Larry:
If the rubber insulators around the terminals are in good condition,
then the switch can be improved.
I have successfully opened these up. Inside you will find a spring
loaded copper washer which bridges across the terminals. There are
actually two springs. The heavy return spring and a lighter one used
with the copper washer to ensure it will contact the terminals inside
evenly. If the switch is used a lot, the washer and the terminals get
burned slightly. You can try loosing the connector of the pull wire
and rotating the connector and the steel shaft which runs through the
switch. This will sometimes rotate the internal copper washer to a
new spot. The other option is to open up the case and flip the washer
over to the "clean" side. Bead blasting the case and spraying with
lacquer, or using a silver paint and lacquer gives a fairly close to
original finish.
Blake
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