I expected the lamp to need some repair, so I was not daunted. I sought the advice of my local electrician, (aka my son's grandfather) and after some inspection, we found both the wiring and the switches to be faulty. I set off to the hardware store in search of lamp sockets with swithes and a bundle of wire. $29.52 later, I came home with the necessary parts to fix the lamp. I watched carefully as the components were twisted this way and that in hopes to learn a new skill. One more hiccup, the switches needed to be filed down so they would fit into the metal globes. By nightfall the lamp was finished. I plugged it in once again and basked in the warmth of my new lamp and pondered on the day's adventure. Was it worth it? The cost was under $30 and my son's Grandfather seemed happy to help and also enjoyed his home cooked meal. The verdict? Well worth it, plus I found the exact lamp on eBay for $95 plus shipping, so I actually saved money!
Looking for something free too? Check out the "free" section on Craigslist and Freecycle or let us know if you have another great source!
Images: Alisha Peterson-Irwin
Using Luxury Rooms to Keep Teens Home
Juan's Garage Turned Modern Guest House
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Sheex Bedding
Yuck: A Fourth Grader Reveals What School Lunches Really Look Like
How to Make Fresh Pasta Dough in the Food Processor
I love that lamp! Nice score.
It looks awesome, so don't sweat it. (Nothing in life is ever really free.)
Well at least you got it working! It's cute :) I had a white one that looked just like that in my room when I was little.
Looooove it. And well worth $30.
This reminds me of my current headache. I bought a dresser on Craigslist for $40, but it is wobbly and for the LIFE of me I can't fix it. It just seems top heavy. And I decided to refinish it. So.. this $40 little Craigslist buy is turning into a $100 wobbly dresser. Don't know if I would have bought it for that BUT that's the fun of it (I guess).
Super cute and great story!
It's a great lamp and you learned a new skill!
$30 is nothing - and you have a great lamp that isn't something that all your friends have!
Great job!
Good perspective, but you missed an opportunity to discuss the time when Free is REALLY expensive: When you don't need the item. People often are given stuff or find stuff that's "free". If it's not something you believe to be beautiful or know to be useful, it's WAY too expensive!
I rewire lamps often and thirty dollars seems quite expensive for a cord and a socket. It should have cost you under ten dollar. Especially since you used the old switch.
Wow I feel really good about scoring every single lamp I own for under $20.
Free is expensive when it comes with bedbugs attached. In this current climate, be careful with salvaged goods!
But nice score on the lamp :)
Lamps like this use a considerable amount of electricity, which is another hidden cost to consider, from both a monetary and environmental perspective.
@erinorea: I'm assuming it cost $30 because there are 3 sources of light - therefore 3 sockets and additional lengths of cord : )
I got this exact same lamp at a thrift store not too long ago for $7 - I ADORE it! Two of the lights work (the middle and upper ones), but I can't get the bottom one's switch to twist on. I'd like to fix it, but where I have it sitting right now I don't really use the bottom one.
I too got this same lamp at a thrift store for $5. I gave it away- for free! Hopefully it continues to work for them.
Better than my story. I found a classic Holkoetter lamp at a thrift for $7. These are $400-450 new. Brought it home, didn't work. Bought a bulb (for $28!), still didn't work. Ended up having to ship it to Germany for repair. In the end, I got a $400 lamp for $133. Still a bargain, I suppose! I love it and it should last a lifetime.
HolTkoetter… sorry.
Spookily timed! I just bought the exact same lamp in avocado this past weekend at a yard sale and (surprise!) it needs rewiring. Glad to get the heads-up on the switches - thanks!
Great post! I think it is well worth it...it is recycling at its best! Why trash it when you can fix it!! It always makes me so sad that we live in a society that views stuff as expendable...oh this blender is broke, time to get a new one! Why aren't there more repair shops out there...I know many older men who would love to tinker with electronics!
That's a great lamp story. I always feel bad for furniture that's been left outside/thrown away. It's like that old Ikea commercial that showed a lamp in the garbage w/ sad music playing in the background. The commercial said not to feel bad for the lamp cause it's just furniture lol -- but I always do.
The same goes for books ...
"My son's grandfather"? Your father? Your father-in-law? WTH? Don't you have copyeditors? And I understand if it's not your blood son, but that's sloppy writing.
(nb: while the lamp story is interesting, "my son's grandfather" is what I will remember about this, and that's certainly not the aim of AT having posted this story.)
Geesh, samsd, give her a break! If she's not married to the father of her son, her son's grandfather is not related to her at all! I think it was a fine way to state the relationship. We don't live in a world where all families fit into neat little easily-describable packages anymore, and that's actually a good thing!
Well done! A little elbow grease, and another perfectly good piece of furniture was saved from the landfill. Sometimes stuff just needs a little love.
As the economy gets harder we depend on the love of family to help us make it through. I found that rather heart warming. After all isn't the reason why we fix up our places- to have a happy home for ourselves, family & friends?
Great post. I'm interested in green living and I think more people should "reduce, reuse and recycle" (and, as you did, "salvage"); but reupholstry can be decidedly un-green without great effort, and your project could arguably have used too many new materials to be worth it. However, in some circumstances I think you're doing the planet a big favor.
By the way, I've had no luck on Freecycle. The stuff gets nabbed by someone else within minutes.
@daniellek.. Good point. I was talking to the repair guy who fixed my washing machine a while back. I asked him 'hows buisness', he said, 'since the economy's gone down the drain, terrific!'. Turns out, folk were throwing out broken (but fixable) appliences to buy new!!
this lamp is sooo cute + cheap + the process was educational - cant ask for more :)
i have an unrelated question - can you tell us where you got the also-super-cute wallpaper in the first pic?
Just plugging in finds like that can be very risky, particually when it is not grounded like a lot of lamps in the US are. If you do find one again, best to plug it in thru a ground fault breaker so that you dont light yourself up with the loose wires.