Buying the lamp

After losing out in a couple of auctions, I was almost ready to give it up for a while, but I decided to take a swing at one lamp, an Emeralite 8734 B model from the late 1920s, that had been listed a while without being sold.

From the pictures I could tell that the lamp was in pretty rough condition, in addition to the glass shade being broken, it had some structural damage at the base. Before making an offer, I contacted the seller, asking whether he had the pieces for the broken shade, which he had, and he informed me that it was 2 pieces that would make the shade complete.

Intrigued, I decided to make an offer of $50, which was way below the asking price, justifying the significant discount on the basis of the broken shade and base. To my delight, the offer was accepted, and I received the lamp some 2 weeks later.

What needed repair

As soon as I got the lamp, I got to work identifying everything that needed repair and restoration, which included the glass shade, the base, the socket and the cord.

The most striking flaw was the glass shade, but since I had the 2 missing pieces, I decided to try gluing them back on. I searched through the local hardware store and found a  softer, silicon type of glue that was applicable for glass.

The structural damage on the base was in one of the two metal pieces in the junction between the flat, weighted part of the base, and the pole which gives the lamp its height. In fact, a large part of the metal piece had broken off, which left the lamp crooked.

Because this metal piece was rather structurally complex, I quickly decided not to try to repair it, as it would have been way too much work. In addition to the structural damage, many areas of the lamp were pretty dirty, covering the original golden brass with a blackish layer of hardened dirt.

Because the dirt and rust had been on there for a while, simply washing it wouldn’t be enough, therefore, I got a can of metal cleaner and rust-remover, and a set of metal brushes, hoping it would do the trick.

Luckily, the bulb socket was original, however, the lamp was equipped with a turnable knob switch, and not the classic pull-chain switch, therefore I went online and ordered a replacement.

Finally, because the US wall plug would not work where I live, I had to change the wall plug, and possibly the whole cord. Luckily, the original cord was in good shape which meant I only had to replace the wall plug, which I could find in a local hardware store.

Dismantling the lamp

After carefully removing the shade I got to work dismantling the whole lamp, piece by piece. I started off removing the socket to check whether I would have to trim off some of the insulation and wiring to get new fresh ends, but they looked OK.

The outer shell of the socket was pretty dirty and in need of some cleaning, but worse was the cardboard insulation which separates the inner socket piece from the outer shell. It was almost like it had been burnt, in that it was almost completely black, like a piece of coal, and crumbled by even the lightest touch.

Because of this, I had to order an entirely new socket (which includes the cardboard insulation), as simply getting the inner socket piece with the pull-chain switch would leave me with that awful piece of burnt cardboard. I got a relatively cheap one off amazon which did the trick.

The rest was pretty straightforward, starting with the loosening of the nut underneath the base of the shade which allows you to remove the weighted part of the base. Followed by another nut fastened underneath the broken piece at the junction between the flat weighted base and the pole/neck.

Removing both these nuts allowed me to completely remove the part of the base that holds the shade, from the rest of the base, which revealed that the bolt is a long metal rod that extends through the whole lamp, and to which the parts of the base is attached.

After removing the old wall plug, I was able to thread the wire through all the parts, separating all the pieces.  It was at this point I recognized that they were all in need of some cleaning, as the core metal bolt was very rusty, including the nuts, but that would have to wait, as I decided to move on to gluing the shade back together.

Trying to glue the broken shade

As mentioned earlier, I got a type of softer silicon-type glue for trying to put the shade back together. Although there were some small glass pieces that were missing (too small to be able to glue back on anyway), I was confident that I would get a decent result.

First of all, I wanted to make sure that the shade was clean so that the glue could properly attach to the glass, making the reattachment solid. For this, I simply used a glass cleaner spray and a cloth I had at home.

I then prepared a surface of old newspapers to prevent any spilling of glue onto my desk and got to work. When applying the glue, I decided to apply it to the pieces, rather than the shade itself, as it was easier to access the edges with the tip of the glue container.

I applied a relatively generous amount, hoping that it would enable the glue to fill any small cracks or pockets that might be present along the break, before carefully fitting the piece onto the shade, pressing it on tightly for several minutes before releasing it (follow instructions for the glue you use).

