01-16-2018, 04:08 PM
I repaired the power switch in a 41-250 a few weeks ago. I carefully drilled out the rivets, removed the switch, and pushed the the rivets through the holes. One of them took light persuasion from a hammer.
The wires were not soldered inside the switch housing, but only pushed into place. That might be the failure mode. I removed all the metal pieces and polished them with 0000 steel wool, including the rotating piece. I soldered new wires onto the two bent brass pieces and reinstalled them back in the housing along with the rotating piece. It is easy to see how everything goes together, but it wouldn't hurt to photograph everything when you disassemble it.
I put the housing back in place, making sure that the spiral piece on the push button plunger was in place. I put the housing back on with #3 machine screws. One of the two screws has to be exactly the right length to go through the metal and no longer, so I just nibbled away at it by trial and error until it was short enough.
I couldn't find any #3 self-tapping screws at my local hardware stores, which would have been ideal. I found by experiment that a #4 self-tapping screw from my junk box would put the right threads in the hole for the machine screws, because it is tapered at the end. It's too big in diameter to go all the way through, but if you put it in about one turn or so and then back it off, it will cut all the threads you need in the hole. You could also buy a #3-40 tap from Amazon. (Package of three for $10.)
I didn't think to take pictures until I was almost through. I've repaired two of them this way, and both work well. It takes a couple of pushes on the button before everything centers and begins to work as it is supposed to.
The wires were not soldered inside the switch housing, but only pushed into place. That might be the failure mode. I removed all the metal pieces and polished them with 0000 steel wool, including the rotating piece. I soldered new wires onto the two bent brass pieces and reinstalled them back in the housing along with the rotating piece. It is easy to see how everything goes together, but it wouldn't hurt to photograph everything when you disassemble it.
I put the housing back in place, making sure that the spiral piece on the push button plunger was in place. I put the housing back on with #3 machine screws. One of the two screws has to be exactly the right length to go through the metal and no longer, so I just nibbled away at it by trial and error until it was short enough.
I couldn't find any #3 self-tapping screws at my local hardware stores, which would have been ideal. I found by experiment that a #4 self-tapping screw from my junk box would put the right threads in the hole for the machine screws, because it is tapered at the end. It's too big in diameter to go all the way through, but if you put it in about one turn or so and then back it off, it will cut all the threads you need in the hole. You could also buy a #3-40 tap from Amazon. (Package of three for $10.)
I didn't think to take pictures until I was almost through. I've repaired two of them this way, and both work well. It takes a couple of pushes on the button before everything centers and begins to work as it is supposed to.
John Honeycutt
