Abstract: A twist-on or wire-nut electrical connector having a rigid, electrically insulative upper body, a flexible, elastic, electrically insulative lower skirt, and a coil spring within the body for gripping wires which may be inserted therein. The provision of a flexible, elastic skirt allows the insertion of a larger number of wires (or larger sized wires) into the connector; the skirt further deforms to fit more easily within a crowded junction box or other high-density wiring environment. Unlike prior art twist-on connectors, the lower skirt is attached directly to the open end of the polymeric body, allowing greater application of torque to the rigid body. In the preferred embodiment, the upper body is formed of polypropylene, the lower skirt is formed of a styrenebutylene compound or an olefinic thermoplastic vulcanizate, and the connector is constructed by multicomponent injection molding.

Abstract: A twist-on type spring connector comprised of a tapered coiled spring secured within a molded insulative shell having detachable wings, thereby allowing the connector to fit in cramped or crowded locations.

Abstract: A coated abrasive back up pad comprising a layer of resiliently compressible foam, a generally rigid fiber reinformced polymeric backing plate, a circular array of openings in the backing plate through which the backing plate is attached by screws to a drive mechanism, and a flexible adhesion layer fixed to an opposite surface of the foam layer and having a generally planar outer support surface adapted to have pressure sensitive adhesive coated abrasive sheets adhered thereto. The back-up pad includes a metal reinforcing plate between the backing plate and the layer of foam which is smaller than the backing plate for insuring that the screws will not break through the backing plate during use of the back-up pad to drive a sheet of coated abrasive, and the adhesion layer is radiused around access holes to the screws from the support surface so that the foam layer will not produce greater grinding pressure in those areas than in adjacent areas.