DIY Network

Do-It-Yourself Lamp Kit From "DIY Crafts" episode DIC-115

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Figure A Figure B Figure C Figure D Figure E

Mary Lyon, host of DIY Crafts, shows how to tie what's called an underwriter's knot in the two wires of a lamp kit to prevent the wires from pulling through the lamp-base rod from the socket.

1. Assemble the lamp kit, following the manufacturer's instructions through the step in which the wires are threaded through the lamp-base rod.

2. The two wires of the cord are joined by brown insulation. Split the wires by pulling each one, separating the insulation, so that there's plenty of wire to tie the knot. The wires will form a Y shape with the two wires joined together by the insulation and a right and left wire separated near the end (figure A).

3. With the right-hand wire, make a loop to the right, bringing the end around on top of the joined wires and leaving the end to the left. Anchor this wire to the double joined wires between your thumb and the first finger of your right hand where the wire crosses the double joined wires (figure B).

4. With your left hand, pick up the left-hand wire and loop it to the left, over the top of the end of the right-hand wire. Bring the wire around the first wire, and come back up through the loop just created (figure C).

5. With the same wire, bring it up through the first loop from underneath (figure D).

6. Grab the ends of each wire and pull. The result is a knot that will prevent the wire from coming through the rod in the lamp. Snug the knot against the lamp socket by tugging the cord from the plug end to pull the wires through the lamp rod (figure E).

7. With this type of knot the wires go in opposite directions, so there's little chance that they'll come in contact with each other. Follow the lamp-kit directions for securing the wires to the socket connections.