Rewire an Antique Torchiere Lamp
Extend the life of an antique torchiere lamp and save money by rewiring it yourself. Replace old or frayed wire and the antique socket with modern materials to meet modern electrical safety standards. Torchiere lamps focus the light up toward the ceiling, so they do not have the standard lamp shade hardware such as harps and finials. They only require a new lamp socket and lamp cord for a simple re-wiring.
Instructions
1. Unplug the lamp and remove the lamp shade and light bulb. This may require loosening the screws that hold the torchiere shade on the lamp base.
2. Remove the outer shell of the light-bulb's socket by pressing where it is marked "Press" and pulling the piece off the socket.
3. Take the metal shell and cardboard insulator out of the socket so you can see the wires.
4. Loosen the screws holding the wires to the socket, remove the wires from the screws, and pull the lamp cord out of the lamp from the bottom.
5. Unscrew the socket cap from the rod in the the lamp base. If needed, hold the rod steady by grasping the hex nut under the base of the lamp with pliers.
6. Thread the new lamp cord through the rod that extends through the base and pole of the torchiere lamp.
7. Screw the base of the new socket on the rod from which the old socket was removed.
8. Pull the lamp cord up until you have about 6 inches to work with, and slit the two halves apart, about 2 inches down from the top of the cord.
9. Tie a loose knot in the cord just below the 2 inch split. This will keep the ends of the wire from pulling loose from the socket screws if the cord is pulled too hard.
10. Strip insulation from the top 1/2 inch of each of the wires with the wire stripper or a sharp knife.
11. Twist the exposed copper of each of the two halves of the wire so each stays together in a tight bundle, and bend each into a U shape.
12. Wrap each of the U-shaped wires onto one of the two screws on the new lamp socket.
13. Tighten the screws down enough to hold the wires in place without pressing them out from under the screw head, and make sure no wires stick out.
14. Tighten the knot and push it into place as close to the bottom of the new lamp socket as you can.
15. Fit the new socket into the socket base, pulling the extra cord through the lamp stem from the base.
16. Slide the cardboard insulator into place over the socket and fit the new outer metal shell into place on the socket, clicking it firmly into place.
17.Screw in a new lightbulb, and replace the torchiere lamp shade, fastening it into place with the screws.
Tags: into place, lamp cord, lamp shade, lamp socket, about inches, Antique Torchiere