"Lars" wrote in message
...
My electrical theory is fair but not great. Can someone please
advise me.

I have an old Anglepoise lamp with painted metal arms and painted
metal lampshade (Anglepoise model 90). It has a two-core mains
lead. I am in the UK so this is all at 230-240 volts.

Today I touched the outside of the lampshade and got a sort of vey
mild tingle feeling which felt "odd". When I used a mains tester
screwdriver on the exposed metal (at the joint of the lampshade
and support arm) then it glowed as if the metal of the Anglepoise
lamp was live.


I'd strip it down and check it thoroughly, and if you're still not happy,
destroy and dispose of it safely. Better still, pass it on to trading
standards in case it has a design flaw.

I must point out though that it is rare for UK approved double insulated
appliances to fail and present a shock hazard. If you find a design fault
which could have contributed to the case becoming live, be sure to report it
to trading standards so it can be investigated.

Is it a constant tingling feeling or a momentary minor jolt? It's very
common to get static discharges to metal appliances, but there's also an odd
gentle 'vibrating' or 'buzzing' sensation which can sometimes be felt
touching the metalwork of double insulated appliances. These are perfectly
harmless phenomena.

Dave