Metal Desk Lamp with Broken Socket

Often newer lamps come in for repair. This metal desk lamp was brought in the other day with a broken socket. The socket on this lamp is made of plastic. We often refer to it as a phenolic or bakelite socket.

These types of sockets have a cap, shell, and screw collar. This old socket was broken where the shell and cap screw together. The only lamp part we will need for this repair is a replacement bakelite socket with screw collar.

This repair is fairly simple: we will feed extra cord up the lamp body, remove the old socket, and rewire the new one. Sometime things are easier said than done. Special note: We have found on these newer lamps, there is glue locking some of the threads.

To push more cord up the lamp we cut a small hole in the bottom felt and push the cord up the lamp.

Next the swivel is taken apart so the cord can be pulled up and pushed toward the socket.

Remove the key from the socket. Being cautious not to pull the socket from the cord, pull the interior of the socket away from the lamp body.

Once the socket interior is out, clip the lamp cord just below the socket. Note: This socket has quick connect style terminals for the lamp cord. We are going to replace it with a screw terminal style socket. The cord is going to be stripped so cutting it here gives it a nice edge to start with.

With the old socket interior removed, continue pulling more cord slack up to the top. Using a pair of pliers, the old socket cap is removed  from the lamp.

The old socket was cap was glued in the lamp. Some firm force was needed to get this interior out of the lamp.

We are replacing this socket cap with a bakelite socket that has a set screw. The set screw and a locking washer will be better than gluing the parts together.

The new socket cap is screwed into the lamp. Important Note: This lamp has a metal socket holder with a key hole. It is most important to line up the key holes on the metal holder and the socket cap and twist them together on the lamp.

The new socket interior is wired to the lamp. The lamp cord is stripped about 3/8 inch. The ribbed wire connects to the silver screw and the smooth wire connects to the gold screw. As mentioned earlier, the old socket interior had a quick type connection. We are not reusing the old socket interior.

With the new socket interior attached, it gets pulled into the socket cap by pulling the cord slack back down the lamp. Make sure to line up the key for the socket.

The cord slack is pulled through the swivel. Then the cord is pulled through the lamp base. The swivel is reattached and the socket shell is added to the socket.

The lamp shade is reattached and held into place with the socket ring. A bulb is added and the lamp is tested.

Better than new! Total Cost < $8.00 Total Time < 20 minutes

1950's Mallard TV Lamp Repair

In the 1950's television lamps were common and an expression of your personality. The reason for the lamps was to reduce the harsh light coming from the television. You can read more about the TV Lamps in this interesting article: TV Lamps of the 1950's.

A customer brought in this lamp the other day and asked for it to be repaired. The socket was exposed and the lamp cord was not polarized.

The socket is a Leviton 2 Piece bottom turn knob husk socket. It has a bakelite (phenolic) insulator that has broken over time and left the socket exposed. The first thing we do is remove the old socket with a pair of pliers.

We have a Leviton brand Leviton 2 Piece bottom turn knob husk socket but it is not exactly the same socket. The bottom threaded rod is shorter than the original and is not long enough to attach a nut.

We find that using the insulator from the new socket will fit the old socket interior. We will need to remove the old lamp cord (it gets replaced anyway) and solder on the new lamp cord. Remember to thread the phenolic insulator on the lamp cord first.

With the new solder on the socket interior, the socket is put back together.

The socket is reattached to the lamp. Using a pair of pliers the nut is tightened slowly. Over tightening this nut can cause the ceramic lamp to crack.

A bulb is added and the lamp is tested.

Harmony restored. Total Cost <$10 Total Time < 25 minutes

A fun note: while repairing this lamp we found a penny. This lamp has a trough in front (light a lot of TV lamps) and it was probably used as a spot for change. Wedged between the trough and the duck was a 1945 wheat penny. We placed the penny back in its holding spot for the next time it needs repair; 50 more years.

How To Make A Sweater Lampshade

Making your own lampshades allows you to create something so personal and unique for your home decor. DIY lampshades are also perfect to bring new life to an old lamp. You can tailor the color and fabric of your lampshade to accentuate any type of decor in any room in the house.

DIY Sweater Lampshade Tutorial

●     If you don’t already have a lampshade you want to reinvent, you can easily purchase an economical plain white shade from your nearest superstore.

●     Sweaters, especially ones we no longer wear, or received as a gift, are normally an item most people have in their closets. However, if you love and wear all your sweaters, picking up one a thrift shop or Goodwill is a wonderful option.

●     If you purchased your sweater for this project from a thrift store, give a quick wash first, just to get that thrift store smell out of it. Often clothing can sit or hang for a very long time in these types of stores.

●     A medium-sized sweater is perfect for this project. Larger sweaters may not fit your lampshade as tightly as it should.

