Lazarus Lamp

The light bulb in my floor lamp blew last night.

This is a nuisance. The lamp is an old lamp that belonged to my grandfather. It was stored in his dusty basement for at least 30 years. It was not operational and lacked a shade when I got it. As I put it in my car, the switch device fell off, rolled down the driveway, and tumbled into the grass. It would be impossible to find it.

It took a bit of effort to revive the lamp. I rewired it, connected it to a power strip so I could turn it on and off with that switch, and tracked down the special bulb that fits in the large socket. That mogul bulb cost $25.

This Emeralite lamp was prized for its green glass shade. Replacement shades are quite pricey, so I have put off that purchase.

Work released a little early this afternoon, so I ran some errands in the West Village. I realized I was near a specialty lighting shop, Filaments, and popped in.

The proprietor could not have been more gracious. Of course they had the bulb (for half of what I paid for the previous one), and he noted that the old bulb may still have life in it. It was a 3-way bulb, and the filaments for each setting are different.

I explained that my lamp no longer had the switch device, so I wouldn't be able to use the other settings.

He disappeared to a backroom and fumbled through a small box full of old switches. He handed me two switches that he thought would fit. No charge.

One of the switches fit the lamp. It turns out the old Mogul bulb is still operational.

I loved discovering that something that seemed dead had two more lifetimes in it.

They should not have stopped making these Mogul bulb lamps. This bulb has lasted 8 years. Apparently, it has another 16 years to go!