People don't seem to realize that just because a power strip has 6 outlets that doesn't mean you can plug anything with a matching plug into all six and not have problems.
The penny-trick was never used here in England as we didn't have Edison base fuses, but an old favorite for the rewireable fuse carriers was a straightened-out paper clip. A standard size clip was just the right overall length to go through the ceramic carrier and wrap around the terminals each end.
