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Polishing, Wiring, and Dilemma-ing.

You might remember back here when we visited the Summer Renegade Craft Fair and didn’t buy anything. We did however, pass an amazing street sale and find this dusty gem…

We immediately wiped it down, then got lazy and it sat on the kitchen counter for a while. As you can see, it was a little rustier than we’d hoped under all that dust and dirt.

Enter Eagle One Nevr-Dull to save the day (oh, and the lamp) from hideous-ness.

If you’re not familiar, this product is simply a cotton “wadding” soaked in a polishing compound as opposed to a traditional liquid you might use with a rag. You simply slap on some gloves, pull out a chunk of wadding and go to work. Keep in mind, it’s got a pretty strong petroleum-type smell, so you’ll either need to keep it off your hands in the first place, or risk smelling like a refinery all day. Oh, and be sure to use it outside.

My method was to go over every surface of the lamp, then wipe off the residue, then repeat. Simple as that. Hit the rougher spots with a little extra elbow grease and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results. Keep in mind, every chore is better with beer. Just sayin’.

After about a half hour of work out on the deck, this baby was gleaming. I’ve used Nevr-Dull on various types of metals in the past, but it’s quickly becoming my go-to for anything metal. And, the most important part, it’s Jack approved!

We then moved on to the re-wiring. We ordered twisted cloth wire and a fresh screw-together plug from Sundial Wire. Shipping was super fast, and the product looks great and is incredibly easy to work with. This is how the old ceramic bulb housing looked when we opened her up.

Simply unscrew the wire contacts and remove the old ugly brown wire from the lamp. Then you’ll need to strip the ends of your fancy new wire. About 1/2″ seems about right for a project like this. Specialized wire strippers come in extremely handy for jobs like this, and can be picked up at Radio Shack or any hardware store for around $5. If you use them once a year, you’ve saved yourself quite a bit of hassle. If you’re a cheapskate, you can carefully cut around the housing with regular scissors, but be careful to not cut through the wire itself.

Since our wire was covered with shiny silver fabric, we used tiny bits of electrical tape to keep the ends from fraying inside the plug and bulb housing. We don’t want to go starting any fires, now do we?*

*Please be careful and use common sense when dealing with electricity. We like having you here, OK?

After you’re all trimmed and taped up, simply hold the exposed ends of the under the junctions and tighten up the screws.

Do the same on the other end. I have to say, this plug from Sundial couldn’t have been easier to use. The hardest part was finding a slender screwdriver to fit inside the holes on the face of the plug.

Bam! Refurbished!

The whole goal of revamping the lamp was that it would eventually hang at the height of a regular table lamp and hover sexily above our console table in the foyer. My mind nearly exploded, though, when I couldn’t get my head past the fact that the lamp cord cuts across the shimmering golden beams of Kim’s grandparents’ clock. For some unknown reason, I immediately hated the placement. I officially put the hanging of the lamp on hold until further notice. I don’t invoke my executive stop-order privilege often, but when I do, Kim knows things have gotten serious.

Honestly, I don’t know what it is about this very temporary location (see me on top of the ladder in the lamp’s reflection there? Nothing’s been anchored into place just yet!) that bugs me. For me, it’s the combination of the brown and gold of the clock and table – and the green of the wall that screams no! in my head. Something about polished chrome and brassy gold just doesn’t mesh with me. My lady’s a fan of the whole mis-match, and she’s less than thrilled that this has become a thing. (She’s a woman of action, and I mean that in the, um, best possible way.)

If the lamp is meant to live here, maybe something else needs to move to make room. Am I being ridiculous? Does it work? Should we bite the bullet and hang the damn thing? Or should we move the clock, paint the wall or start from scratch? (Kidding, kind of.) Your input is so, so welcomed. And needed.

