I finally tackled my exterior coach lamps, and I was successful. Can I get a hallelujah?
I bought some name brand, brass coach lamps off of eBay. They are simple and perfect for the colonial era. I have heard high praise from other miniacs, so I was thrilled to acquire them. I installed the first one without an issue. When it came to the second light, I had nothing but problems. These are identical lights and I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. It got to the point where my tape wire had track marks! Every time I would wrap the lamp wire around the eyelet, the wire would break. At one point, the light was working only to short out. The irritating thing is that you cannot change the light bulbs.......This was back in January. The whole thing was so disheartening because I couldn't work on the kitchen interior until I got the lamp installed. I really wanted two exterior lights and didn't want to compromise.
I bit the bullet and bought another set of lights, off course, they only come in pairs. I had the same problems again. !7@#*( Cursing doesn't help). Mind you, this happened on Sunday. It took me 6 months to work up the courage to attempt a new installation. The wires are so friable, I decided my only choice was to solder them into the eyelets.
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This may have been part of the problem, I really needed an extra hand not a paw.
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See that little nose, I had visions of her sniffing the soldering iron, I had to lock her up.
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That is the soldering wire and a paw coming through the window.
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Don't breathe too hard or bump the house.....
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For me, electrical really is mind over matter. Next time I hope I won't be so stymied by glitches. (Fingers crossed)
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Thanks for stopping by.....XO Cali
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Hallelujah!!! So glad you got both lights working. Yes, kitties often want to help (or at least know what you're playing with that's so interesting). I'm sure she didn't like being locked up, but it's a good thing you kept her safe.
ReplyDeleteIt is so sad that lighting issues can be so disheartening as to put us off our goals for months, but they really are! I have fallen victim to lighting derailments so often that I will NEVER do tapewire with MDF again, and I never say never!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you worked through the disappointment and intimidation and boldly blazed forward! The lights look awesome, and two of them really are perfect! And I am proud of you for taking the bull by the horns and learning to solder! You have overcome the worst, now everything else should start falling into place for this build!
Sending you a "Hallelujah" from one who has also suffered the frustrations of NOT having " a 2nd light work for no apparent reason".
ReplyDeleteElectrics can easily become the most frustrating and the most time consuming primarily because when you are doing everything right and something still goes wrong, the solutions take a lot of time to discover. I've found out that sometimes it is a stray and nearly invisible wire sticking out from the main bunch which causes a short or that the tape has lifted up from the wood somewhere along the run, which can be a real nightmare AFTER the wallpaper is installed. I now plow brads into the tape wire about every 3- 4 inches just to ensure that it stays anchored to the wood frame.
AND Soldering is an effective way of anchoring the wires to the eyelets for a durable conection so good for you for taking that process on as well as on your resulting SUCCESS
A Big HIGH 5!