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24 July 2012

MetaChat HandyPerson Problem Whuffles to anyone who can help me rewire my lamp.[More:]So I have this great vintage lamp, and the 1950s era wiring finally short-circuited and crapped out - probably a good thing as it forces me to fix it rather push my luck.

So no problem, I know how to rewire a lamp. Except here's the issue. The lamp is long and made of metal. It's shaped like a chicken, and it's a hollow-molded shape. The wire enters the bottom of the lamp through a fairly normal, round base, passes through the chicken shape, and then has to make into a very narrow channel to get up to the socket.

Problem is, new-fashioned lamp cord is much thicker than old-fashioned lamp cord. I can't feed it through the lamp because it gets jammed.

I tried separating the two sides in order to pull one end through at a time. I can get one end through, but then there's no hope in hell of getting the other end into the narrow channel that you can't even see, because once the first cord is in there it's a really tight fit and the second half of the cord just mungles up at the bottom of the tube.

I've tried:

-using a chopstick to pass through the channel, attaching some dental floss to the wire end and to the chopstick, and drawing the chopstick back through so the wire will follow as if on a messenger cable. It works well enough to get one piece through, but the floss breaks when I try to get the second piece through. I haven't tried it with anything stouter yet, though I did think of fishing line.

-pushing it through using the chopstick. Also not productive.

I really wish I could back it down the channel from the socket end to the base, avoiding the intensely annoying part of fishing the wire around inside the hollow molded chicken bit where you can't see trying to find the channel, but for that I'd have to use a lamp cord without a plug on it and wire on a plug. I don't know how to do that and it seems advanced. Also I'd have to go get a new cord and a plug.

I guess Option Z is to say 'fuck it' and go pay the guy down at the Sew N Vac to do it, but you know, I like the satisfaction of doing these things myself. That's a last resort.

Any genius ideas for chasing a too-thick cable through a too-thin, fiddly tube?

A pic would be super-helpful.
posted by Ardiril 24 July | 21:48
Imagine a skinny tube, with a fat balloon shaped middle, which goes back to a skinny tube. Whole thing about 12" long.
posted by Miko 24 July | 22:49
Use a thinner wire. Maybe speaker wire will fit through the spaces you describe. Or run two solid core wires, one at a time through the base. Or the actual best way would be to drill, core the spaces on the top and bottom out with whatever you have around. Maybe a drill bit. Maybe a Dremel. Maybe just a screwdriver. And then run to the hardware store and get a bit of epoxy to seal the wires to the space and then jam the top on. I love jobs like this. Epoxy is one of the most fun things you can play with. Mix the two colors until they are grey then mold and play. 24 hours later it's like steel.

posted by Splunge 25 July | 00:07
What splunge said about thinner wire. Scared to drill something irreplaceable.
posted by Obscure Reference 25 July | 07:08
I assume that the old wire is removed. Usually, one can attach the new to the old and pull the old out. But sounds like this cow has left the barn.

If you are just using a 60 watt bulb, or the fluorescent equivalent, then I might look up how small you can safely go, wiring-wise.
posted by danf 25 July | 09:55
A pic would be super-helpful.

This. I have no idea how to rewire the lamp but if you are in possession of a chicken-shaped lamp you must realise that you owe it to us to post a picture of it.
posted by Senyar 25 July | 10:36
Have you tried stripping the wire really far back so as to get the bare wires through and then have the hope of pulling the rest through, or is the opening just too small for the new wire?

Putting a new end on is easy enough that even I can do it. If you have a local hardware store they can help you get the right thing and talk you through it.
posted by mightshould 25 July | 11:50
core the spaces on the top and bottom out with whatever you have around

It's just a metal tube - there's no thickness to core out.

posted by Miko 25 July | 16:20
Yeah, I can't help either, but I really want to see a picture of the lamp!
posted by deborah 25 July | 17:54
Well, that's a bit of a project, so maybe a little later on.
posted by Miko 25 July | 22:36
The Tyranny of Things || OMG BUNNY

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