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the wiring in my lamp is loose -- if i jiggle it it comes on but it goes off as soon as i let go -- any suggestions on how to get it fixed?

i bought it at a flea market less than a year ago, for a 100 bucks, so i don't want to spend a lot on it, but i'm fond of it.

thanks and happy new year, AT!

it doesn't seem too hard, rasil. look here:
http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-do-home-electrical-repairs5.htm

rasil,

i'm not sure whether this will work for you or not, but i had a similar problem with the light flickering off and having to jiggle the switch to get it to work again. on the instruction of the repair person at a lighting store, i unplugged the lamp and unscrewed the bulb to reach down inside and lift up the little brass 'tongue' that makes contact with the bottom of the bulb. that was all it needed and the lamp is back to working perfectly (and it cost nothing to try). hope this helps.

Excellent suggestion by Judy. That should work for you if your lamp has a push through socket (rather than a turn switch or pull chain). If that does not do the trick most hardware stores will do rewiring for you for anywhere from $15 and up depending on what needs to be done. If you're uncomfortable with leaving the lamp at a hardware store you can take it to Oriental Lampshade Company. They are more expensive (rewires start at $45) but they do complete rewiring.They are in the phone book and have 2 locations-one on the upper east side and one upper west.

Anyone know where I can get the black wishbone chairs at a discount?

thanks everyone. i'm afraid that i'm the sort of person who bursts into tears on reading the how stuff works link, but i will ask at the hw store. it's the kind with a turn switch.

Also, Gracious Home has repair guys, on both the East Side and the West Side, and I don't know how much they would charge for that, but it might not be too much. The West Side ones repaired the sagging hinge on my old 1941 medicine cabinet (which I love) and didn't charge much.

But I also had two light fixtures (my dining room chanderlier and my kitchen flush mount) re-wired by the guys at Lexington Hardware, which is on the same side of Lexington as Bloomingdales, but just 2 or 3 blocks up from there. They were great, and it seemed (to me) pretty reasonable.

I think your project would require pretty minimal effort for them.