How to Rewire an Old Double Light Table Lamp

Rewiring an old double light table lamp is much simpler and less expensive than purchasing a new lamp. Making an old lamp safe to use again by replacing all the wiring could create a new family heirloom. You can rewire any lamp using the same method and start turning other people's trash into your treasures. Having prior electrical knowledge is not necessary when performing a task such as this. Enjoy your new knowledge and your old lamp. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Remove the lamp shade, lamp harp and the bottom from the base of the old double light table lamp. Depending on how your lamp was manufactured, the bottom may be attached with screws or may be glued on. Untwist the wire connectors that connect the wires together inside the base of the lamp and pull the wires apart.

2

Expose the socket wiring by removing the socket sleeves from the interior sockets. Grab the socket sleeve in your hand and pull away from the lamp using a slight rocking motion. Loosen the brass and silver screws on both of the interior sockets and pull the wires from beneath the screws. Place the interior sockets aside for later use.

3

Cut two pieces of lamp cord, the length of your lamp. Pull one cord at a time through the body of the lamp by securing the old lamp cord to the new lamp cord using electrical tape inside the base of the lamp. Grasp the cord where you removed the sockets and pull the old cord up through the lamp, replacing old lamp cord with new lamp cord.

4

Split the lamp cord into two wires by using a utility knife and slicing through the membrane that connects the two wires of the lamp cord together. Use a wire cutter/stripper and strip 3/4-inch of insulation off of the wires at the socket location and inside the base of the lamp.

5

Wire the interior sockets by identifying the hot and neutral wires of the lamp cord. Feel the two wires of the lamp cord. The one that feels smooth is the hot wire and the one that feels ribbed or rough is the neutral wire. Wrap the ribbed wire around the silver screw on the interior socket and wrap the smooth wire around the brass screw on the opposite side of the interior socket. Repeat this for both sockets on the old double light table lamp.

6

Put the socket sleeves back into the sockets by sliding them over the interior sockets and pushing them firmly into the socket bases.

7

Pull the old plug wire from the lamp by grasping it at the base and pulling it out of the base of the lamp. Thread a pre-wired lamp cord through the opening for the lamp cord in the base of the lamp. A pre-wired lamp cord will come with the plug pre-attached to the cord and the wires already stripped. Connect all three ribbed wires together by twisting a red wire connector onto the three wires inside the lamp base and repeat this connection for all three smooth wires inside the lamp base.

8

Replace the bottom of your lamp. Replace the lamp harp and the lamp shade. Plug the old double light table lamp into the wall socket.