Because the glue I was using would take several hours to properly harden, I left the shade overnight, before repeating the same process with the last piece the next day.

Because I had used a relatively generous amount of glue, there was some excess glue that had been squeezed out along the former cracks, which I carefully removed using a snap-off utility knife.

At the end of the day, the shade looked pretty decent, and to my pleasant surprise, the glue held firm even when I applied some gentle pressure to test whether it would hold or not.

Cleaning and polishing

As mentioned, there was a lot of old, hardened, dirt on various parts of the lamp, as well as decent amounts of rust on others. Although this part of the restoration proved to be the most boring and messy, it was also the most rewarding, as getting rid of all that dirty and rust revealed the shiny, clean surface underneath.

I started out cleaning the rust off the long, central bolt and the 2 nuts that attach to it. For this, I used a common rust remover spray and 2 metal brushes, one being a little harder than the other.

I knew this part was going to be messy, therefore, I covered my desk with several layers of old newspapers to avoid getting rusty grease all over my desk. I started off applying generous amounts of the rust remover, letting it sit for a couple of minutes, before starting to clean the rust off with the hardest metal brush, applying more rust remover along the way.

A small tip, do NOT wear white clothing while doing this, it will get messy. After working with the harder metal brush for a while, I changed to the softer one in order to get better access into the small creases between the threading of the bolt.

After completing the long bolt, I removed the rust from the nuts, as well as a couple of other minor parts, getting them all nice and shiny again.

Removing the rust from those part was less than half of the cleaning job, the majority was removing all the hardened dirt that had accumulated on the brass over the years. For this, I applied a metal cleaning solution, along with the softer metal brush, with good results.

It is important not to use a metal brush that is too hard, as it can damage the brass, creating visible scratches in the brass of the lamp. After rigorous cleaning and brushing for a couple of hours, I was really happy with the end result, as the old faded brass was now shining again, and I was ready to move on to putting it all back together.

Reassembly and final touches

It is often the case that dismantling something is a lot easier than putting it back together, which is definitely true for an emeralite. One of the hardest and most frustrating parts of the process was threading the wire back into its original position.

Through its way down from the socket, the wiring goes through a couple of very tight holes in the metal/brass construction. Although I did not have to replace the wiring in this lamp, and therefore did not remove it completely, I decided to reinforce it with some electrical tape in a couple of tight spots where the wire has some superficial damage from the surrounding metal, which made threading it back even harder.

After a little trouble and frustration, I was finally able to get it through, but my troubles did not end there. The next step was to attach the actual uppermost part of the base to the long metal bolt, but of course, I managed to put it on backward on my first try, however, it did not prove to be that big of a hiccup.

After my early setbacks, putting together the rest of the base was smooth sailing, however, I tried putting it back together with the broken metal piece mentioned earlier, but despite my best efforts, the fact that this metal piece was broken meant that the lamp would remain crooked.

Recall that the lower parts of the base were attached to the long threaded bolt with 2 nuts, one of which was right underneath the broken piece, while the other one is at the very bottom. So, what I decided to do was to remove the broken piece and the nut underneath, and only attach the lamp with the nut at the bottom.

Despite being a little tricky to keep everything together while fastening it, it turned out great, and although there was one piece missing, it was barely noticeable, and the lamp was standing straight.

Although I should have done it before putting everything else back together, I now had to put the new inner socket piece (with the pull-chain switch) into the original outer socket shell. Although it started out easy, attaching the wiring to the inner socket piece, getting it all to fit inside the original outer socket shell was a little tricky.

First of all, the cardboard insulation that came with the new socket was a little longer than the original one, and it was a little wider at the bottom. Shortening it was easy, as I simply removed the excess length with a pair of scissors, however, when it came to fit everything into the original socket shell, it proved to be a tight fit, but I got it in there.

Second, I now had to fit that already stuffed socket piece onto its attachment on the lamp. The way it works is that there is a ring on the lamp, which is very slightly wider than the base of the outer socket shell, and applying gentle force enables you to press it in, resulting in a tight fit that keeps it in place.

