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It's electric

I should actually have a "Don't Do It Yourself" category for this one.

So, after my "sleepless" post a few nights back, I was bored and decided to "fix" our floor lamp. It's a lamp I've had since I moved to Chicago in 1988 and I love it. It was last in our lovely old condo...clean, pretty, fixed old condo.

(You're going to want to double-click on ALL of the pictures to see them more closely.)

< Small, but CLEAN, old condo. Some days I really miss it.

The main cord with the plug had "rotted through" as A found out when he switched it on the other night and the frayed part went *SNAP! CRACKLE!* Not good.

So, I thought. Well, I'll reverse engineer it. I'll take it carefully apart and then replace the wire and put it back together. I studied our wiring books and set to work with my screwdriver.

I was very, very tired even though I could not sleep.

The next thing I knew, I had a pile of parts next to me on the floor and a hazy idea of how they got there. I had freed the frayed wire. Which was buried under NINE other cloth covered wires. No kidding.

This lamp looks so sad now. It looks like a lamp that Johnny Depp had in Edward Scissorhands...that is how morose it looks. It won't even stay still for a good picture.

So I've asked the guys at Fine Homebuilding's Forum, "Breaktime", to give me a hand here. Plus my dad and anyone else with a knack. Here's what we are working with.

Obviously, the lamp. TWO switches--one three-way for the three chandelier bulbs below and one for the one bulb above. The upper body of the lamp is off. The lower part (with chandelier wires and such is still attached and together).

Photo A

The chandelier wires are cream. There is a red wire down in there that I don't dare touch. And my main black wire threaded up through the bottom of the lamp and up through this stuff.

Photo B

Okey-doke. What else are we working with here? Because I made a nice special knot (I think) and I'm excited that I got that far.

Photo C

_________________________________________

Part A

Part B - This seems to be made of non-conducting material...like a fuzzy cardboard, if that helps. My luck? Probably asbestos.

Part C - Switch for main bulb fits into the side there and through Part A - this casing is white porcelain

Parts D & E (Identical) - These are two cloth covered wires that are identical...one end of each is a wire bundle and the other end has a screw.

Parts F, G, H and so on through "O"

Part P - Switch for main bulb, not sure how wires attach to this.

Part Q

Except for the lightbulbs, I think that is everything.

I am assuming the following:

1) Part Q goes inside of Part C.

2) That's all I want to assume right now :)

Anyone game for this? If you give me a couple of steps, I can assemble 'em, photograph 'em and post 'em. I'm game for anything at this point.

Posted by jeanne on December 4, 2003 at 9:51 PM (5)

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