I do the dangdest things some days.

I have a silly little gooseneck lamp that hangs upside-down from a
magnet on my mill to illuminate the work site. It was a cheap lamp
many years ago when "high intensity" lamps were a new concept.
Tensor pioneered that using low-voltage bulbs, this was a follow when
the lamp mfrs started making small 115-volt 40-watt bulbs. It
uses a 40-watt "high intensity" bulb with a small screw base. Such
bulbs are still readily available at Wal-Mart.

The switch on this cheapo lamp recently failed, so I took it apart
to replace the switch. I then discovered that the lamp socket was
history too: the whole back of the socket with center contact had
disintegrated with heat and age.

I've had this silly little lamp hanging there for so long I've grown
rather fond of it -- so I decided to fixit. This lamp is so old it
is cheap-made-in-Japan when Japan was making stuff not quite up to
what China makes nowadays.

I suppose a new bulb socket would cost about a buck if one could be
found that would fit, rots o' ruck. I preferred to see if I could
restore the old one. I turned a center contact post from brass
rodstock and nickel-plated it. Turned a little teflon insert plug
for the hole in the back of the socket, with a slot to pass the shell
wire and a center hole to locate the new center contact. Then I
mixed up some stuff I had on hand that is supposed to become
ceramic-like when it cures. I put a bit of shrinktube on the new
contact head to keep the ceramic paste off it, gooped the ceramic
stuff into the cavity and baked it for 2 days at 150F. I'd never had
much luck with that ceramic goop before, probably because I could
never leave it alone long enough. It worked great this time. My
silly little lamp is now all fixed with a new switch and a new socket,
20 years of shop grime scrubbed off it with 409 and a new coat of
paint where I'd silver-brazed a little housing to accomodate the new
switch. It's back in place on the mill now and I grin every time I
use it. I guess I've grown rather fond of that silly little
gooseneck lamp I've been using for a long time one way or another.
I missed it when using the mill while said lamp was out for surgery.

I made a "Lil' Lamp" inspired by another RCM poster some years ago;
you can see it at http://users.goldengate.net/~dforeman/Lamp/

It's really a better light, but it doesn't have the history the tacky
old lamp has.

Good for you Don - I have one out in the shop and another (years younger) in the
house stuff somewhere.

I'll have to consider the example. :-)

Martin

Don Foreman wrote:

I do the dangdest things some days.

I have a silly little gooseneck lamp that hangs upside-down from a
magnet on my mill to illuminate the work site. It was a cheap lamp
many years ago when "high intensity" lamps were a new concept.
Tensor pioneered that using low-voltage bulbs, this was a follow when
the lamp mfrs started making small 115-volt 40-watt bulbs. It
uses a 40-watt "high intensity" bulb with a small screw base. Such
bulbs are still readily available at Wal-Mart.

The switch on this cheapo lamp recently failed, so I took it apart
to replace the switch. I then discovered that the lamp socket was
history too: the whole back of the socket with center contact had
disintegrated with heat and age.

I've had this silly little lamp hanging there for so long I've grown
rather fond of it -- so I decided to fixit. This lamp is so old it
is cheap-made-in-Japan when Japan was making stuff not quite up to
what China makes nowadays.

I suppose a new bulb socket would cost about a buck if one could be
found that would fit, rots o' ruck. I preferred to see if I could
restore the old one. I turned a center contact post from brass
rodstock and nickel-plated it. Turned a little teflon insert plug
for the hole in the back of the socket, with a slot to pass the shell
wire and a center hole to locate the new center contact. Then I
mixed up some stuff I had on hand that is supposed to become
ceramic-like when it cures. I put a bit of shrinktube on the new
contact head to keep the ceramic paste off it, gooped the ceramic
stuff into the cavity and baked it for 2 days at 150F. I'd never had
much luck with that ceramic goop before, probably because I could
never leave it alone long enough. It worked great this time. My
silly little lamp is now all fixed with a new switch and a new socket,
20 years of shop grime scrubbed off it with 409 and a new coat of
paint where I'd silver-brazed a little housing to accomodate the new
switch. It's back in place on the mill now and I grin every time I
use it. I guess I've grown rather fond of that silly little
gooseneck lamp I've been using for a long time one way or another.
I missed it when using the mill while said lamp was out for surgery.

I made a "Lil' Lamp" inspired by another RCM poster some years ago;
you can see it at http://users.goldengate.net/~dforeman/Lamp/

It's really a better light, but it doesn't have the history the tacky
old lamp has.



--
Martin Eastburn, Barbara Eastburn
@ home at Lion's Lair with our computer
NRA LOH, NRA Life
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

What a nice recycling job. Sometimes it is better to fix than replace.
The older I get the more I realize that you can sometime get a greater
satisfaction from building or repairing something than just replacing
the old item.

Years ago, when I was younger and hopefully less wise, I made fun of my
dad for taking two days to build some "C" clamps, rather than buy
them for a few dollars. He made a wooden model, built a sand mold,
drilled and machined the casting and made the screws.

I was appalled that he had spent so much time on something he could
have purchased for two or three dollars. Not being a man of many
words, he said nothing and let life teach me about the joy and pleasure
he got from his project.

John

Don Foreman wrote:
I do the dangdest things some days.