With the socket piece already stuffed due to the new cardboard, this proved to be a whole lot more difficult, but after some anger and frustration I was finally able to fit it in, after which  the only thing left to do was to put the shade back in place and pull the brand new pull-chain switch.

End result

Overall I’m very happy with the end result. Of course one can recognize that the shade has been broken and put back together, and those who know emeralite lamps will probably be able to see that the metal piece that was broken on the lower part of the base is missing, but for the price that I paid and the experience gained from this project, I am very satisfied.

Hopefully, I will be able to get my hand on an unbroken, original shade in the future, making it even more complete. I might also consider getting an emeralite being sold without the shade, using it for parts, so that I might be able to replace the missing part on the base.

I hope you enjoyed reading about the journey of getting this old emeralite back in better condition, and that it might inspire you to try something similar. I will upload a video of the whole process as soon as I’m finished editing.

I hope you found this article informative. If you have any comments, questions or other inquiries, please leave a comment in the comment section below.

The post Repairing and restoring an old Bankers Lamp appeared first on The Bankers Lamp.

If you need help, I suggest reading my guide on how to replace the glass on your banker’s lamp.

Replacement shade size

Dimensions of replacement glass for a banker’s lamp, can vary depending on the specific lamp model. It’s important to measure the original glass shade or consult the manufacturer’s specifications to ensure the proper fit.

Generally, most lamps have a lampshade with these dimensions:

Width: 8.86 inches – 22,50 cm
Depth: 5.12 inches – 13 cm
Height: 2.95 inches – 7,5 cm
Diameter of side holes: 0.47 inches – 1,2 cm

Common bankers lamp shades

Getting replacement shade for the banker’s lamps produced and sold today is relatively easy. There are several online retailers offering them and you get them in all of the popular colors. The easiest is to get one here from Amazon as you’ll have all the necessary return policies and customer satisfaction guarantees in place. To make it easier for you, I made a table with the possible selections below. I can also suggest that you purchase high-quality glass at the Italian store specializing in vintage lighting www.illuminazionedepoca.com.

	ALUCSET Green Glass Bankers Lamp Shade Replacement $22.99 Buy on Amazon	FIRVRE Lamp Shades for Table Lamps $24.99 Buy on Amazon	Best Choice Newrays Green Glass Bankers Lamp $24,69 Buy on Amazon
Product dimensions	Long 8.8 inch, Width 5.3 inch, Height 3 inch	8.85 in L, 5.11 in W, 2.95 in H or “5.9 IN ” L “3.7IN” W	5.31″W x 2.36″H
Available colors	Green	Green or White	Green, Blue, Amber or White
Reviews	Few	One hundred	More than 1,000

The most popular are the standard green ones, but If you are looking for something edgy, you might go with the blue colored shade. If neither blue nor green is your color, you can also get them in white or the slightly more colorful amber shade.

The most trusted options are the shades from Newrays and Upgradelights. these companies have the longest track record of satisfied customers. Keep in mind that the shades from Upgradelights are a bit wider, so make sure to measure before buying. You can click the links in the in the table above to head over to Amazon. Here you can read through the many reviews of satisfied customers and compare their price.

If you want a shade of the highest quality, I recommend this company Italiana: Illuminazione d’Epoca.

Emeralite shades

If you are unlucky enough to break an Emeralite shade, you just lost broke a $200 piece of glass. This is roughly the price of an original Emeralite glass shade if you can find one that’s for sale.

Earlier models of the Emeralite had the shade attached through holes in the sides (4378 series). However, the vast majority of Emeralites you can get your hands on today have the shade fitted on along the back end of the shade where the glass is curved inwards (8734 series).

Getting a replacement shade for one of these lamps is a bit tricky, and you are left with 2 options. You can look for an original shade for sale. You might encounter original shades for sale here on eBay, however, they can be few and far between.

If you don’t have time to sit around waiting for one popping up on eBay, you can try to get a custom-made shade from a glassmaker making lampshades. I have found a company in St. Petersburg, Florida that sells custom-made Emeralite shades.

