"Alan Horowitz" wrote in message
om...
a colleague has a little gizmo which grabs onto small lamps used in
pushbutton indicators and switches, etc. He doesn't recall where he
got it.

it is marked: MICROSWITCH 15PA19 LAMP CHANGER


where to buy this, or similar?

Well, there a couple of different sorts of tools which do this job.....

http://catalog.sensing.honeywell.com...awds&PN=15PA19 is a
drawing of the OEM tool you mentioned from Microswitch (which has been
swallowed up by Honeywell, so I'm not sure it's even still available given
the caveats on the top of the webpage --- the drawing is dated 1958 & 1959
!!!).

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/tmt/lamextmtn553.html shows a fancier kind
(albeit a bit pricy, like most things from that outfit).

Also look at the bottom of the webpage
http://www.tecratools.com/pages/tele...handtools.html for what
looks to be the same sort of thing for less $$.

There's also a kind of lamp extraction tool which looks like a U shaped
piece of metal ...... go to http://www.mouser.com/catalog/618/914.pdf and
see the item at the bottom of the webpage called "lamp extractor tool".

And one which looks like a metal tube with a couple of splits at one end,
and a plastic cap at the other ..... take a look at
http://www.mouser.com/catalog/618/917.pdf on the bottom of the page under
"lamp extractor" in the accessories section. Might be the closest to what
your friend has, but you need to be sure it fits the lamps you want to pull.

Finally, I have seen el-cheapo sets of lamp pullers (I think I even have one
somewhere in my tool drawer) at hamfests, flea markets, etc. at the tables
which sell all the various tools & gizmos. Also might be worth checking
with an outfit like MCM Electronics or Ocean State Electronics which caters
to the industrial/electronic repair trade .... they often have this kind of
generic item. Even if you can't find it on their web catalog pages, would
be worth a call on the phone.

May also want to do some googling for "miniature lamp puller", "minaiture
lamp extractor", etc. and see what turns up.

73s