Stiffel lamps Q&A's, parts & repairs

A. Hi Louise.
Probably the quickest & easiest (free) way to get a feel for the value of your lamps is simply to look at other Stiffel lamps on eBay [on eBay] or Etsy, remembering that these are the prices that are being asked, perhaps not the prices that people actually pay in the end :-)

There are, of course, on-line appraisal service companies -- but those are not free.
Luck & Regards,


Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

A. Hi Susan.
I know nothing of Stiffel lamps except what people have contributed on this page, but reading the discussion between Dan & Phil, I have to suspect the possibility that you have not pushed the milk glass shade down to engage the spring clips they speak of. Remove the shade and look down into the opening for some sort of spring clip that isn't being pushed back as you try to insert the shade.
Luck & Regards,


Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

Your spelling of Pittsburg won you a cheeseburgher, Jan!
Stay on this thread for a discussion of pieces/parts/repairs/wiring, but see the 'disambiguation' note at the top of the page for threads about brass lamp refinishing.

A. Hi Debbie. One way bulbs do not harm 3-way sockets, so it sounds like your socket is corroded. The required repair--probably installing a new bulb socket--is very very low tech. Virtually any handyman can do it. In bygone days every neighborhood had a "fix-it shop"; you might try that term or "small appliance repair" in your yellow pages. If you have no luck with those terms, any electrician can obtain and install the required part.

3-way 150-watt sockets have two hot leads, one for the 50 Watt filament, one for the 100 Watt. As such, the socket is a bit more 'crowded' and subject to corrosion than a single wattage socket, and I'm guessing that screwing a bulb in is probably shorted things out because of corrosion, a skinned wire, or other damage. Good luck!

A. Hi, Ann.

I hate to guess at something like this, but PS might mean "pulse start" -- a metal halide bulb that requires only two contact points because the ballast is outside the bulb?

This sounds new enough that there might be an instruction manual with it or freely available for download on the internet. Googling led me to a number of sites for lamp harps and other parts, which we've now listed at the top of the page. Good luck.

Regards,

A. This answer is very late for the Oct 2009 question, but thought I'd share. I believe the Stiffel lamp the person had acquired was what is considered the 8-way light. The center does not have a harp. A glass diffuser usually sits aiming up and then the lamp shade sits on that. The lamp shade's cross pieces have a dip in them which holds the lampshade in place . The bulb that goes in the middle is a mogul base bulb. You can purchase an adapter and use regular bulbs ⇨
You can find the diffusers on Amazon or get lucky sometimes at a flea market (I was on a quest for one as my lamp got knocked over, so I have experience with this!) The diffuser usually is described as "milk glass diffuser" and they usually have a waffle like imprint on them. Both my sister and I have almost the same lamp and both have same diffuser.

A. There was an October 2009 answer on this thread that referenced pulse start metal halide bulbs.

We used to use such things. They have largely been obsoleted, at least here, but I cannot imagine that they were ever, in any way, associated with Stiffel lamps. They were used in enclosed fixtures on the sides of buildings, got very hot, had external ballasts, and sometimes failed dramatically. You weren't supposed to look at the light, although I assume it was okay if you were far away.

A. Hi folks.
A list of suppliers of lamp parts is now at the top of the page.
Luck & Regards,


Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

A. antiquelampco.com/Catalog/Diffusers.htm

A. Solution: removing stuck glass shade from old Stiffel lamp

I have an old Stiffel lamp with glass shade. The shade is not held with set screws, instead it is just fitted to the sheet metal brass base that attaches to the column. I tried many times to twist, turn, pull etc. to get the shade off. No luck. It would not even turn. I wrote to Stiffel and they advised: spray the shade with WD-40 [on eBay or Amazon] . Let it soak a minute or two. Then pull the shade upwards. It works! The gentleman at Stiffel told me that the shade gets baked on due to the heat. The shade is held on with some spring clips that will release by an upward pull after oiling Hope this helps someone!

