On Sun, 18 Sep 2005 01:24:44 +0000 (UTC), kj
wrote:



Thank you all very much for your suggestions. After looking at
diagrams of similar recessed lighting housings online I realize
that mine is apparently pretty unusual. I now see that, as a rule,
in recessed lighting fixtures the bulb goes into the socket
vertically; i.e. when one screws the bulb in, the axis of the bulb's
rotation is vertical. But that's not the way it is in my fixture.
The axis of rotation is (nearly) horizontal. (Yes, even under the
best circumstances it takes *forever* to change a lightbulb in
these fixtures.)

I guess builders use such an insanely incovenient design because
by having the bulb horizontal instead of vertical they can save
1-2 vertical inches per story. (Since this is a family ng, I will
not say what I think of such builders.)

So the socket is *at right angles* from the axis of the housing.
(I'm sorry for not having mentioned this before; I honestly did
not realize that it was such an uncommon design.) Since the housing
is about 3 inches in diameter, there is no room to turn a pair of
pliers around 90 degrees to align it with the horizonal socket.

Hence my blathering about using a flexible shaft attached to a
handheld drill, since otherwise I see no way to exert a torque
around the required axis.

Now I have to find a way to affix a carrot or a potato at the end
of a flexible drill shaft. Oh, this is going to be fun. :-)

kj

They make needle nose pliers that are bent 90 degrees..