Jumper innovation?

Hi,

I, an electronics newbie, am going to try this and don't know if it
is doable or wise, so please stop me if unwise.

I have defective? jumpers which refuses to stay seated no matter how
hard I press it down. To solve this problem, I am thinking of
soldering 4 wires to the four poles (what do the electronics
professionals call them) and connect them to either:

a. external replacement jumper seats (don't know what else to call
them?)

b. external switches

By doing this I will then be able to change the jumper/switches at
will, so I will be able to easily select full-steps or half-steps
without having to open up the controller box.

By doing this will I be exposing myself to problems/potential danger?
For security, perhaps the external jumpers/switches will be covered
by a lid or something.

Peter