I have a silly little gooseneck lamp that hangs upside-down from a
magnet on my mill to illuminate the work site. It was a cheap lamp
many years ago when "high intensity" lamps were a new concept.
Tensor pioneered that using low-voltage bulbs, this was a follow when
the lamp mfrs started making small 115-volt 40-watt bulbs. It
uses a 40-watt "high intensity" bulb with a small screw base. Such
bulbs are still readily available at Wal-Mart.

The switch on this cheapo lamp recently failed, so I took it apart
to replace the switch. I then discovered that the lamp socket was
history too: the whole back of the socket with center contact had
disintegrated with heat and age.

I've had this silly little lamp hanging there for so long I've grown
rather fond of it -- so I decided to fixit. This lamp is so old it
is cheap-made-in-Japan when Japan was making stuff not quite up to
what China makes nowadays.

I suppose a new bulb socket would cost about a buck if one could be
found that would fit, rots o' ruck. I preferred to see if I
could
restore the old one. I turned a center contact post from brass
rodstock and nickel-plated it. Turned a little teflon insert plug
for the hole in the back of the socket, with a slot to pass the shell
wire and a center hole to locate the new center contact. Then I
mixed up some stuff I had on hand that is supposed to become
ceramic-like when it cures. I put a bit of shrinktube on the new
contact head to keep the ceramic paste off it, gooped the ceramic
stuff into the cavity and baked it for 2 days at 150F. I'd never
had
much luck with that ceramic goop before, probably because I could
never leave it alone long enough. It worked great this time. My
silly little lamp is now all fixed with a new switch and a new
socket,
20 years of shop grime scrubbed off it with 409 and a new coat of
paint where I'd silver-brazed a little housing to accomodate the
new
switch. It's back in place on the mill now and I grin every time I
use it. I guess I've grown rather fond of that silly little
gooseneck lamp I've been using for a long time one way or another.
I missed it when using the mill while said lamp was out for surgery.


I made a "Lil' Lamp" inspired by another RCM poster some years ago;
you can see it at http://users.goldengate.net/~dforeman/Lamp/

It's really a better light, but it doesn't have the history the
tacky
old lamp has.

Don Foreman wrote:

wire and a center hole to locate the new center contact. Then I
mixed up some stuff I had on hand that is supposed to become
ceramic-like when it cures. I put a bit of shrinktube on the new
contact head to keep the ceramic paste off it, gooped the ceramic
stuff into the cavity and baked it for 2 days at 150F. I'd never had
much luck with that ceramic goop before, probably because I could
never leave it alone long enough. It worked great this time.

I'd like to hear more about that stuff. I have run into any number of
small projects that could benefit from something like that.

Ted

On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 22:03:15 GMT, Ted Edwards
wrote:

Don Foreman wrote:

wire and a center hole to locate the new center contact. Then I
mixed up some stuff I had on hand that is supposed to become
ceramic-like when it cures. I put a bit of shrinktube on the new
contact head to keep the ceramic paste off it, gooped the ceramic
stuff into the cavity and baked it for 2 days at 150F. I'd never had
much luck with that ceramic goop before, probably because I could
never leave it alone long enough. It worked great this time.

I'd like to hear more about that stuff. I have run into any number of
small projects that could benefit from something like that.

The stuff I used was from Cotronics: www.cotronics.com

Datasheet on castable ceramics at
http://www.cotronics.com/vo/cotr/pdf/Castables2004.pdf

I used the 780.

Don Foreman wrote:

On Thu, 27 Jan 2005 22:03:15 GMT, Ted Edwards
wrote:


Don Foreman wrote:


wire and a center hole to locate the new center contact. Then I
mixed up some stuff I had on hand that is supposed to become
ceramic-like when it cures. I put a bit of shrinktube on the new
contact head to keep the ceramic paste off it, gooped the ceramic
stuff into the cavity and baked it for 2 days at 150F. I'd never had
much luck with that ceramic goop before, probably because I could
never leave it alone long enough. It worked great this time.

I'd like to hear more about that stuff. I have run into any number of
small projects that could benefit from something like that.


The stuff I used was from Cotronics: www.cotronics.com

Datasheet on castable ceramics at
http://www.cotronics.com/vo/cotr/pdf/Castables2004.pdf

I used the 780.


Thanks - looks like what some of us really need!

Martin

--
Martin Eastburn, Barbara Eastburn
@ home at Lion's Lair with our computer
NRA LOH, NRA Life
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

Don Foreman wrote:
....
Datasheet on castable ceramics at
http://www.cotronics.com/vo/cotr/pdf/Castables2004.pdf

Neat stuff! I didn't see any prices. Is it one of those "If you have
to ask, you can't afford it"? Bob

On Fri, 28 Jan 2005 22:25:55 -0500, Bob Engelhardt
wrote:

Don Foreman wrote:
...
Datasheet on castable ceramics at
http://www.coteronics.com/vo/cotr/pdf/Castables2004.pdf

Neat stuff! I didn't see any prices. Is it one of those "If you have
to ask, you can't afford it"? Bob

I honestly don't recall. I think it was more than $50 but less than
$100. I certainly wouldn't have ordered it for this, but I already
had it on hand so it was free.

Bob Engelhardt wrote:
Don Foreman wrote:
...
Datasheet on castable ceramics at
http://www.cotronics.com/vo/cotr/pdf/Castables2004.pdf

Neat stuff! I didn't see any prices. Is it one of those "If you
have
to ask, you can't afford it"? Bob

I just received their catalog and FYI here are some prices: for all
except the 2300F and the 4000F the 10# kit is $75. The 2300F kit is
$80 and the 4000F kit is $99.

Bob