Repairing a Lamp? – Margin Services Help Centre

What does 10mm or 1/2″ entry mean?

Richard Hobbs — Fri, 17 May 2024 10:07:16 +0000

There are 2 more common thread sizes in the world of lighting, 10mm and 1/2″ (12.7mm) approx. To find out what one you need is simple, there should be a thread that’s sticking out of your lamp fitting where the lampholder screws onto, you simply need to measure the outside diameter of that thread, After removing the lampholder.

10mm is generally used on modern lights and would be used if creating a new light fitting, whereas 1/2″ is found on older units such as floor standing and table lamps.

10mm Pitch is 1mm (Fine Thread)
1/2″ Pitch is 26 TPI (Turns per Inch)

If you cannot gain access to the male thread sticking out, and you only have the thread on the lampholder to measure, then the sizes will be as follows:

10mm Thread – 8.8mm Approx.
1/2″ Thread – 12mm Approx.

There are many other threads on the market depending on the origin of the lamp maker.

In Metric, there is:

8mm
13mm – (not to be confused with 1/2″ which is 12.7mm) They will kind of screw together, but due to pitches being different they will bind eventually.

And Imperial, there are a whole host of other size:

5/8″
5/16″
3/8″
1/4″ IP (American Thread)
1/8″ IP (American Thread)

We have a range of reucders/enlargers hat cover the more common sizes mentioned above, view our range here

Help With Replacement Lampholder on Metal Stem

Richard Hobbs — Fri, 17 May 2024 10:00:08 +0000

We often get asked to help with a replacement lampholder on a metal stem.

Before we can help with the replacement lampholder there is one piece of information we need and that is the thread diameter that the lampholder is fixed too.

Lampholders are designed to thread onto a male thread, the problem is sometimes manufacturers glue these into position, which can make disassembly a bit tricky.

Below is an example of the most standard scenario of a lampholder on a metal stem.

As you can see just below the lampholder is a nut, this is not always there, but you can leave it if you wish.

First step is to unwire the lampholder and remove the cable or leave it sticking out the top of the lampholder.

Take the bottom section of the lampholder and untwist it from the metal stem, as mentioned above this part could be glued into position so could be a bit tricky.

Using grips or pliers on the lampholder can help, or use a piece of rubber like a couple of elastic bands to help with grip.

Once the lampholder has been removed, you may need to clean the thread as it may have a piece of dried glue in the threads.

After the lampholder has been removed then you will need to measure the diameter of the thread as seen below this example is 10mm (1cm)

There are 2 common thread sizes 10mm and 1/2″ (12.7mm) this is important to know this size.

Here are a couple of links to our lampholders.

What is a push fit lampholder and can I use it?

Richard Hobbs — Fri, 17 May 2024 09:49:27 +0000

We get asked this question from time to time, what does push fit mean, and can I use it?

We have a small selection of push fit lampholders this means that you do not need any tools to connect the wire to the lampholder.

Inside the connections is a barb like device so when you push the cable in the barb grips the cable and prevents it from coming back out.

There are a couple of advantage and disadvantages with push wire lampholders.

1: You need to ensure you have a solid cable below are images of a solid wire vs a multi stranded wire.

If you have a multi stranded wire, you will need to use a dab of solder or use a ferrule.

(Not our image - ours to follow)

2: Once the cable has been inserted, it’s not really designed to come back out.

Some push fit devices have a small pinhole where you can insert a paper clip for example to release the barb, other devices don’t.

Below is one of our SES push wire lampholders and an example on how to release the barb.

When installing a solid wire into the push wire device you MUST ensure it is in and solid giving a firm tug once pushed in will confirm, if you have to reuse a push fit device please be mindful that the barb may be bent slightly and not going to grip the cable as well as it was made.

From a personal side I prefer terminal connections where you use a screwdriver to tighten the cable, I feel these are a better option in my eyes however it’s not to say push wire is unsafe I just prefer terminal connections.

Hopefully this has explained to you what a push fit lampholder or device is and if you can use it or not without having to amend the cable you have.

Anglepoise Lamp Repairs

Richard Hobbs — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 14:40:49 +0000

Anglepoise lamps are very popular for restoring, We get asked on a daily basis for spares for the Anglepoise lamps.

Unfortunately we do not stock any official spares, we are in talks with Anglepoise to start stocking items such as grommets, springs and other official accessories.

If you are looking to simply replace the lampholder and cable then we can help however most of the time the cable will need to be wired externally. And are not too bothered about keeping the lamp authentic then we can help.

There are 2 ways of fixing methods for the lamps:

1: The lampholder is screwed onto a 10mm thread in the back of the lampholder.

In most cases inside the shade will be some kind of bracket with a hole in the middle if this hole is 10mm then you can simple use the following 2 items:

2: The lampholder is held into position using its shade ring, so the lampholder is halfway through the shade which generally are approx 28mm diameter holes.

As you can see below there will be an approx. 28mm hole in the rear of the shade, any BC | B22 | Bayonet Cap lampholder will fit, however you MUST ensure a cord grip is installed.

Un-Switched Lampholders can be found here

Switched Lampholders here Then a cord grip here

If you are looking for support on Anglepoise lamps then please see their support knowledge base here