Small electrical stuff is a nice change from working on hard wiring, what with all the ladder-standing and neck-craning. I got to feeling a little self-congratulatory, and even branched out from repairs, making a jar into a hanging lamp for an alcove in the kitchen. “How clever I am!” I opined. But after I “had” my “idea,” I started seeing similar fixtures everywhere, online and even in real life. Perrier hanging lamps. Wine bottle lights. A friend reminded me of the fabulous Grain Belt chandelier at the now-defunct Harry’s in Minneapolis
A few things about small wiring projects – first, they are SMALL, which is great. But second, they are SMALL, which means you often have to deal with that multistrand small-gauge wire. I hate that stuff because I often find that tightening up connections just ends up with the dang thing fraying out all over the place. If you give it a twist or two first, though, you end up with something much easier to work with. Also, if you need to hook this type of thing (or, really, any wire) under a screw to make the connection, make the “hook” face right. As you tighten the screw (“righty-tighty”), you won’t be working against the wire.
Like this! Not the other way 'round.
On lamp cord and similar, it’s not perfectly obvious which wire would be black or white in sheathed cable. You strip lamp cord, and you have two bits of weenified copper that look exactly alike. How do you choose a side for neutral or hot, and how do you keep track of it over the length of the cord? I will admit to using markers and tape to track one side of lamp cord to maintain polarity. Turns out, manufacturers anticipated this problem, but they didn’t send me the memo. If you look closely at the outside of the lamp cord, the wire that would be white and that would go to the silver side (neutral) has ridges running length-wise down the outside of that side of the cord. The other side goes to the brass screw. This is true for most flat lamp and small appliance cord – check it out! This makes swapping plugs and stuff really simple. “Silver Ridge” is easy to remember, too – no one’s beating down the trademark office door to register “BRASS Ridge.”
Mnemonics Anonymous
Copyright 365corks.com; used by permission.
Somewhat related: If you would like to make your own jar light, all you need is a lidded jar, some lamp cord, a plug, an adaptor kit. Avoid overheating with compact, low-power bulbs and some holes in the lid. Easy-peasy. I also bought an electronic light switch. I ran the cord from the light along the ceiling and down alongside the molding to an outlet. To use the switch, plug the light cord into a small receiver unit, and then stick that into the wall. A remote that looks and acts like a light switch sends a signal to the receiver unit to turn on the power. Feels slightly cheesy, but I can live with it.
Shout-out: I love wine, and I really love affordable wine. Rob from 365corks.com graciously gave me permission to use the Silver Ridge image above, and I'd like to point y'all that direction for great info on truly affordable wines with no snobbery whatsoever. Thanks, Rob!