Before ordering, measure the old shade or the dimensions of your Emeralite and contact them to make sure you get a shade that fits. I’m currently trying to reach out to some other companies making glass lamp shades about whether they might be able to produce Emeralite shade reproductions. I will be sure to let you know if there’s any good news.

Replacing the shade

Although these shades should fit most bankers lamps, you should make sure it will fit your lamp. You can do this by measuring your old shade and compare it to the dimensions of the shades above. If you don’t have the old shade, measure the distance between the armature of the base which holds the shade.

The most important measure is the distance between the holes in the shade. You also want to measure the width (front to back). Together, this will determine whether the shade will fit or not.

Don’t worry if your measurement is off with 0.1-0.2 inches. You should be able to fit the shade by slightly bending the arms holding the shade. For more about how to actually replace the shade, you can read my full-length article about it. Here I list all the things you need as well as explain the whole process step-by-step.

Conclusion

There is no need to throw away your banker’s lamp if you are unlucky and break the glass shade. You can easily get a new one, and replacing the shade is not that hard.

Getting a new shade for an Emeralite or reproduction is a bit harder, but by no means impossible. Being able to restore it back to its former glory should be motivation enough.

I hope this guide helped you on your way in getting a new shade for your banker’s lamp. If you have any comments or other inquiries, please leave a comment in the comment section below.

The post Where to get a bankers lamp and Emeralite replacement shade appeared first on The Bankers Lamp.

When the pull-chain mechanism on a bankers lamp breaks, it pretty much leaves the lamp useless as you cannot turn it on, however, fixing it is really easy. In this article, I will explain how you can do it in 3 easy steps.

Some quick terminology

A lamp socket typically consists of 3-4 pieces, depending on the type, and in order to make it easier for you to understand which piece I’m talking about during the process, lets lay out some fundamental terminology.

A lamp socket is made up of 3 fundamental pieces, an outer shell, a cap and the inner socket piece.

The cap is at the back end of the socket and is the piece that attaches the socket to the lamp itself. The actual socket is the inner piece in which the light bulb is screwed into and to which the electrical wires attach. This is also the piece that contains the pull-chain mechanism. The outer cap is the outermost piece, which is fitted onto the cap to enclose the inner socket piece.

All sockets whose cap is screwed onto the lamp tend to have a standard thread size, making any socket fit. Newer lamps generally have plastic sockets where the outer shell is screwed into the cap. In older lamps, the outer shell is fitted onto the cap with small indentations at the site of attachment. These older socket types typically also have a 4th piece, which is the insulation sleeve, which is a tube of cardboard which surrounds the inner socket piece which has to be fitted on before enclosing it with the outer shell.

What do you need?

There’s not a lot you need to fix the pull-chain switch, as it can be done with simply replacing the inner socket piece of the lamp socket.

If your lamp is equipped with a standard 3-piece plastic socket, which is the case with most bankers lamps sold today, this inner socket piece from amazon should do the trick. To make sure it’s of the right size, compare the size to the one in your lamp already.

Leviton 19980-M Medium Base Interior Only, Shell Incandescent Lampholder, Pull Chain, Single Circuit

$5.51

Medium base Interior Only
Shell Incandescent Lamp holder
Pull Chain
Model number: 19980-M

Buy now on Amazon

If you are unsure whether the inner piece will fit, you can simply buy a completely new socket that will fit your lamp as long as you have a screw-on socket as they have a standard thread size. This plastic one from amazon is a good choice in a newer bankers lamp, but if you want a more retro look you can go with one of these brass sockets that come in different colors.

For an emeralite, I would recommend getting a socket where the outer shell is not screwed onto the cap, as in some lamps (like the 8734 emeralites), the cap is a part of the lamp itself, and not screwed onto it.

This aluminum bronze socket or this one in polished brass from amazon should replace the old one without putting the lamp to shame.

It might be a good idea to trim the ends of the wires when replacing the socket, for which a wire cutter and stripper can come in handy. You can find one at your local hardware store or get one from amazon like this wire cutter/stripper from Irwin, which should serve you well in your DIY projects in years to come.

