Part 3: Old Tin Lamp Tutorial With Cord Out the Back

In this tutorial I’m going to wire my Sugar tin lamp with the cord going out the back of the tin.  Instead of using a pipe, I’ll be using two nipples. One of the nipples will be used to secure the tin to the wood base. The other nipple will be used to connect the socket to the lid of the tin.  The check ring will go on top of the lid followed by the neck.

Above is a photo of the parts we will be using to connect the socket to the lid.  As you can see in this photo, I have a very large hole in the top of my tin.  I will be using the large metal washer on the inside of my lid to cover up the hole and secure the rest of the lamp parts to the top of the lid. 

I often use a thread lock to keep my nuts from turning when I screw a bulb in and out of the lamp.  I prefer the removable thread lock.

I added an extra nut and washer to the top, so that I could keep my lamp parts in place when I thread the lamp.  The lid is now fully assembled.

You can see the large washer on the inside of the lid with a lock washer and nut securing the hardware in place.  It’s okay if the nipple sticks out of the bottom of the lid a bit.

I’ve drilled a hole in the back of the tin and added a plug to protect the cord from the sharp metal.  This hole is 7/8″.   Not all cords or cord protecting plugs are the same diameter, so be sure to measure you plug before you drill.  Also, make sure your cord will go through your plug.

I’ve attached the nipple to the bottom of the wood plaque with a nut and lock washer. So that the lamp will sit flat, the hardware must fit inside of the larger hole that is drilled part way through the wood plaque.

I attached the tin to the wood base using a washer next to the tin followed by the lock washer and nut. The tin is fairly thin. I’m strengthening the hole with the washer in the same way that a hole reinforcement protects a punched hole in a piece of paper.

I start by threading the cord through the hole I made in the back of the lamp.  Some people will optionally put a knot in the cord inside the container (sugar tin) just in case someone accidentally trips on the cord.  This is a secondary precaution because an underwriter’s knot should always be tied inside the socket.

I pull the cord through the top of the lid and wire the socket as I described in Part 2 of the tutorial.  I won’t repeat that information here, but I will show that photos above.

Once the lamp is wired, I turn it on to test it. You can see that cord comes out the back of the tin.

I usually add felt to the bottom of my finished lamps. I place the lamp on top of the felt and trace around the lamp. I cut inside the lines.

The next step would be to glue the felt. I’m not going to complete that step because I’m going to completely take my lamp apart again to paint the base and tin. I have a few other modifications I would like to make as well.

Assembling and wiring a simple lamp out of repurposed materials is not that difficult.  With a little bit of imagination and a few lamp parts, you can create a lamp to match any room in your house.