Rewiring & Reassembly
As you disassemble the fixture, take photos of each piece as you remove it so you will have a record of how everything goes back together. You’ll want to reattach the parts in reverse order of their removal, replacing any damaged or missing parts as you work.
1. After inserting the wire (p. 47), place the bobeche (collar) and candle cup holder so that they sit directly over the copper mount on the arm. I made a copper ring from a piece of flashing to help hold the bobeche in place. Slip a brass hex nut over the wires to secure the candle cup in place. 2. Install good-condition original or new metal sockets. Put the socket in first, before connecting any wires, to avoid twisting or putting tension on them.
3. To wire the socket, take the black wire (the hot wire) and attach it to the gold contact on the socket. Use a wire stripper with a built-in gauge. For an 18-gauge wire, line up the wire so that it meets the 18-gauge hole, then clamp down and give the stripper a little twist. The plastic insulation comes right off. Leave a little more than ½" of the wire exposed.
4. Twist the exposed wire, bending it over to form a small half loop.
5. Attach this to the gold contact on the right side, so that when the wire is tightened, it will move in a clockwise direction. Tighten the wire with a screwdriver around the contact until firmly in place, then pull the rest of the black wire through the other end of the fixture. As you pull, leave a small amount of slack adjacent to the socket.
6. Continue with the white wire, which is the neutral wire. It attaches to the silver contact on the other side of the socket. The rest of the process is just like the procedure with the hot wire: line the neutral wire up in the 18-gauge hole, clamp down, and give the wire stripper a
turn to remove the plastic. Twist the exposed neutral wire and bend it over the contact in a small half loop, again to the right side so that, when it’s tightened, the wire will move in a clockwise direction. It’s very important from a safety standpoint that both wires are attached so they move clockwise. Pull the excess white wire through, leaving a small amount of slack around the contact.