James May and the telephone

Just been watching James May reassemble a 300 type telephone. The really interesting bit for me, as an ex G.P.O. engineer, was the anachronistic use of a "screwplacer", the thing he used to hold screws by the slot in the heads. I was stationed, with four other engineers, in the met office at Bracknell in the mid sixties, maintaining rather a lot of mechanical teleprinters. We were given "screwplacers", to field trial in about 1966. Brilliant tool! I still have mine. We highly recomended them. The G.P.O. called it the Screwplacer Number 1.They were made in America, and labeled "Quick Wedge " made in Salt Lake City. Mr May seemed to actually tighten the screws with his. This is the way to destroy the toll. It was for starting the screws, not to fully tighten.

Yes Maurice - that is part of my background too. The Screwplacer was a brilliant tool I' m surprised that they are not generally available - nothing else I have come across is anywhere as good for placing screws in awkward places.

( I've posted previously on this forum my lack of enthusiasm for the "geriatric boy racers" late of the Beeb so I didn't watch the program - it seems that I didn't miss much!)

Norman

It was a long half hour , just as well he didn't re assemble it all !

you can buy the screw drivers from RS -

RS Pro 8 in Gripping Driver Screwdriver, Slotted 0.02 in Tip

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I first used one while on a VT maintenance course ( about 1989 ?  

John

A reference to the tool in this video: Play the "Tool Knowledge Challenge"

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Bill

Surprised he didn't figure out the function of the peg on the acetate window in the middle of the dial. It's an anti-rotation peg to stop the paper insert from rotating. You cannot put a peg on a piece of paper but if it's between two surfaces that don't rotate it will stay put, hence the peg on the acetate. He is quite right about the quality both of the telephone and the small fixings. Three days to assemble a full phone though, no wonder there was plenty of work about.

regards Martin

PS Radio Spares stock number for a wedging screwdriver is :-

RS Stock No. 547-969

As a programme it didn't quite work for me. I like James May but found the assembly of a phone less than riveting viewing despite only being subjected to a fraction of the actual time taken for assembly. I can't see this format being repeated.

Doug

I have several Quick-Wedge screw starters of various sizes. Last replaced one about 18 months ago from here:

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Dave.

When I was a young kid, about 8 /10 years old, one of the local chaps used to assemble telephones for the NZ Post and Telegraph Department, he was the fastest in NZ at the time, and he was totally blind, a gun shot wound during WW2, saved by a German surgeon, and repatriated home.

Ian S C

I've one of those screwdrivers somewhere and while I have used it I prefer magnetism or a blob of blutak or grease.

I was surprised he made no mention of the Post Office standard issue screwdrivers he used at one stage.

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Phone dismantling articles here

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and here

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