Vintage Alabaster Marble Urn Lamp Repaired With Finial

I often wonder if lamps were around centuries ago would we have marble lamps carved by Michelangelo. It is an original medium, and whenever I see a carved marble lamp I instantly think it's a piece of art. Of coarse art is relative and not what this blog was designed to discuss so.... let's get back to business: lamp repair.

A customer brought in this vintage alabaster marble urn lamp in need of a repair. It didn't have a plug or barely a lamp cord. They said they wanted it renewed so we were going to rewire with a new socket, plug, cord set, harp and harp base. We will reuse any parts worth saving.

We begin the checking the lamp for any major defects and making a list of the lamp parts we will need to make the project complete. For this alabaster urn lamp we will need a new lamp cord, antique brass socket, antique brass harp and harp base.

We will need to remove the old socket from the lamp. Using a small flat head screwdriver we pry the socket shell from the socket cap.

Someone has been here before and removed the old lamp cord from the socket interior. Next, we remove the old socket cap. With no set screw, the old socket cap just unscrews from the lamp's threaded rod.

The old threaded rod is a little rusty. It is not worth replacing yet, so we use a wire brush to clean up the threads on the top.

Now is a good time to thoroughly clean the lamp body and remove any debris on the lamp. In this case, debris includes some old lamp cord. 

Now we are ready to start the rewiring. First, we push out new lamp cord from the bottom of the lamp to the top. 

Then, the harp base and the new socket cap go on the lamp. The new socket cap had a retaining ring for the socket shell and a set screw for the threaded rod. If a socket cap does not have a set screw, a lock washer is suggested. 

Next, we tie a UL knot in the lamp cord and attach the socket interior. The smooth lamp cord connects to the brass screw terminal and the ribbed cord connects to the nickel terminal. 

The lamp cord slack is pulled back down the lamp body so the socket interior sets on the socket cap. The new socket shell slips over the socket interior and is attached with the retaining ring. 

Next, we attached the new harp to the harp base. This lamp had an old finial on the old harp so we will simply unscrew it from the old harp, and screw on the new harp without any problem. Note: Lamp harps have standard tops threaded 1/4-27. Most finials have the same thread pattern so you can easily remove a finial from one harp to another. 

Harps are installed by lifting the locks up the harp and squeezing the tines to fit in the harp base. They should fit snug but flush with the harp base. If the harp is not seating correctly, try adjusting the harp base with some pliers. The locks should slide all the way down and over the top of the harp base. 

Finally, we add a bulb and test the lamp. 

Great. Total Cost < $ 30 Total Time < 45 minutes

Table Lamp with Gallery and Brass Key Get a New Socket

A customer brought in this brass table lamp the other day and said the socket wasn't working. Looking in the socket interior there are signs the socket has shorted and probably couldn't make good contact with the bulb. The rest of the lamp looked good with a polarized plug.

The only lamp part we will need to repair this lamp is a new 3 way turn knob socket interior.

The first thing we start with is to make sure the lamp is unplugged. Then we remove the brass key from the lamp socket. The key and key extension are attached by the tapped mandrel on the lamp and simply unscrews counter clockwise. Sometime the key is more stubborn so we use the hemostats to hold the mandrel while we remove the key. This key came off easily.

Next we will remove the socket shell from the socket cap. With a flat head screwdriver, apply some pressure to the shell next to the mandrel. Lift the shell from the cap. For this lamp we are reusing the socket cap and shell so we want to make sure not to damage any of the socket parts.

With the socket shell off we will need to pull the old socket interior from the lamp to unscrew or cut the wire from the socket. Make sure to feed cord slack from the base of the lamp up to the socket so you are not putting too much strain on the cord or lamp body.

This lamp has the newer quick connect socket terminals. Our replacement socket interior has screw terminals. We are going to need to strip the wire, so we will just cut off the old interior.

The lamp cord is stripped and the wires are twisted.

The new socket interior is attached to the lamp cord. Remember the ribbed wire goes on the nickel screw and the smooth wire goes on the brass screw. Note: Normally we always tie a UL knot in the cord. This lamp had a knot tied in the base of the lamp to act as a strain relief.

