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| If you're preparing an old cord with a damaged end, cut the last inch off the cord with your sharp knife before splitting and stripping. If your cord is round, this usually means it has an extra layer of sheathing. Strip 2 inches (5 centimeters) of the outer sheathing away by carefully cutting it with your knife, then split and strip the inside cord. To strip the cord sections without cutting the inside wires, you can buy special wire cutting and stripping tools. Some of the newer electrical plug models have clamping mechanisms. For these, you only have to slip an unsplit, unstripped, unknotted cord into the plug, manipulate the prongs, and the plug will connect itself to the copper wire within the cord. |
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To properly wire a lamp, you need a soundly split, cut, and stripped electrical cord. You can buy a new cord at a hardware store (ask for lamp cord--it's usually sold by the foot and comes in a variety of colors). Buy enough to connect the lamp to the nearest outlet. To prepare the cord, use a sharp knife to split the last 2 inches (5 centimeters) of one end of the cord, slitting down through the narrow groove in the center. You should end up with two sections, each containing a bundle of tiny copper wires (don't cut into the wires).
From each cord section, strip away about half an inch (1.25 centimeters) of the plastic covering from the very ends, so the copper wires are exposed. Do this carefully--you don't want to cut or fray the wires. Use your knife to score the circumference of each section, cutting through the majority of the plastic sheath but not quite deep enough to reach the wires inside, then pull the end of the sheathing using your fingers or pliers. The plastic should tear away, leaving you with the stripped copper wires.
Your two cord sections should now have stripped wires at the very ends. The exposed copper wire should all be the same length, without any frays. Twist each wire bundle together clockwise. This will make them easier to attach to the terminals.
Note: On one section of the sheathing, you'll see a groove or stripe marking the neutral wire, with the smooth section marking the hot wire. The hot wire is live, carrying electricity from the wall outlet to the lamp; the neutral wire completes the circuit by carrying the electrical current back to the wall outlet. To wire the lamp according to electrical code, the hot, smooth wire should be connected to the brass terminal screw, and the neutral wire to the silver terminal screw. If you're buying a new cord, you'll probably need to buy a new electrical plug attachment as well. A standard lamp needs nothing stronger than a two-prong, 120-volt plug (don't buy a three-prong plug--you need a special cord for these). These are also sold at hardware stores and are easy to attach. Split and strip the cord in the same way as directed here, except split only 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) from the end. The plug should separate into two parts, either by loosening screws or undoing clips (follow the directions). Once you have access to the inside of the plug, you should see the terminals (two small screws) onto which you attach the stripped wire. Follow the same wiring procedures outlined in Step 3 (including tying the Underwriters' knot once the cord is inserted into the plug's casing, and connecting the hot wire to the brass terminal and the nuetral to the silver terminal), reattach the plug's casing, and you're done.
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Prepare the cord
