Yep, as a small boy, I found an old pull-chain light socket in my neighbor’s trash. The kind with a bare 40 Watt bulb, that still hung on a wire from the ceiling in many homes. I tore that thing apart and discovered how it worked. And put it back together again. Lessee—there was an example of a ratchet device, a rotary switch, etc., etc.
Similarly, I tore apart an old mantle clock and discovered how gears work. And when I let the wind-up spring loose, it came striking out like a nest of rattlesnakes. A bit of patching up of my wound was required. Needless to say, a valuable lesson in springs.
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