Well, well. Sure sounds like you have a house with the same old fixtures as our old house used to have. There are seveal concerns here. First concern is the condition of that old wireing. It sure sounds like it is the cotton or whatever material they used to use for insulation. That stuff is very, very fragile at this point in time. Now, as for the fixture, I bet it is just a round ceramic fixture which has grown to the ceiling from many, many coats of old paint. Might take a utility knife and go all around the fixture just where it connects with the ceiling. If you took out the 2 or so screws which held it up then you should be good to go. Is your upstairs a dormer type arrangement or is there an attic over it? This sure could be important in the future. Cy, the Ancient Okie...
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of phil bleyhl Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2006 11:07 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [BlindHandyMan] old ceiling fixture In our old house in the upstairs bedrooms are ceiling fixtures which are a small ceramic cylinder about 2 inches wide and about the same length. There is a small dome on the bottom and out of the center hole hands a forlorn cord - actually two old fuzzy cords brittle with age -- and at the end of each is a light socket with a light bulb and no shield until my daughter cleverly hung a japanese paper lanter on hers. Naturally a short has appeared. It is in the fixture. I turned the power off and confidently thought I would open it up and repair the short. There were no screws at the base. I poked at the dome with a screw driver and paint fell out of two holes one on each side of the center. I turned out screws at the bottom of the holes. Each is small and about a half inch long. The holes were about as deep as the dome is high from the edge of the cylinders. Nothing happened when the screws came out. I attempted to turn the dome. Nothing happened. I thumped the cylinder. Nothing happened. These things are covered with paint and I could feel no seam along the body. So here is the question how do you remove the fixtures or get inside without destroying the fragile plaster ceilings? When I ask people about this. There is nothing but silence. Like who would have such old fixtures anyway? Are these things two pieces or one? Incidently, grousing about how difficult this was and who would paint a ceramic fixture anyway? I was informed by my wife, that if they were an ugly brown you might. Needless to say I dropped the subject. Any suggestions? --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] To listen to the show archives go to link http://acbradio.org/handyman.html or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml Visit The New Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various List Members At The Following Address: http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ Visit the new archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.11.5/425 - Release Date: 8/22/2006 To listen to the show archives go to link http://acbradio.org/handyman.html or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday The Pod Cast address for the Cooking In The Dark Show is. http://www.gcast.com/u/cookingindark/main.xml Visit The New Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various List Members At The Following Address: http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ Visit the new archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/blindhandyman/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
