Hi,
I recently bought at auction a Danish teak floor lamp with a light socket that does not work (listed that way). I have a preliminary plan of buying a new socket from Home Depot and replacing the original. I have some experience in electrical wiring, so am not too worried about the complexity.
However, I thought I'd start this post to see if anyone has previous experience in replacing a light socket in an old Danish lamp, and if they have any advice on doing it in a different way.
Thanks, Carl
P.S. The photo is from the auction house. Once I get my hands on it I can post a photo of the actual socket if anyone wants to take a look.
Yes, let's start
with the actual problem at hand. In the meantime, does anybody know if we can expect a Medium base (E-27) socket in this fixture ?
One of the more common light-bulb (lamp) socket repairs involves simply prying up a depressed central contact at the bottom of the socket. I'd certainly start there. But if you plan to replace the socket with a new one, that's a moot point.
SDR is right.
You'd certainly want to diagnose the problem before deciding to replace the socket assembly or parts thereof.
Also, my experience has been that lamp sockets and associated components available at big box stores are of inferior quality to those offered by specialty vendors.
SDR, I think my central contact may be depressed. I'm gonna try prying it up!
Agreed. I probably jumped...
Agreed. I probably jumped the gun on deciding to replace the socket before examining it. I did pick up the lamp yesterday and was able to take a quick shot of the socket. I'll have time this weekend to see if I can get the current setup to work. I'll be taking it apart anyway to recondition the wood frame.
The
pull-chain portion of your socket is one of the vulnerable pieces -- it can fail due to age (years of mechanical activity) or become rusty. In my opinion this switch mechanism is often under-designed; the proper design would include a bearing or small wheel to ease the movement where the chain turns from vertical to horizontal as it enters the socket.
That said, a new pull-chain socket would extend the life of the fixture by many years. It appears that you will need a European lamp (bulb) to fit the present socket . . . ?
You can find all the necessary parts at a good hardware store. You might well need to replace the vertical tube as well, because the diameter and threads will not be compatible with a North American socket. Take the parts with you, and duplicate them as closely as possible. Lengths of nipple (the threaded tube which makes up the spine of most household lamps and light fixtures) are available, with nuts, washers, spacers, etc, to fit. If you have to cut a length of threaded nipple, be sure to have a nut already applied, so that, by backing the nut off after the cut, the threads will be automatically restored for easy use.
It's interesting to see that a standard table-lamp weight -- complete with wire-passage slot, irrelevant to the design of this fixture -- was included in the construction of your lamp.
If you have access
to bulbs (lamps) that fit this socket, and it's only the pull-chain switch which has failed -- with the switch permanently "on" -- you could simply rewire with standard lamp-cord and include a line switch which attaches to the cord at a convenient spot. These parts are readily available and easily attached.
After a little steel wool...
After a little steel wool rubbing inside the socket, raising the contact tab, and checking the wiring connections, the lamp still did not work. Ergo, unless someone can recommend another item to check, I will look for a replacement socket.
The socket was made by McGill in nearby Valparaiso. While the brass components could use a little polishing, the socket and pull chain are in good structural condition. If I can find a similar design, I will try go for that. Otherwise, I am considering doing a straight wire connection to the socket base with an inline switch further down in the wire (maybe a "foot tap" design) for convenience purposes.
You might try blasting
the switch mechanism with a spray electrical contact cleaner as a last resort or try sending your pics to an online specialty lamp parts/repair to see what they have that might fit your housing.
If the chain pulls free with a definite click "on" or "off", it's possible that the contacts in the switch are simply too oxidized from age or disuse. The socket appears to be well made.
Good luck!
So, you've
ruled out the cord and plug ?
Here's a pull chain lamp socket. I assume you're in North America . . .
http://tinyurl.com/73mlm52
Yes, it is American made
The title of this thread was started before I received the fixture and was based on the auction listing. It should say "mid-century modern" instead.
The cord and plug actually look like they may have been replaced over the years, but I have not yet tested replace this yet. The antique/vintage lamp stores that I have checked with so far do not have any exact socket replacements in stock. One guy did have experience with trying to repair one previously without any luck.
As I bought the lamp for my place, and not for investment, it won't be that big a deal to me if I end up having to replace the whole assembly with a newer socket design.
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