Tucker Telac Fuse Board
15 April 2017
I have to confess that I am a bit odd when it comes to my collection of fun things, because a fuse board from the early 1900s is now a part of it. I am also building a fuse board from the Big Bang Theory show, but this one is more dear to me. Tucker Telac built re-wireable household fuses which were intended to be works of art. Marcel Duchamp signed a urinal and called it art; these qualify in my opinion.
Tucker Telac was a British electrical switch and fuse manufacturer in the 1900s. They made, to my eye, rather frumpy looking devices, each with its own appeal. Their fuses were re-wireable; that is, they could be pulled out and a new fusible wire added by cutting off the appropriate number of strands of 'fuse' from a roll of standard diameter wire. Pull out the old blown section of fuse from the carrier, add the new fuse wire, and pop the thing back into the fuse board and you are up and running.
After seeing a set of these fuses on their own fuse panel about ten years ago, I have been looking for a set ever since; they are really hard to come by. This set came up on eBay and I got them - oddly enough I was the only bidder. I took a break from working on my library and built this rather nice cherry box to display the fuses. I happened along the little brass sign and it seems to fit the character of the project, so I purchased one of them. A few more coats of satin poly and the glass will be installed.
I have to confess that I am a bit odd when it comes to my collection of fun things, because a fuse board from the early 1900s is now a part of it. I am also building a fuse board from the Big Bang Theory show, but this one is more dear to me. Tucker Telac built re-wireable household fuses which were intended to be works of art. Marcel Duchamp signed a urinal and called it art; these qualify in my opinion.
Tucker Telac was a British electrical switch and fuse manufacturer in the 1900s. They made, to my eye, rather frumpy looking devices, each with its own appeal. Their fuses were re-wireable; that is, they could be pulled out and a new fusible wire added by cutting off the appropriate number of strands of 'fuse' from a roll of standard diameter wire. Pull out the old blown section of fuse from the carrier, add the new fuse wire, and pop the thing back into the fuse board and you are up and running.
After seeing a set of these fuses on their own fuse panel about ten years ago, I have been looking for a set ever since; they are really hard to come by. This set came up on eBay and I got them - oddly enough I was the only bidder. I took a break from working on my library and built this rather nice cherry box to display the fuses. I happened along the little brass sign and it seems to fit the character of the project, so I purchased one of them. A few more coats of satin poly and the glass will be installed.
Tucker Telac Fuse Board Rex Wiederanders
18 April 2017
The finish is on and I picked up a pane of glass from K&M Glass in Rochester. I'll get the glass in soon, but here is the box as it stands.
The finish is on and I picked up a pane of glass from K&M Glass in Rochester. I'll get the glass in soon, but here is the box as it stands.
22 April 2017
It is all done - glass is in and plaques are applied to the back. Last look and this project is complete.
It is all done - glass is in and plaques are applied to the back. Last look and this project is complete.