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I'm adding a plug to a closet so that I can put my server and router in there.

I am trying to daisy chain it off of the nearest plug, but when I try to remove any of the knockouts they won't budge, presumably because it came with the house 75 years ago and is rusted shut.

The other issue is that I can't simply remove this box because the box was placed on the metal mesh that was eventually plastered over, so it is literally plastered to the wall.

Any thoughts on the actions I can take to get this wire inside this box or is it a lost cause?

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    If you take a flat screw driver and hammer it hard enough it will come out. I start with the flat screw driver in the middle of the knock out but if it is hard I chisel around the outside too a bit. A small chisel will work too.
    – DMoore
    Feb 19, 2015 at 16:36
  • Are you trying to remove these knock-outs from inside the box.
    – ChiefTwoPencils
    Feb 19, 2015 at 18:29
  • In oldschool boxes it may be impossible to knock it outwards; pry it inwards until you can work it back and forth with some pliers.
    – Mazura
    Feb 20, 2015 at 4:24

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I would recommend cleaning the knockouts first. Sand them completely free of any paint or rust. Then scrape clean the circular groove of the knockout on both sides using a sharp pointed tool like an awl.

After doing this, the knockout should come out with a sharp block from a ball peen hammer and screwdriver.

If this does not work, the next step would be to use a tool called a knockout punch set. They can be found in any hardware store and they look like this:

knockout punch set

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