Cheers, to the little guy.

I don't know why I didn't just go straight there, because the place is only three blocks from my home.  I'm guilty of contributing to the rise of corporate America and the demise of "The Little Guy."  But, don't we all want things yesterday?  I find it humorous to hear people blame Barnes and Noble and Borders for the downfall of the neighborhood bookstore, especially when no one tells us where to shop. 

I'll be the first in line to fess up to the fact that when I want something, I really don't care to waste my time shuffling from local store to local store, only to hear that they're out of stock and won't be getting another one in until next Tuesday.  So, what do I do?  I go to Home Depot! 

Unless...

...the uniqueness of the item warrants a trip to True Value or Ace Hardware.  Sure enough, moments before pushing the send button on another internet purchase, I thought I'd try the lumber shop down the road - a division of Ace Harware.  Low and behold, there were my face plates.

And, they had a pile of them!  I bought eight.  They're the old dark brown bakelite faceplates.  I shook my head with embarrassment.  I slinked up to the register with my tail between my legs, hoping no one saw my car at Home Depot earlier that day...

...and then promptly dashed home for another fix of my Moho jones - but not before stopping by the auto parts store.  I found these puppies in the 12volt aisle. 

There are a lot of different kinds of switches out there.  You can find them at Radio Shack, Fry's Electronics and at various auto parts stores.  But remember one thing.  They cannot be 120vac switches for 12 volt applications, and vice versa.  This is the kind of label you'll want to see.

 

Considering the highest amperage draw at any time will come from my water pump, which is 7amps, I'll be just fine with these switches.  And, at less than three bucks a piece, I can set them up all day long. 

And, here's my finished switch plate.  

 

I won't need more than three on a plate in any one area, so I'm good to go.  I'll have two more of these plates, one in the bathroom, one at the dinette and one at the galley.  I'll have single switch plates beside the bed and in front of the closet. 

The plastic is super thick and dense.  My rotozip didn't exactly buzz through it like butter and it was plenty noisy cutting out all of that plastic.  But they look super pro with a finshed manufactured quality.  The measuring is the only thing that takes time.  I wrapped the surface in blue painter's tape and marked the holes with pencil.  That way I didn't have to ink directly on the plastic and ruin it. 

They were $.49 a piece.