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  • I love how the lamp height balances the vase of flowers, but I’m not crazy about the cord cutting such a strong line in front of the clock and against the green wall. I think the mis-matched metals is great, though. I love how spiffy the light is now, too!ReplyCancel

  • Charlene @ Sweetchic10.12.11 - 9:07 AM

    Wow, I’ve never heard of that “waddish polish” but it is a miracle worker! Now I’m mentally running through items in my home that may need some polishing, haha!ReplyCancel

  • Penina10.12.11 - 9:20 AM

    Sorry Pie, I agree with Scott. It’s just too much for the eye to take in, and I don’t like the cord cutting across the clock either.ReplyCancel

  • Susan @ Jubilee Furniture10.12.11 - 9:22 AM

    What I love –
    1.) the lamp – it’s seriously amazing!
    2.) mis-matched metals
    3.) how cute you both are

    What I don’t love –
    1.) the cord in front of the gorgeous sunburst clockReplyCancel

  • Loren10.12.11 - 9:55 AM

    I love this lamp. You guys did a fantastic job cleaning it up! I have to side with Kim & say that the silver & gold combo is awesome. But I’m not sure about the cord cutting through the clock… could you hang them both a little more off center to create a more unsymmetrical balance?
    Or… you could send it to Louisville and I could find a place to hang it…ReplyCancel

  • Kate10.12.11 - 10:05 AM

    The mixed metals don’t bother me either, but the cord cutting across the clock is distracting. :(ReplyCancel

    • Kim10.12.11 - 10:07 AM

      Dang! Thank you all for being so honest!

      Any ideas on an alternate location? Or should we move the clock? Or change the wall color? Or, or… Hmmm…ReplyCancel

  • Jill10.12.11 - 10:43 AM

    I’m with Penina. And i don’t like bright colors when i’m feeling pukey so the wall color is not doing it for me either but ask me in a few weeks!ReplyCancel

  • Kalli10.12.11 - 11:55 AM

    I don’t love the white cord in front of the clock either, the shiny globe (so shiny!) should be where your eye goes, but done like this draws a lot of attention to that cord.

    Here’s my weird idea: paint (or wood stain?) the lamp cord a dark brown color. It will still cut a slightly awkward line, but will carry some of the brown of the clock down near the table and the contrast with the green wall will be lower.

    Or just find another place for the clock. Could you put it on the corner above/left of your front door and swap some of the framed things you have there onto this green wall (left of the cord line?)ReplyCancel

  • Kim10.12.11 - 1:13 PM

    Kalli, funny you should mention dying the cord, because we toyed with purchasing something dark, or on the opposite spectrum, something bright and fun. In the end we purchased the grey/silver you see up there.

    Do you think moving the mini art to the green wall might be more overwhelming? Unfortunately, my grandma’s clock won’t fit on the door wall (it’s pretty large!).

    I suppose the cord cutting through the clock doesn’t bother me because it feels sort of layered. It only slices through one of the gold blades, and it’s like, hey we have a clock and a lamp and billy balls, and it’s chaotic but also organized – and welcome to our home!

    But, man, Scott is really against it. We need to figure this out, and we’re really not opposed to switching up that wall completely. It’s just a matter of what to do. Paint swap? Art swap? Or do we just move the shiny, new lamp to… the bedroom? My painting nook? The office? The problem is that none of those placements seem right either.ReplyCancel

  • Jill10.12.11 - 1:22 PM

    Keep the entry wall the same and hang the lamp somewhere in your bedroom. I think it’d look cooler in there.ReplyCancel

  • Jen10.12.11 - 2:08 PM

    I’m loving jewel tones right now and this looks great!! Totally gonna get me some of that cleaner for my dullish mercury glass lamps.ReplyCancel

  • Amanda10.12.11 - 2:16 PM

    The cord cutting through doesn’t bother me. What does bother me is that I don’t have that globe light! Hehe.

    Honestly, I like the mismatched tones, because the clock goes with the table, and the globe goes with the “V”. And the cord is just layered on top of the clock, it’s not like it’s directly in the middle of the clock.

