largely intact early 20th century antique american industrial triple pole switchboard surface mount knife switch designed and fabricated by or for the george cutter company, south bend, ind. the hinge and jaw of the nicely aged solid copper knife switch are original and intact. the all original blacked enameled finely turned handle is free from damage, with only slight surface wear consistent with age. knife switches are used to control the flow of electricity in a circuit. it is composed of a hinge which allows a metal lever or "knife" to be lifted from or inserted into a slot or jaw. the hinge and jaw are both fixed to an insulated base, and the knife has an insulated handle to grip at one end. current flows through the switch when the knife is pushed into the jaw. knife switches can take several forms, including single throw, in which the "knife" engages with only a single slot, and double throw, in which the knife hinge is placed between two slots and can engage with either one. also, multiple knives may be attached to a single handle and can be used to activate more than one circuit simultaneously. the 100 amp/125 knife switch with composite crossbar was savaged from a factory building open-end switchboard. measures 9 x 5 x 2 inches (including handle)