Project 1: Part 3-The Finale!

Cut the old electrical cord about 6 inches from the base of the lamp. If your lamp looks as though it will be difficult to get the new cord through, securely tape your new cord  to the cut end, and start to pull from the top of the lamp (the one with the wires showing, that we just spent so much time on) 

Lamp cord comes in several colors and thicknesses. Find the one that works for your personal taste, but be sure that the thickness will work for your lamp. Lamp cord thickness varies depending on the age and type of lamp.

Pull the wire all the way up through the lamp until the taped section is completely through. Cut off the old cord, and voilà! You have rewired your lamp! (just kidding) :)

Take your new socket apart. Now, you don't necessarily have to replace the socket of your lamp, but I want to switch from a twist switch, to a pull chain, so I'm replacing the whole socket. They're inexpensive and I think it's safer. If you are replacing your socket take the inside out (the socket base with aluminum socket) of the insulating sleeve and outer shell, and remove the socket cap at the base.

Just work in reverse. Thread the new cord through bottom of the socket cap, and screw the socket cap back down until snug. If you removed the harp saddle, you’ll want to make sure this goes on before you screw down the socket cap, along with any washers or nuts.

One way to track where everything is at a crucial or complicated step in a process, is to take a digital pic of the way it's supposed to be, so that when you have to replicate it, the pic can help you get it back the way it was.

Now it's time to separate the 2 sides of the cord, down about 6 inches from the top end. If you're careful, just the smallest cut between the 2 will start the separation, and you can pull them apart the rest of the way (to about 6 inches). 

You'll notice that the insulation around each side of the 2 ends of the cord is different. One will have a ridged texture. That is your "neutral wire". The side with the smooth insulation is the "hot wire". 

Before we go any further, we need to tie a knot! An Underwriters Knot..... fancy, huh? Here's a pic. 

Tighten the knot down well, then trim all but approximately 1.5 inches of wire back from both sides of the cord. Strip about 1 inch of the insulation off the 2 ends, to expose the wire beneath. Twist the wire between your fingers on each end tightly until it's smooth & straight. Now bend the wire end of each side of the cord, into a small hook.

Get the socket pieces. Take the black inside portion (socket base) and see that one screw is brass and the other silver. We are going to wrap the neutral wire, the one with the ridged insulation, clockwise around the loosened (but still attached) silver screw. Wrap the wire around until it's gone all the way around the screw. Now tighten gently. 

Do the same process with the other "hot wire", around the brass screw. 

Now you can start to pull the cord from the bottom of the lamp, to bring the socket base into the socket cap. You can move/tighten the knot to make it fit between the base & cap. The socket base should fit snugly in the cap (aluminum side up)

You can now slide the insulating sleeve and outer shell over the socket base, making sure to line up the switch with the opening in in the cover, and click it into place!

All we have left to do is install the new self-clamping plug. I use this type of plug because they are so easy! I’ve rewired a lot of lamps, and I’ve never had a problem. It's super-duper easy. You pinch the 2 prongs together, and pull out. The entire insides of the plug come out, and you'll notice there isn't much to it. Now pull the prongs to the sides away from each other. Thread the end of your cord, through the plug body (there's a perfectly sized hole there) and into the base of the prongs. Push it as far as it will go, then squeeze the prongs back towards each other again.

The little teeth on the inside of the prong casing, are biting into the copper inside the cord, making a connection for current to flow through.

Now, slide the plug body back over the prong casing until it's flush.

Ta-da! You're done! You have rewired a lamp!


Now you can reinstall the harp (if necessary), put a lightbulb in and the shade back on, and plug it in! Let there be light.

Thank you for joining me on this first project on my blog. Check back often for inspiration, fun finds and more projects in the future!