Restorations
Replacement Cloth Wiring in Several Colors Available!
We now carry a full line of colored cloth wiring to help in the repair and restoration of your vintage electrical decorations. Colors include Gold, Silver, Black, White, Red, Slate Blue, Turquoise, Dark Brown, Green, and a very nice twisted pair of Red and Green wiring.
This new cloth covered wiring is safe to use. It has a vinyl coating on the interior of the wire, which is then wrapped in the cloth covering, giving it it's vintage look, with added safety and protection for electrical shorts.
The older cloth wiring had a tendency to dry out, crack, and cause electrical shorts, and fires. Many people lost their homes from bad wiring. When in doubt, don't throw it out, have it replaced with quality replacement wiring.
We always use the original plug ends, or any other part of the decoration to insure a quality "original" look. We carry a large variety of vintage plugs, end connectors, clips, and more to keep your decoration as true to originality as possible.
The Importance of Using a Dimmer Switch for your Lighting
If you want to get the most life out of your any and all of your vintage lighting, use a dimmer switch. They can now be purchased at any Home Depot, or Lowe's Stores. They are located in the electrical isle, and use a simple slide switch. They cost around $12 each. By using a dimmer switch, you reduce the power to the filament in the bulbs, they burn cooler, and will last significantly longer.
When a light bulb is first turned on, that tiny thin filament gets charged with a "spike" of electricity. This causes the filament to instantly heat up, and expand. This sudden change in the filament is what causes most bulb failures. Most notably, you have seen bulbs burn out when you first turn them on. It is due to this spike of electricity racing through that filament.
When you use a dimmer switch, always start with the power off. Slowly increase the power by sliding the switch. You can achieve the desired brightness you are looking for, without having to run your lighting at full power. Bubble lights can be relamped, but, by the use of a dimmer, again you can save the bulbs from burn outs. Yes, they will still bubble and you don't have to run them at full power to achieve this effect.