 

●     Once you have a lampshade and a sweater, simply begin by pulling the sweater over your shade as you would pull a pillowcase over a pillow. The waistline of the sweater should be pulled down towards the bottom of the shade. Trim any excess material at the top leaving about 1 inch of sweater fabric all around the top of the shade.

●     Using hot glue, secure the top of the fabric to the shade. If your sweater fits snugly enough around the shade, you may not have to secure the bottom. You can simply allow it to hang. But if your sweater is a bit large, then you will need to also secure the bottom all around with hot glue.

As easy as pie, you now have a unique and cozy lampshade that is a beautiful accent to winter and spring decor.

DIY Lamp Made From Stacked Books

Many of us have great old hardcover books lying around that we've either read and didn't like, or never got around to. There are wonderful decorative projects you can do with old books, and you can even grab some really cheap books from the thrift store for creative projects.

Creating a lamp from stacked books is beautiful symbolism, for it is often a lamp that keeps us company while reading. Imaginative lamps light up a room in a different way, providing a spark for further creative ideas.

Here’s how to make an eclectic styled lamp by using stacked books:

You will need:

·         7 or 8 old hardcover books

·         lamp kit from a hardware supply store

·         lamp shade, old or new

·         spray paint

·         drill

·         ½ inch drill bit

·         ¼ inch screws

·         2 inch screws

·         screwdriver and box cutter

1.    With your choice of spray paint colors, paint the lamp kit and fittings.

2.    Arrange your chosen stack of books the way you want them to look.

3.    After stacking the books, place the lamp kit’s thread rod next to the stack because you will need to make sure that at the top you have one inch of clearance.

4.    With your ½ inch drill bit, drill a hole about halfway through the center of the bottom book.

5.    Now open the bottom book, about halfway through, and with your box cutter, cut a channel for the electrical cord. Make sure that the channel is wide enough for the cord.

6.    Your lamp kit should contain a washer and lug nut. Attach the threaded rod to the bottom book into the drilled hole.

7.    Close the book and then tighten the top lock nut.

8.    Now slide the electrical wire through the threaded rod, leaving about 2 inches of wire at the top of the rod. You will be attaching the lamp parts to this exposed wiring.

9.    Using approximately 4-6 screws, 1 ¼ inches, drill the bottom book together to secure it.

10.  Drill a hole into the center of each of the remaining books using the ½ inch drill bit. Then slide the books, one at a time onto the threaded rod, using 4 two inch screws to attach each book to the one underneath it.

11.  Open the cover of the top book and secure it to the stack with four 2 inch screws.

Now you can assemble the parts of the lamp kit and attach the shade. You now have a creative and personal lamp to sit table side in the living area or family room, or in the bedroom for your nighttime reading. 

DIY Lampshade: Ombre hair Dye

Crazy hair colors are all the rage these days. It seems that many of us, no matter what age, are attempting to reclaim the days of our cool youth. Why not use it to add some pizzazz to your home as well. Lamp shades are the perfect DIY home accessories. They are simple to decorate and they are a perfect blank canvas for creative ideas. Using your leftover hair dye to create a bold and fun lampshade is a project that can spark your creative juices.

Here’s how it’s done:

1.    If you already have a lamp with a boring white shade, awesome. If not, they are cheap enough to purchase at your nearest superstore.

2.    Choose your hair dye color. Bright colors will work wonderfully for this project; but you can do an ombre type design with just about any shade.

3.    Gather your supplies. You will need a bucket or basin, plenty of newspaper to catch the mess, and some cloth rags.

4.    Fill the basin or bucket with a couple inches of warm water, then dip the lampshade into the water, rolling it in a circular motion to wet the entire shade.

5.    Scoop out a dollop of hair dye and add it to the water, preferably with a hair tinting brush. Make sure the dye product is well mixed, otherwise you will have to deal with lumps.

6.    You can test the color by dipping a piece of white fabric into the bucket before dying the lamp shade. The color can be adjusted by either adding more warm water to lighten it or more hair dye for a more intense color.

7.    Roll the bottom of your lampshade into the hair dye mixture. Allow the shade to soak up the dye for a few moments, then remove it and allow it to dry on the newspapers. Use the cloth rags to even it out or clean up any splatters.

Now, to achieve the ombre effect:

8.    Pour out some of the warm water and dye mixture, and then add more plain water until there are about 5 inches of liquid in the basin. Now roll your lampshade into the basin, which is now more deeply filled with water and dye, but lighter in hue.

9.    Remove the shade after thoroughly soaking in the dye mixture, and allow it to completely dry before placing it back onto the base of the lamp.

You will end up with a beautiful layered ombre dyed lamp shade. So if you’re a bit too mature for pink or blue hair, you can add the fun of wild colors to your home decor.