We have a double socket about three feet above floor level, set in a
lath and plaster wall. Never been right since we moved in, the only
fixings being screws through the back box into the laths behind. Long
story short, only one of the screws is really secure, the others being
too close to the edge of a lath, which splits.

Today, I used a long bolt to secure a three hole strip of Meccano behind
the back box, and 'toggled' it into position such that the Meccano is
45/225 degrees behind the lath/plaster, and, when tightened, together
with a screw fixing in the opposite corner, gives a good solid fixing of
the back box. Wifey is delighted.
--
Graeme

Yes most of my Meccano has been used for all sorts of jobs like this, and
yet its basically crap bits of old steel with holes painted various colours.
Brian

--
----- -
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please!
"Graeme" wrote in message
...

We have a double socket about three feet above floor level, set in a lath
and plaster wall. Never been right since we moved in, the only fixings
being screws through the back box into the laths behind. Long story
short, only one of the screws is really secure, the others being too close
to the edge of a lath, which splits.

Today, I used a long bolt to secure a three hole strip of Meccano behind
the back box, and 'toggled' it into position such that the Meccano is
45/225 degrees behind the lath/plaster, and, when tightened, together with
a screw fixing in the opposite corner, gives a good solid fixing of the
back box. Wifey is delighted.
--
Graeme

In message , Brian Gaff
writes
Yes most of my Meccano has been used for all sorts of jobs like this, and
yet its basically crap bits of old steel with holes painted various colours.

Crap bits of old steel, Brian? Wash your mouth out! (insert smiley of
choice)
--
Graeme

In article ,
Graeme wrote:

We have a double socket about three feet above floor level, set in a
lath and plaster wall. Never been right since we moved in, the only
fixings being screws through the back box into the laths behind. Long
story short, only one of the screws is really secure, the others being
too close to the edge of a lath, which splits.

Today, I used a long bolt to secure a three hole strip of Meccano behind
the back box, and 'toggled' it into position such that the Meccano is
45/225 degrees behind the lath/plaster, and, when tightened, together
with a screw fixing in the opposite corner, gives a good solid fixing of
the back box. Wifey is delighted.

Other way is to glue a bit of wood to the back of the laths, running down
the sides of the box. Drill some suitable holes in the side of the box,
and screw to it. It can also be used for fixing a steel box to a
plasterboard wall. If you set the box back slightly into the wall, fitting
the socket will clamp it all up good and tight.

--
*A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Tuesday, 14 November 2017 18:10:52 UTC, Graeme wrote:

We have a double socket about three feet above floor level, set in a
lath and plaster wall. Never been right since we moved in, the only
fixings being screws through the back box into the laths behind. Long
story short, only one of the screws is really secure, the others being
too close to the edge of a lath, which splits.

Today, I used a long bolt to secure a three hole strip of Meccano behind
the back box, and 'toggled' it into position such that the Meccano is
45/225 degrees behind the lath/plaster, and, when tightened, together
with a screw fixing in the opposite corner, gives a good solid fixing of
the back box. Wifey is delighted.

Some of my Meccano was 1920s, I half wish I still had it.


NT