How to Wire a Porcelain Light Fixture Socket
by colorcord in Workshop > Lighting
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How to Wire a Porcelain Light Fixture Socket
Porcelain socket light fixtures are safe, chic, and easy to wire. Plus, the material used in porcelain light fixtures insulates electricity so that it can withstand high temperatures. Explore our tutorial below so you can get started on your next DIY light fixture project!
Supplies
- Porcelain Socket
- Cord Grip
- Pliers
- Color Cord
- Needle Nose Pliers
- Philips Head Screwdriver
- Flat Blade Screwdriver
- Electrical Tape
Here Are the Essential Parts and Tools
Parts of a Porcelain Socket
- Cap
- Shell
- Standard or Barrel Cord Grip
- Cloth Covered Electrical Wire at your preferred length
Set Up the Grip and Socket Cap
- Place the clear cord grip onto the cord. Next, place the cap for your porcelain socket on.
- Grab the cord grip and untwist the cap.
- You may want to consider placing tape around the end of the cord, so the cord grip and cap can slide over the cord easier. If the cord grip gets stuck, try spinning the cord grip a bit into the cord. Insert one end of the cloth-covered wire into the hole on top of the cord grip cap and then the cord grip itself. This should result in the cord grip’s threaded end facing the end once the cord is inserted.
- For detailed instructions on preparing your color cord, please follow the steps in the How to Wire a Socket Instructables.
Bend the Wires Into a Hook Using Your Pliers.
The black wire goes to the gold screw, the white wire to the silver screw, and the green wire to the green screw.
- Loosen up the screws a little. Place underneath the hook facing clockwise.
- Bend the exposed end, with the ground wire (green), to a 90-degree angle.
- Insert the ground (green) wire through the cap top opening.
- Insert the exposed section of the green (ground) wire into the ground terminal opening beneath the screw.
- Check that the exposed copper wire is completely inside the hole. Then, secure your wire in place with that screw.
- Insert the black and white wire through the top opening of the cap and push the wire inside the cap.
- Flip the terminal upside-down & locate the negative and positive ports.
- The positive port: bent brass plate
- The negative port: the open plate that reveals the silver piece underneath
- Flip the terminal again and locate the corresponding positive and negative terminals, which will be directly above the + & - ports.
Place Your Porcelain Cap Onto the Socket You’ve Set Up Above, Then Tighten It All Down Using Your Pliers.
- Align the cap with the terminal: the black wire should align with the positive terminal, and the white wire with the negative.
- Insert the black stranded copper wire into one of the two-round positive terminal holes, and the white stranded copper wire into one of the circular negative terminal holes.
- Make sure the stranded wires are all the way in. Check that each wire is locked in place. If done correctly, the wire will stay put if you try to pull it.
- Align the wings of your socket cap and side pockets of the terminal. Push them together until the socket locks in place.
Place the Cord Grip Into the Cap, and Then Tighten Everything Until It’s Securely in the Socket.
- Be careful when sliding the cord grip down the cord towards the socket, so that you don’t snag the cloth-covered wiring.
- Twist the threaded cord grip into the socket, and then slide the cord gripʼs cap over that. Twist until the cord grip cap covers all the threads. Note that the cord grip may be tight and will take some force to screw it into the threads. Don’t be discouraged! The final product is worth the effort, we promise.
We hope you love this new and fun idea to reinvent your interior spaces with DIY light fixtures.