Light it up

I have a floor lamp that I love.  It was a cheap find from Target about 8 years ago.  Well, two years ago, it gave up the ghost.  I turned it on one night and sparks were flying and the circuit blew.

It's been sitting in the corner just looking pretty but pretty much useless.  I decided I either needed to dump it or fix it.  Dumping it seemed like a waste because I really like it.

Thanks to You Tube, I got up the courage to rewire the light.  Forgive me for not taking pictures of every step, I was really into it and when it was done, it was then that I realized I hadn't taken a single picture.  I will walk you through the steps anyways. So, here's the lamp.  Nice lines and shape. The shape is tricky because it was so hard to pull the old wire through all those curves and even harder to squeeze the wire back in and around the curves. Removing the old wire and getting the new wire in was so hardest part.

 The original lamp had a very special kind of socket that I couldn't find anywhere so I had to improvise with one I found at ACE Hardware.  It works, a little bulky but the shade covers it up.

 Along with all the wiring, I had to change the switch as well.  Again, I had to choose a different style than the original.

 Finally, I cut the plug off the original cord and spliced it together with the new wire.  It looks a little bulky but since it is typically plugged in behind the couch, it's not a big deal.

 When it was done, Voila...Light!  I am so happy to have a working lamp once again!

So, here are some of the tools you will need for rewiring and some tips. 

2 Wire lamp wire

Lamp socket

Plug

Switch

Screwdriver

It's really easy if you keep in mind a few things.  On a 2 wire cord, one of the wires is hot and the other is neutral.  So, how do you know which one is which? Well, if you look closely at the wire, you will see that one side of the wire has small ribs  on it and the other side is smooth.  The side with the ribs is the neutral side, the smooth side is hot.  Once you have that figured out, it's a piece of cake.

First, remove the old wire and replace with the new wire.  Separate the two wires from the housing about 2 " up and strip each wire about 1".  I then wired the socket, wrapping each wire around the screws on the socket and tightening the screw down around the wire.

The switch came next.  My switch is about 2 feet from the plug and it came with really easy instructions.

If you buy a wire with the plug attached, you are done.  If not, you will then need to wire on the plug.  Again, just remember to attach the hot wires to each other and the neutral wires to each other.  I wrapped this connection in electrical tape.

I have always been scared of any thing involving electricity but this was such an easy project, I'm fired up!  I have a lamp in my room that keeps shorting out so that is my next project!  Next time around, I will take step by step, this was just a warm up!  So, stay tuned.