The plastic key on the new socket interior is removed and the socket interior is placed in the socket cap. The cord slack is pulled back through the lamp and the bottom knot is tightened. The key extension and the extended brass key is attached to the lamp.

The socket shell is slipped back on the socket interior and snapped into the socket cap.

A bulb is added and the lamp is tested.

Back in service. Total cost < $2.50 Total time < 20 minutes.

Advice on Choosing Replacement Chandelier Crystals

Replacing chandelier crystals, prisms, and/or a chandelier’s glass parts is easy and straight-forward most of the time. Most existing chandeliers, table lamps, and even wall scones will have at least a few crystals left behind, though they may be damaged or need to be cleaned. Carefully examine and measure one of the remaining crystals, then determine if you need to replace all, or only some of the crystals. If most of the crystals are missing, you may be better off replacing them all of them. 

The most important step in restoring your chandelier or fixture is to find a good source of replacement crystals that match your old ones, even if you plan to replace all of them. In most cases, the original style and size of the chandelier crystals is going to look best with your particular lighting fixture. If you only need to replace a portion of the crystals, you may also want to consider the finish of the hanger pins that hold the crystals together and allow you to pin them to your fixture. We offer an antique or “aged” finish on the metal hanger pins of many of our most popular designs in crystals, pendaloques, and lamp prisms. These chandelier crystals with antique brass pins will better match older existing crystals than new ones with a shiny finish on the pins.

If, on the other hand, you have a hanging fixture or table lamp with no remaining crystals, or you would like to add chandelier crystals to “dress up” your lighting fixture please consider the following recommendations for different styles of lighting: 

This crystal is commonly referred to as a U-drop prism, and it is most commonly associated with Library Lamps of the Victorian kerosene era. This particular lamp crystal is clear and has a body length of 3” (not including the top bead), but is available in smaller and longer lengths, and several different colors. The U-drop prism is comparatively inexpensive and very versatile in application. They may be used on hanging fixtures, sconces, table lamps, and even some candle sticks. Available with brass, antique brass, and chrome finished prism pins.

Same applications as the clear U-Drop prism above except in true glass colors (not stained or painted glass). These traditional prism colors are a great match for some early hanging-type lamps and fixtures. They also look great on festive holiday decorations, including wreathes and Christmas trees.

Clear, Full Cut Almond Pendalogue. These inexpensive chandelier crystals are useful on a variety of projects, and come in sizes from 1 1/8” to 3”. Available with brass, antique brass, and chrome finished prism pins.

High Quality Clear Cut Spearhead Prism. The spear cut prisms were originally produced for fine, British and early American lusters, cut crystal candelabras, mantle ware, and top quality crystal chandeliers, some of which pre-date the kerosene era. Available with brass or chrome finished prism pins.

Clear Colonial Crystal Prisms. These hand-cut and polished lamp crystals have a similar application as the Spear Cut prisms above. Available with brass, antique brass, and chrome finished prism pins.

Clear Glass “Pencil” Prism Crystal. Available in many colors and lengths, pencil prisms work well on crystal and metal bobesches, and made be used in tight groups as a lampshade or light diffuser. Available with brass or chrome finished cap & loop.

Clear French Flat Crystal Pendalogue. These beefy chandelier crystals lend themselves nicely to larger crystal, bronze, and darkly finished iron fixtures and chandeliers. Available in lengths of 3 1/2” to 6”, these prisms are hand cut and polished. We offer many large chandelier crystals that are often required for oversize fixtures. 

Clear Strass® Swedish Almond, 30% lead crystal. We offer dozens of styles of Strass® brand leaded crystal that are among the finest chandelier crystals in the world. We also offer Strass® brand replacement parts (beads, bow-tie hangers, and crystal bodies) that allow you to re-build damaged Strass® crystals.

Clear Rock Crystal Full Cut Almond. These rock crystal chandelier crystals were originally used in the earliest days of indoor lighting when hanging fixtures were typically lighted with candles (i.e. before kerosene or whale oil). This rock crystal is actually a semi-precious, colorless stone that is quarried, then hand cut and polished. These are mainly intended for use on high-end fixtures and sconces.