Video Instructions

This guide is applicable to all bankers lamps, newer ones and antique emeralites alike, as long as the socket is attached to the lamp with threads (screwed on to the lamp). Because this is rather visual, you can also watch this video on youtube from 03:26 min, in addition to reading this guide:

The mechanism is a bit different in the emeralite model 8734, but replacing the socket should work (see towards the end of article).

Step 1: Remove the outer shell and inner socket

To remove the outer shell you simply screw it off which should reveal the inner piece, to which the wiring is attached. Get a small screwdriver and detach the wires, but be sure to note which wire goes to which screw, if the wires are colored it will certainly help you out.

In all lamps, the hot lead goes to the gold/brass screw and the common lead goes to the silver screw. With colored wires, the hot wire (which goes to the hot lead) is usually black or red, while the common wire is white. If the wires are not colored you can easily identify the neutral/common wire by its ribbed insulation covering, while the hot wire insulation is smooth.

If you are replacing the entire socket, you do the same, but after removing the inner socket, you also detach the cap by unscrewing it from the lamp.

Step 2: Attach the new socket

Get your new socket piece and prepare to attach the wires. If the wires appear worn you might want to fresh-end the wires by cutting the ends and removing about 5/8 inch of the insulation to bring out some new fresh wire.

Before attaching the socket, you would want to check if the wires have an underwriter’s knot, which will prevent the wires from detaching from the screws when pulled. To tie one is really easy and this short youtube video will show you exactly how to do it:

Once you have everything in place, twist the wire ends and reattach the wires to the new socket, just make sure you attach the correct wires to the right screw (hot lead to gold/brass screw), before putting the socket into the cap.

If you are replacing the entire socket, you simply screw on the cap where the old one was, and follow the steps above.

Step 3: Assemble the new socket

Now you are on the home stretch, all you need to do is assemble everything. One thing you want to make sure of before finishing up is that the hole where the pull chain exits is directed downwards so that you don’t pull it an angle once you are done.

Most sockets are equipped with a set screw at the back end of the cap, and keeping it untightened should enable you to adjust the angle of the pull chain by turning the socket, just make sure to tighten it before finishing up, or else your socket might move when pulling the cord.

If your new socket is equipped with a cardboard insulation tube, make sure it’s in place, around the inner socket, before attaching the outer shell.

Considerations for the emeralite

As mentioned, there might be some differences in antique emeralites. While some of them have the traditional screw-on threaded sockets, like this one (link to youtube video), others, like the 8734 models, have the cap of the socket attached to the base. In which case replacing the inner socket and outer shell should be possible with the socket recommended earlier, or you could simply buy the whole socket, but only replace the inner socket piece.

Although it might seem a bit excessive to buy a whole socket just for the inner piece, keep in mind that an antique emeralite in good condition with its original base and glass shade is worth  up to $400 or even more, and investing 5 bucks to get it working again isn’t that big of a deal.

If your socket is just dirty and looks bad, you can use these steps to dismantle the socket in order to clean it.

Conclusion

There you have it! It’s a relatively easy fix, its more a matter of having the right replacement parts or getting a new socket that will fit. Although the sockets recommended above should fit, an easy way to avoid purchasing something you won’t be able to use is to compare it to the socket in your lamp, measure it, and compare it to the dimensions in the product description.

I hoped this helped you out and I wish you good luck in getting your lamp back in working order with a brand new pull-chain switch.

If you have any comments or other useful tips not included here be sure to leave a comment in the comment section below.

The post How to repair/replace the pull-chain switch in a bankers lamp appeared first on The Bankers Lamp.

If you don’t have the replacement glass available yet, I suggest you read my guide where I recommend where to find the shade for your bankers lamp.

Replacing the glass shade is actually quite easy, and with some guidance, you can easily do it at home. In this article, I will list everything you need to replace the glass shade and give you a step-by-step process on how to do it!

Important before you start

This guide is directed at the more modern versions of bankers lamps that are sold today, not antique emeralite lamps. In addition, there might be some variations in the design of your bankers lamp which makes this guide not directly applicable.

The biggest one is to check whether your lamp has a set screw on the back end of the socket (where the light bulb goes, see photo).

