Friday, July 24, 2015

How to Open a Metal Table Lamp Socket

Metal lamp sockets are designed for the cap and shell to clip together. Removing them is easy. Here is a short demonstration:


These sockets are stamped brass. There are also spun brass sockets with a metal coupling holding the cap and shell together.

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

How to Create a Lamp from a Tin Canister with Decal

A customer brought in this canister the other day and wanted it to be made into a lamp. The can already had a 3/8 inch center hole in the top and bottom, so it was ready to be wired.



The first thing we do is gather all the lamp parts needed for the job: threaded rod, brass nuts, brass neck, harp base, lamp cord, and socket. For this lamp the customer wanted a heavy turned brass socket.


Now we plan for the lamp. Thinking about where the cord will exit the base and whether there is a front and back to this lamp. With the design on the canister, there is an obvious front so we want the cord to exit the back. We mark the spot on the can and carve out a notch.





Next we install the threaded rod through the canister. This canister has a shallow base and we need to make sure the nut and the cord will not stick out past the side walls on the base.



It is going to be a tight fit, but should work. The threaded rod is measured and cut to length. The bottom nut goes on first followed by the neck and the harp base.





Next the top nut is placed on the threaded rod and is tightened. We notice the top of the can is starting to bow a little with the pressure, so we plan to add a seating ring to widen the base of the neck and reduce the pressure point.


The seating ring is set between the canister and the neck. With the harp base correctly orientated to the front and back of the lamp the top nut is tightened. The socket cap is attached to the threaded rod. Note: These heavy brass sockets have a coupling holding the socket cap and shell together. The coupling must be on the lamp prior to the socket cap being attached.



The lamp cord is pushed through the threaded rod and a UL knot is tied. The cord is wired to the socket interior. The smooth wire connects to the brass screw and the ribbed wire connects to the silver screw. The cord slack is pulled back through the body of the lamp.






The socket shell is attached to the socket cap and a bulb is added for testing.



Nice! Total cost < $25.00 Total Time < 45 minutes