I was reminded by one faithful reader (hello Jennifer in Colorado) that I hadn't shared many of my vintage thrifty finds lately. So sorry about that. So here you go Jenn.
My mom and I picked up this sweet little lamp at a thrift store in Norfolk a few months back. The base looks like a piece of McCoy pottery (although there are no markings) and it is the most perfect shade of turquoise-y blue. Mom and I were both so exicited about it, we plugged it in as soon as we got home. However, instead of a nice soft light...well, my mother almost got the shock of her life. Apparently there was a reason this little lamp went to the swap shop. The wiring must have been bad, or old, or both.
No need to fear.
Re-wiring a lamp is not as hard as I thought it would be. Here's what you do:
HOW TO REWIRE A THRIFTED LAMP
- Purchase a new lamp kit at your home improvement store.
- Unplug the lamp (very important) and remove the lightbulb.
- Cut off the old cord a couple of inches below the bottom of the lamp. With a small piece of electrical or duct tape, attach the new cord to the old one.
- Loosen the threaded piece just above the lamp (called the lamp nipple) and unthread the cap from the lamp nipple.
- Pull the new cord up through the stem of the lamp. This is an important step as some lamps can be difficult to feed the new cord through.
- Un-tape the old and new wires and get rid of the old wiring.
- Slip the new socket cap over the new cord, thread the cap onto the lamp nipple, and tighten it all to hold all of the lamp pieces into place.
- At the end of the new wire are two segments. Pull them apart for 6 - 8 inches and make the ends hook shaped to hold onto the screws on either side of the socket screws.
- Wrap the neutral wire (textured) in a clockwise direction around the silver screw, then wrap the "hot" copper wire (smooth) around the brass screw.
- Slip the sleeve back in place, then slide on the outer shell and secure all pieces.
- Your lamp is now repaired. Replace the bulb and plug it in!
**(Instructions adapted from the back of the new lamp kit box).**
Apartment Therapy has a great tutorial with helpful diagrams on their site as well.
To finish it off, the shade needed a little work. I stripped off the fake, plastic leaving the plain paper shade. I used a thumb tack to poke holes in the lamp in a swirly line pattern. I've had these vintage paper coasters for a long time...just staring at them. So, I decoupaged them onto the shade. I love that pop of orange with the turquoise. Yum!
And now my kitchen is a bit cheerier in these cold, sometimes dark, days of winter.