DIY: How to Turn a Chandelier (or any light fixture) Into a Plug-in Lamp

DIY: How to Turn a Hardwired Light Fixture (Like a Chandelier) Into a Plug In Lamp

I love chandeliers so much! So glamorous, so fun, so girly, so.... limited to being hardwired into established outlets- or so I thought!

Some imagination and pestering questions to the awesome staff at my local Ace Hardware led me to find out- it's a 3-4 minute job, once you get the hang of it, to convert a light fixture from needing to be hardwired to simply plugging in. This invites all sorts of fun- once the plug is added a chandelier can go anywhere an extension cord can.

Here's an illustrated tutorial on how to add a plug to a hardwired light fixture.

Supplies:

1 x "Dead Front Type 2-Wire Polarized Plug" Ace Item Number: SA540BKCC10

I don't think Lowes or Home Depot carry this exact piece and I'm not sure what name they'd call it by- so if you don't want to order online, swing by an Ace Hardware. Ace's are locally owned, so always my first stop.

Tools Needed:

Screwdriver (They make it easy, this plug works with flat or phillips)
Wire Strippers (optional! The wires will likely already be stripped. And if you don't have wire strippers, you can strip wires *carefully* with a pair of scissors)

1. Choose your victim. Thrift store chandeliers paired with a new coat of spray paint make great pieces to experiment with.
	2. Separate the two strands of wire that come from the two separate sections of the cord.
3. This is what your plug should look like. The yellow portion will pop out when a screwdriver is pushed firmly up through the base as shown below.
	4. Once the yellow portion is removed, the pins will either pop out or come out with a gentle tug.
5. Feed your wires up through the base of the plug and out the front. Loosen but do not remove the screws in the pins.
	6. Attach wires to pins as shown. In through the notch, around the screw, and then tighten the screw. Make sure your wire is not stripped farther down than the end of the pin.
7. This part can be just a bit tricky- push your pins back into the plug housing with the head of the screws facing outward. Seat pins snugly into each end.
	8. Replace center yellow portion (pushing it completely in, until the black and yellow front are flush) and you're done! You've created a lamp that can safely be used anywhere inside or carried outside for use in dry weather!

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