[prkaye]

Is there a special tool for tightening those thing round washers at the front of standard toggle switches?

 

[jsharkey]

Fingers

Is there a special tool for tightening those thing round washers at the front of standard toggle switches?

Or swap them for hex nuts!

 

[BuckWynd]

Phil,

Yes, there is a tool for that. I bought one at an old-school electronics store that has shelves of slightly-dusty tools, components, and spools of wire from 1975.

If you don't have a store like that nearby, you could buy one here:
http://www.tessco.com/products/displayProductInfo.do?sku=477526&eventPage=1

 

[flickroll]

Is there a special tool for tightening those thing round washers at the front of standard toggle switches?

If you don't want to go the hex nut route, buy some vinyl tubing from the Aviation section of Lowes or Home Depot. Get the size that snugs up to round nut and you've got an el cheapo switch thingy tightener

 

[tomwebster]

I have found that I usually need a hex
nut on the back of the panel. I set the projection
of the front of the switch shaft with the round nut
and tighten the hex nut on the back of the switch
shaft with a small ignition wrench. I also usually
have an internal star washer under the hex nut.

Tom

 

[fl-mike]

Generally you set the front/face nut so the barrel is flush to the panel and tighten the hex nut behind the panel. If you used the anti-rotation tab-washer (again, behind the panel) the switch will not rotate as you tighten things up. The only thing on the front of the panel should be the ring nut or a nicely lined up hex nut. (please, no lock washers and big old barrels sticking out of the panel!)

The order of things goes like this:
switch:hex nut:lock washer:tab washer: panel :front nut

http://www.ck-components.com/39614/hardware_23sept.pdf/

Sometimes you need a pretty thin wrench to get in there.

(like Tom said)

 

[freddie]

There's a good discussion here:

http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=107728&sid=0691312c42353e1908e772ca9e574df8

 

[prkaye]

waher

Anti-rotation tab-washer

I'm not sure what kind of washer this is... Could you point me to a link, or an image?

 

[BuckWynd]

I'm not sure what kind of washer this is... Could you point me to a link, or an image?

Here's a link Bob Nuckolls' illustrated guide to installing switches. It's got a photo of an anti-rotation washer:

http://www.aeroelectric.com/articles/switchmounting/switchmounting.html

Most quality switches will have an anti-rotation tab included, along with a flat washer and a hex nut or two.

If your switches don't have them, B&C has them. (Make sure your switch has a keyway, obviously, or this is all a moot point...)

 

[prkaye]

buy some vinyl tubing from the Aviation section of Lowes or Home Depot

You mean like soft flexible tubing? You just use it to get a better grip on the knurled nut?