If your lamp has it, the socket most likely is attached like a screw and you can remove it by turning it. If it doesn’t, the socket might be attached with an adhesive/glue, making the job much harder.

Note that some sockets don’t have a set screw, but are still attached like a screw. To get a feel for what type of socket your lamp has, try turning it a bit to get a feel if its movable or completely firm. Keep in mind that the socket might be screwed on pretty tight.

If you suspect that the socket in your lamp is attached with an adhesive, and you bought it for less than 40-50 bucks, you might be better off buying a new lamp, as it complicates the process, and might require you to buy a new socket if the old one breaks when removing it, which might cause the price of repairing the lamp to equal the price of a new one.

What you need

There’s really not that many tools you need to replace your broken shade. There might be variations in the design of your bankers lamp which require additional tools, but the essentials in this guide are:

Glass shade

Trying to fix the broken shade is often not worth trying, so the first thing you need is a new glass shade. You might find replacement shades in lamp stores, here on Ebay or in other retailers that sell bankers lamps. But you can easily find replacements in different colors from Amazon in the table below. I can also suggest that you purchase high-quality glass at the Italian store specializing in vintage lighting www.illuminazionedepoca.com.

	ALUCSET Green Glass Bankers Lamp Shade Replacement $22.99 Buy on Amazon	FIRVRE Lamp Shades for Table Lamps $24.99 Buy on Amazon	Best Choice Newrays Green Glass Bankers Lamp $24,69 Buy on Amazon
Product dimensions	Long 8.8 inch, Width 5.3 inch, Height 3 inch	8.85 in L, 5.11 in W, 2.95 in H or “5.9 IN ” L “3.7IN” W	5.31″W x 2.36″H
Available colors	Green	Green or White	Green, Blue, Amber or White
Reviews	Few	One hundred	More than 1,000

Before getting a new shade make sure you measure the dimensions of your old shade (height, depth, and width). The most important is the width between the holes in the shade (measured on the outside), as you don’t want to get a shade that is too wide or narrow.

If you don’t have the shade, you can measure the distance between the arms of the stand/base that holds the glass shade, however, it will not be as accurate

Screwdriver

If you are planning to fix anything in your home, a set of screwdrivers is a must. And you will most likely need one when detaching the lamp socket of your bankers lamp, one of the steps to replace the shade.

The size and type (flat or star) of screwdriver needed varies with what kind of socket your lamp is equipped with.

If you don’t have a set of screwdrivers at home, you can borrow one from your friends or family, or get a set for under 20 bucks at your local hardware store or amazon. Just make sure you have one that is small enough as the screws on the socket can be rather small.

If you want to get your own set of screwdrivers, I recommend this set on amazon from craftsman, which is everything you need.

Rubber Grommets

These are the small rubber thingies that line the holes in the shade and prevents the glass from being in contact with the base. If you get a new shade, it most likely comes without these, but if you have the old/broken shade you can simply detach the ones on that one and put them on the new one.

If you do don’t have them you need to get some, as attaching the shade without them can cause the glass to break. Direct metal-to-glass contact is not a good combination.

You can get them at your local hardware store, or you can order them online, just make sure they are made of soft rubber and are of the right size. 1/2 inch grommets like these should fit most shades.

Needle nose plier

This one is not a must but will surely make your job easier as you need to handle some wiring when removing and re-attaching the lamp socket. So if you have one at home, use it, if you don’t have it, borrow one. If you really want one of your own, get one at your local hardware store, or from amazon, like this bestseller from Stanley.

Video Instructions to replace lampshade

Step 1: Remove the socket

If you have all the tools necessary, you can move on to the actual process of replacing the shade. A useful tip before getting started is to do it on a bench/table with enough space and put a white/bright towel underneath to make the surface softer, as well as making it easier to keep track of your parts.

The lamp socket is what holds the light bulb, and in your bankers lamp it has to be removed before you can remove the shade. These sockets usually come in 3 pieces, a 2 piece socket shell, and a single inner piece.

There might be some variation depending on the socket in your lamp, but on newer ones, the outermost part of the socket shell can usually be detached by turning it (like a screw). It goes without saying that you should remove the light bulb before this step :P.

