steal them?

If the supplied plugs were non-standard 13A types this would make things difficult if the tenant bought or rented a new appliance. The supplier would have to source a non-standard plug for it.
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