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Old 14th May 2021, 7:52 am   #1
robin coleman
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Default Nettle electrical

I recently came across some of the Nettle type electrical fittings in a house renovation were these any good and were they around very long?
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Old 14th May 2021, 9:31 am   #2
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Default Re: Nettle electrical

Fairly average as I remember - not in the same league as MK or Crabtree.

I have only seen fifties / sixties 13amp plugs so no idea if they were long established.
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Old 14th May 2021, 10:02 am   #3
Restoration73
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Default Re: Nettle electrical

https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Nettle_Accessories
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Old 14th May 2021, 10:02 am   #4
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Default Re: Nettle electrical

Like this?

They were as good as MK, this adapter has been in use since the 60's.
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Old 14th May 2021, 12:12 pm   #5
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Default Re: Nettle electrical

I remember being greatly excited as a child (mid 1970s) when Dad bought a Nettle Roverpoint extension lead (see pic)

I'd never seen anything like it before, and, as with anything electrical, I was desperate to know how it 'worked'.

So, of course, I dismantled it one day to see what was inside. Luckily I managed to put it back together again before anyone found out.

It's long gone now, but I'm sure I've still got the original Nettle plug somewhere...
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Old 14th May 2021, 12:55 pm   #6
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Default Re: Nettle electrical

I've got one of those Roverpoints and still use it. I bought it with Christmas money for £10 from Halford's back in the early-'80s.

Interestingly the socket was quite poor and I later changed it for an MK one. I knew a couple of other people who had them and they'd changed the sockets too.
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Old 14th May 2021, 2:52 pm   #7
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Default Re: Nettle electrical

My childhood home was a new build in 1953 and had a one single brown Nettle socket in each room. A Nettle double adapter allowed the table-lamp and the TV to be used together, but presumably we had to unplug the TV to use the radiogram.

All the plugs were Nettle to begin with, suggesting they were supplied with the installation.
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Old 14th May 2021, 6:25 pm   #8
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The TV would blot out the radiogram anyway!
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Old 14th May 2021, 7:56 pm   #9
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Default Re: Nettle electrical

As far as I’m aware Or can remember.probably I the late 70s Some if not all Nettle Products became Delta After a few years out of the domestic accessories market MEM returned with the name Delta MEM. Eventually dropping the Delta name and just MEM . Well unto being taken over by Eaton .
They were not to bad a product. Some of the earth terminals were a bit flimsy. Their plug tops were very good and almost up to mk standards. Andy
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Old 14th May 2021, 8:10 pm   #10
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Default Re: Nettle electrical

Here’s a picture of the Nettle plug top on the left and the Delta on the right
Andy
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Old 14th May 2021, 9:39 pm   #11
jamesperrett
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Default Re: Nettle electrical

When I worked in an electrical shop in the late 70's we sold Nettle plug tops for low current devices (like radios and TV's) but MK Safetyplugs for high current devices. We had a Nettle one on a heater at home and it certainly got warm in use.
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Old 14th May 2021, 10:35 pm   #12
kellymarie
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I remember seeing a socketan extension lead like that it had some liquid in it and I was told it was liquid cooled im not sure if this was a real thing or if my dads mate was taking the you no what
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Old 15th May 2021, 2:34 pm   #13
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Default Re: Nettle electrical

Just got a couple pictures of the last generation plug tops .Basically it’s the original Nettle design but the Delta MEM version. The grey ones were a special . Originally supplied to Habitat and other specialist stores. The quality of these were excellent as the pins were nice and rigid ,so little movement on the wires and fuse holders . Ideal for high current items


One other point Nettle sockets in the very late 70s were double pole switched.At the time frowned upon by several electricians as they were worried the neutral side of the switch could fail leaving the appliance live . How times have changed Andy
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Old 15th May 2021, 3:37 pm   #14
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Default Re: Nettle electrical

Ah yes. I have one of those in green thermosetting plastic. As you say, I think I persuaded mum to buy it for me on a boring trip to Habitat in Croydon c. 1980

Apart from the colour, the other notable feature was the window to check what colour fuse was fitted.
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Old 15th May 2021, 9:20 pm   #15
robin coleman
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Default Re: Nettle electrical

The fittings I found were pull light switches and ceiling roses, I have never heard of the make before I presume as this was an ex council property built in the 1930's. It was rewired by them in the late 1970's with whatever the got issued with at the time.

Regards, Robin.
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Old 16th May 2021, 11:13 pm   #16
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Default Re: Nettle electrical

I believe round about 1980 Nettle became Delta . I don’t know why the name change. We were In fact rewiring council houses about 1981 82 . We were using Delta fittings. The reason was all down to cost. At the time they were not too bad for the price . Heavily discounted by wholesalers. The biggest criticism Was tiny earth terminals. It’s was also easy to snap the earth screw off. Later they upgraded the earth terminals. Andy
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Old 17th May 2021, 10:34 pm   #17
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Default Re: Nettle electrical

I remember the family of one of my friends had some Nettle plugs on their appliances.

It used to be common for households to buy a job lot of plugs & keep recycling them, my Gran had Ashley plugs on most of her electrical devices.
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Old 17th May 2021, 11:08 pm   #18
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Default Re: Nettle electrical

We acquired one of the Nettle extension reels at work, uses .75mm cable so only rated for 5A (in theory 6A would also be fine but try finding 6A plug fuses!), I know someone must have overloaded it once as it wasn't working and needed the fuse replacing.

The plug did get changed, however, for a modern type with partially insulated L/N pins as it's required (I believe) for appliances in a work setting.
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Old 18th May 2021, 10:55 pm   #19
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Default Re: Nettle electrical

We currently have a Nettle cooker switch & socket unit in our kitchen, the cooker switch is for the dishwasher and the socket for the kettle, it was fitted in the early 70's when the extension was built, the only fault it has is an iffy earth, the socket tester keeps showing no earth till I wiggle it around, then it works, it will be binned in the near future as it's on the verge of murdering someone.
Two other sockets are Ashley, they work but plugs have a habit of trying to fall out, these may go back to the 60's but I can't be sure of that, one piece of cabling is defo 60's, it's silver multistrand.
Our house needs rewiring, the fuse box is a 50's Wylex wood backed thing, the HSE would love this place!
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