Tool kit 1956

For interest, the Bank of England inflation calculator shows £1 in 1962 was worth £21.50 in 2019  ( Inflation calculator )

so 32p is more or less £7/hr.

No test kit ? not even an indicator lamp for live or bell and battery set for continuity ?

But of course,  two hammers, ah, in some ways  little has changed, plenty of folk still use hammer to get the electrons to go the right way.

Two screwdrivers - no cross-point ones in those days. ?


I am a bit surprised that there were no BA spanners in the list.


Regarding the cost, wasn't father expected to stump up?

That looks pretty much the kit I was given on my first day as an apprentice in 1979, apart from the spanners being a mix of metric and imperial. The cost was then deducted weekly from my wages for about six months!

I can't remember the prices though.


regards

Hi Bod, what tools/equipment would you recommend as being as being essential for an electrician here in 2020 in addition to those of 1956? 

That list is for what would be called here (Switzerland) an electrical installer. Their would be different lists for a electrical technician, probably with test equipment, and an 'automaticer'  who would work with drives, PLCs, etc


Best regards


Roger

Well WB, some of the existing kit would be largely redundant now, but it is difficult to draw a line these days with the shorter life expectancy of the inevitable battery operated tools used by trades and their initial and replacement cost.


As to what the employer would provide to enable more productivity and the tradesman (sorry Kerry and Zs!) uses is debatable. If your employer didn't supply you with an impact driver, would you persist and use a screwdriver or would you use your own "home and foreigner" kit? I doubt if I would have needed three carpal tunnel operations (and resisting having a fourth) had I an impact driver years ago.


An obvious addition would be PPE and a means of proving live/dead as suggested above.


Missing from the original list is some means of "Rawlplugging" but joist drilling and chasing is expected, along with horizontal spirit level and vertical plumb bob.


This leads onto the use of an SDS drill and for the cost, a laser level.


As to actually testing the installation and certifying it, this has been a requirement since before 1927 (I'll look up actual date but supper is calling) and 1939 respectively. I'd respectfully suggest that even if the test kit and forms were available from the employer, few employees would either know how to use it or be able to compile an EIC so possibly academic.


Regards


BOD

Power tools etc were the employers responsibility.


Over the years the trades have ended up buying and supplying tools particularly power tools because   initially they can earn more money because they are on price work, but then gradually the pay rates settle back and they cannot earn a regular wage without all the additional gear. Eventually it got to the stage where often  the trades are being paid less than it would cost the employer more to hire their tools from a hire shop than they are paying in wages.


 Andy Betteridge

mapj1:

No test kit ? not even an indicator lamp for live or bell and battery set for continuity ?

But of course,  two hammers, ah, in some ways  little has changed, plenty of folk still use hammer to get the electrons to go the right way.

Being an electrical apprentice in Stewarts and Lloyds - the Scottish steel industry, we made our own from thick tufnol sheet, drilled to accept 2 series connected lampholders with 240V, RS pygmy lamps for up to 440 Volts. The 2 test prods were rubber flexible cables, tufnol tubes and brass prods, the cables were soldered into drilled holes in the prods for handles; we took pride in the making of these. As apprentices we moved around the 8 off DC and AC steel plants of Stewarts and Lloyds in Scotland, and for a 5 year apprenticeship!. The first time I came across a fused, Line and Neutral office supply and had to find out!


Jaymack