Lamp Making

Lamp Making – Most boys have a pretty good knowledge as to how modern electric lighting works and are very useful with their hands in repairing a fuse or wiring a lamp.

When you are doing jobs of this kind, always take the greatest care. See that the power is switched off, the wiring is new and not frayed, and that there is no fear of “shorting”. A glance at the accompanying illustrations will you show you how to effectively wire a table lamp in a professional manner.

Cut away the rubber casing of your new wire and expose the stranded wire about a couple of inches. Twist these strands to the right so that they will hold together and be as one strand. Thread the end of this through the socket cap and loosen the screws on the socket end. Wrap the bared wire round the screws, left to right, as illustrated, so that the action of screwing up will not push the wire away.

Now screw up tightly. The other end of the wire has to be fixed to a “male” plug. This is done by pushing the wire through the plug cap and separating the wires as shown, baring the ends to about 2 in.

The surplus wire can always be cut off after fixing. Knot the two wire as shown in the diagram, this will secure firmly in the plug and not become loose. Make a loop with each bared wire round the screws, twist the strands tightly and fasten in place by tightening the screws. It is best to bring each wire round the prong in a clockwise direction.

Joins can always be made within insulation tape and can, if you wish, be painted over to match the wire covering.