TV Lamps Redeux

I make sure to do a safety check of all my vintage electrical items around New Years.  This is especially important for the items that have their original cord sets still attached.   Normally, I routinely replace the cords as I acquire a lamp or clock, but sometimes the original cord is safe to use.

This year, one of my teevee lamp’s cords felt a bit stiff.  That was my cue to replace it with a new cord.  This is a very simple operation that takes only a few minutes with a teevee lamp because the socket is in the open and a new cord doesn’t need to be threaded through a base as is the case with a standard table lamp.

There are some instances when a new socket is needed, too.  If that’s the case, you can find a variety of them in a hardware or home improvement store.  This lamp’s original socket is OK, so I only replaced the cord then updated the lightbulb to a more efficient 5-Watt CFL.  If you wish, a standard socket, incandescent 7-Watt nightlight bulb will also work.  Don’t use anything that puts out much heat, otherwise you can easily damage the vintage glazes and plastics of old lamps.

While I was modernizing the teevee lamp, I decided to redo the planter contents, too.  Because electricity is involved, I recommend that you use artificial plants and flowers.  I did try an experiment once with live houseplants, but the soil kept drying out too quickly due to the presence of a warm lightbulb. It’s easier just to use silk or plastics.

These old lamps enhance a shelf full of collectables quite nicely and are good conversation pieces.  They are also excellent to use as display lighting for a favorite framed image.

I use an old McCoy green panther teevee light as a stereo light.  It’s plugged into the switched outlet on the back of my amplifier.  Because the arrangement in the panther lamp was getting dusty after a couple of years on display, I wanted a simple redo of it, too.  On a small lamp like this, I think that a very simple look is best.  This one has one layer of large greenery leaves.  Three “space age” styled artificial flower blooms finish the look of this project that is at home in a narrow, cramped stereo cabinet.

A decent teevee lamp can be found in many antiques shops and online.  They’re a bit pricey, but one in good condition is well worth the money if you’re going to use it in a conspicuous location.

Ciao

The Blue Jay of Happiness says it’s ironic that we have several teevee lamps in the home but we never watch teevee.