I asked the owner of the item if he had the booklet, since I couldn't find a
model number anywhere on it... All but "Craftsman" has been worn off over
the years. I was hoping for the info before tearing into the thing - and as
luck would have it, he didn't have it. OK, with no info, time to go to plan
B. Examine the whole thing...... with a very keen eye.

I took the entire assembly apart to check for breaks in the wiring and so
on. What I found was on the "AC" side of the switch, it was taped up with
Duct Tape and Electrical tape. On the Motor Side of the switch, it was
original wiring with PVC tubing covering that.

Once I removed all that tape mess, I double checked by checking from the
metal chassis to wiring for shorts - visually and with an ohm meter, there
were none. I did this from the motor end - and up - looking for frayed
insulation as well, and found none. The original wiring and PVC tubing were
in tact all the way through the metal shaft, down to and including the main
body of the motor.

I'm guessing that the AC cord was splitting, the guy put a used cord on or
cut any bad section out, twisted the old with the new, taped it with duct
tape and electrical tape and didn't replace any PVC tubing to further
insulate. While I could be wrong, that seems to be the only thing that seems
to make sense at this point. And, there were LONG (6" or more) strands of
open conductor on there, taped, but well... no short connections as one
would expect. This left room for shorts. While I didn't see any "exposed"
area, it doesn't take much to short. I do believe that not all of the wire
was covered with electrical tape, but rather some was with duct tape. That
sure could explain a shocking situation. By the time I got done trying to
peel and cut it all away, I had more residue than I knew what to do with -
yes, there was that much tape. I very well could have and probably did miss
a small exposed area in among that mess. Point is, all seems centered on the
AC side of the switch.

I also asked if he had a GFIC in his home, to which he said no. I said you
may want to consider one for use with outside tools - just in case you have
a similar situation again, so you won't get electrocuted.

Now to get the replacement cord and some PVC tubing...... I'll go from
there..... Should have him weed whacking in no time - with out the
surprises.......

Thanks to you folks who lent me an ear on this project. I've repaired
electrical items in the past and do electronics repairs daily, but as those
of you who read my first post know, this was my first electrical weed
whacker repair and due to the fact I was not a follower of Electric lawn
tools (I've always used and looked only at gas items), I had questioned the
2 prong plug rather than a 3. I wasn't sure at that moment, if the owner
circumvented the safety factor by using a bad cord or what. That issue was
explained.

Lou