    I wouldn’t move the clock (if you can’t get passed the clock/lamp look) but move the light, since the clock fits so well there, with the table and what not.

    Good luck with this conundrum.ReplyCancel

  • Aleksandra10.12.11 - 3:54 PM

    I hate to disagree with Kim because I have such a big crush on her, but I agree with the others– I love the lamp, kind of hate the placement. The big starburst clock really works in the spot where it is with the green, but I don’t think that arrangement needs much more. The negative space on the right below the clock really works, I think. Could you use the globe on the right side of your bed, where the books are stacked on those fun cubes? It doesn’t appear that there is a bedside lamp there. It could kind of nestle in the corner above the books in front of the curtain.
    Can’t wait to see what you come up with!ReplyCancel

    • Kim10.12.11 - 5:44 PM

      Oh, Aleksandra, the bedroom idea is wonderful…. but don’t you know we already had something else up our sleeves?! More on that soon.

      If we weren’t so sneaky about those bedroom plans, we do agree that it would look lovely above my book nook.

      I’m happy that Amanda agrees with me, but I had no idea that it would be such a “no!” outburst!ReplyCancel

  • Cait @ Hernando House10.12.11 - 4:31 PM

    I like the idea of it, but maybe not that placement. What about hanging the lamp over your painting table? Or in the office somewhere? I like Aleksandra’s idea about beside the bed, too.ReplyCancel

  • Scott10.12.11 - 6:13 PM

    So, I’m not crazy after all! As Kim mentioned, we’ve got a lighting project ready for unveiling in the bedroom as we speak, but we’re torn about the entryway.

    Hanging the lamp over Kim’s painting table has become the front-runner at this point, so we’ll see where it ends up. Thanks for all the input!ReplyCancel

  • Reenie10.12.11 - 7:31 PM

    WOW!! That light turned out kewel :)ReplyCancel

  • kat10.12.11 - 9:40 PM

    lamp turned out great! bravo, scott.

    i’d say keep the lamp there & move the beautiful clock… but to where?? ya got me… i love the pop of silver against the green, but not as crazy about the brown & gold against green (sorry!)ReplyCancel

  • Lauryn10.12.11 - 9:45 PM

    Im really not sure why, but I kinda like it!ReplyCancel

  • Anouk10.12.11 - 11:31 PM

    While in general I agree with Mark Twain (when you find yourself on the side of the majority, it’s time to reform), in this case I’m with the ‘no’ camp. I think the lamp just looks too busy.
    I love it, but with the brown and gold in the clock and the table, it just is too jarring.ReplyCancel

  • Emma10.13.11 - 10:10 AM

    Looks great! Way to go on your mad electrical skillz.ReplyCancel

  • Tina10.14.11 - 12:47 AM

    I’m another “no”. Sorry! I love the brown/green you’ve got going now. I could do the silver/green but not all at the same time. And if you move the clock, that still leaves the grey/silver cord which I actually don’t like with the green. I see that lamp fitting in a little nook or off to the side somewhere else. It’s not as welcoming as the vintage clock and green wall.ReplyCancel

  • Chris10.18.11 - 11:18 PM

    I’m loving the update/repair to the lamp. I actually have the same lamp in a brass finish with a strangely short cord. I think I may have to check out Sundial!ReplyCancel

  • Emily @ Our Waldo Bungie10.20.11 - 10:25 PM

    I know there is a big debate going here but can I just say, I love lamp. I love lamp right where you put it. Lamp should stay. (I was feeling a little like Brick Tamblin writing that…so I am just going to go with it!)ReplyCancel

  • Terese10.27.11 - 4:25 PM

    so i’m pretty late on this, but for what it’s worth, i love the pendant there! i say keep it and relocate the clock.ReplyCancel

  • Katja @ Shift Ctrl Art5.9.13 - 5:03 PM

    I am completely in awe of your re-wiring and polishing skills. Not to mention your lamp finding skills in the firs place. What a terrific lamp!!ReplyCancel

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