The outermost piece might be hard to remove if it is attached firmly, but it should come off by applying some gentle force.

If your lamp has an older or vintage type socket, the outermost piece of the socket shell might not be screwed on, but attached with fittings, which are seen as small indentations. If this is the case with your lamp you can simply pull it off by applying gentle force while wiggling it.

Removing the first piece will reveal the inner piece which is the part you screw the light bulb into. This is also the piece from which the pull chain switch comes out if your lamp is equipped with that. This is the piece that is connected to the lamp’s wiring.

There are 2 wires connected;

• the hot/power wire, whose coating is often black or red, which is attached under the brass/gold colored screw.
• The neutral/common wire, whose coating is usually white, is attached to the silver colored screw

If your wiring doesn’t have colors, you can feel the rubber linings and find the one that is ribbed, this is the neutral/common.

To access these screws and wiring easily, you can loosen the set screw which is located on the back end of the innermost socket piece with your screwdriver, which allows you to rotate the socket. In addition,  you can pull the inner piece slightly outwards, as much as the wiring allows.

If your socket does not have a set screw, it might be that the socket is attached with an adhesive rather than as a screw, in which case it makes removing the socket much harder. You can try to detach it by screwing it back and forth’s, breaking the adhesive material. This might, however, break the socket, meaning you have to replace it.

Note or write down which lead goes where and loosen the screws with your screwdriver until you can detach the wires, which allows you to remove the inner piece.

Step 2: Remove the shade

Once you have loosened the set screw at the base of the socket, it should allow you to remove it from the base/stand. After the socket, your lamp might have an additional retainer which you also have to remove.

On the opposite side of the shade, there is a nut which you can remove by turning it, keeping in mind that it might be fastened pretty tight (in which case a tool might come in handy). When doing so make sure you hold onto the shade so it doesn’t tip downwards.

At this point the shade is loose, and all you have to do is remove the shade from the pipe that sticks through the hole in the shade on the side of the socket. Be CAREFUL as you don’t want to be too rough, which can break the glass and cause you to cut your fingers/hands.

Step 3: Attach grommets and the new glass shade

If you have the grommets from the broken shade, simply remove them and put them on the new shade, or use the ones you bought. Then carefully introduce your new shade to the base/stand, by threading it onto the pipe at the side of the socket.

Next, align the hole on the opposite side. During this step, you might have to carefully bend the stand/base to get the shade in place. The brass/metal pipes are usually soft enough to allow slight bending, but be careful not to use too much force so you bend them permanently.

If your lamps stand/base is more firm, you might have to apply some force making it a bit harder.

Once the shade is in the correct position, fasten it with the nuts/retainers on both sides. When fastening, you want them to be finger tight, so the shade doesn’t slip. Be careful not to tighten them too hard as this might put pressure on the glass and cause it to break/crack.

Step 4: Reattach the socket

If you’ve made it this far you are on the home stretch, which is to reattach the socket. There are just a few things to keep in mind while doing this.

Start off by reattaching the innermost piece of the socket shell to the stand/base. Do not fasten the set screw, but keep it loose so that you can turn the socket.

Now you have to reattach the inner piece to the electric wires. Before attaching them, twist the ends and slightly curve them so you can hook them around the screw.

Attach the hot (black or red) wire to the gold/brass screw, and the common (white) wire to the silver screw. This is where the needle nose plier might come in handy, especially if you don’t have much wiring to work with as you can hold the wire in place while fastening the screw with the screwdriver.

All you have to do now is to reattach the outermost piece of the socket shell and fasten the set screw. Keep in mind that you want to have the pull chain pointed downwards before fastening the set screw so that you don’t have the pull-chain hanging at an angle.

Final touch

If you have successfully completed the 4th step, you should be set to screw in the light bulb and make the lamp shine again. If you are a bit of a tech guy, you might want to check the lamp for shorts at this point. You can do so by using a multimeter.

If you have any comments or questions regarding this guide, or if there is any additional information you think people should know about when replacing their shade on a bankers lamp, please leave a comment in the comment section below.

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