A. In addition, I've noticed a lot of questions on this site about cleaning up brass. I have cleaned many mid-century lamps that were brass plated and looked hopeless, into gleaming, beautiful examples. The secret is a lot of elbow grease and Barkeepers Friend [on eBay or Amazon]. If the brass is in rough shape I use the Barkeepers Friend liquid soft cleanser [on eBay or Amazon] and a sponge. If it looks hopeless I use the powder version (make a paste with a little water) and one of those off white, soft, non scratch pads with the plastic netting that 3M makes. Before you know it, the brass looks great. And, if you really want to gleam, use a good brass polish after -- Wrights Brass Polish [on eBay or Amazon] comes to mind.

A. Hi Brandt. Thanks for the polishing tips.

There are a number of places which offer lamp parts and which claim to have experts available to help you. I think if you google "stiffel lamp switches", and ignore the ads for lamp stores and department stores, you can locate a couple of stores who you can phone, and describe the switch to, and they will get you what you need.

In general, electrical switches wear out -- so a repair usually includes replacing the electrical switch itself rather than trying to disassemble and repair it in some fashion. It's probably a reasonably common and inexpensive electrical switch, but I haven't been successful in trying to find a model number / specification, but once you get to the switch you'll see what you need. Good luck.

Regards,

Ed. update: Please see response from Bea Koempel-Thomas which references the Stiffel patent where you can see good sketches of how it works, and Don Panton's posting listing the electrical switch that he has found to work.

A. Hi James. We appended your inquiry to a thread which includes a number of possible sources at the top of the page. Please try them and update the list with your findings :-)

Regards,

A. Hello,
I am the manager of the retail store which is attached to the facility that manufactures Stiffel Lamps. We do offer this service and I will be glad to assist you.

A. Hi. Depending on whether it is the stud or the nut which is stripped, it can be replaced if you can find one (see sources at top of page). But most people live with stripped threads for lampshades one way or another. If it's the nut that's stripped, you can pick up a "jam nut" at a hardware store -- this is a thin hex nut you would use to secure the shade, then just sort of lay the old brass nut on top. Alternately, you can wrap thin string around the thread and usually get enough bite to use your existing stud and nut because there is no substantial load on it; just don't try that approach to hold the landing gear onto an airliner :-)

Regards,

A. Hi Erin. Simplest answer would be to just use an LED bulb because they use less than one quarter the power, and generate one quarter the heat -- so there is pretty much no way you can exceed the design rating of the lamp.

Regards,

A. Hello,
I grew up with a Stiffel floor lamp with the patented pole switch, of course without realizing how unusual they were -- and how difficult it would become to get them repaired. The patent expired long ago, and unfortunately, no companies currently seem to use the switch technology, which I think is really sad because it is just cool (IMHO). The patent is US2459898, entitled "Means for Actuating Electrical Switches," and one should be able to find it easily using your favorite search engine. Just download the pdf, and the figures and description may be helpful for those seeking to put one back together or trying to make repairs. Now that I'm a patent attorney (not an offer of services), I wanted to share the patent information for those who may be seeking to repair the pole switch in a Stiffel floor lamp with that switch -- a really early 'remote control' even if not very remote.

A bit of history; as shown on the patent, the inventor, Theophile A Stiffel, was in Chicago in April of 1948 when the patent application for the pole switch was filed. The Stiffel company probably wouldn't have started selling lamps with this switch until 1947, and it could have been much later since the patent would not have expired until the 1960s. My grandfather actually spent some time in Chicago as a baker in the late 1800's, but he had moved to Washington State by the turn of the century and passed away during the 1960s, so I'm not sure whether he may have gotten the lamp from a friend or relative in Chicago or if they were sold throughout the US. After I inherited the lamp, I found it was no longer working, and went through the hassle of getting mine repaired. I was lucky to have an older-generation lighting-repair person in distant family who knew about the switches! Then, recently online I bought an alleged one that I wanted to give as a gift, but I now believe that was actually a Frankenstein lamp because even though there were Stiffel markings, the style of the lamp was much different, it seemed much more 'loose' and fragile, and the same family member could not repair the second one.

If anyone knows of a manufacturer that might interested in reviving use of this type of switch, I'd love to hear about them because I just love using a lamp with this type of switch, and they are getting harder and harder to find!

  Hi Bea. Thanks so much for the interesting discussion. I now understand what people are talking about with "the pole is part of the switch" / "the switch is in the pole", etc. The patent makes it all very clear: you grab the pole and push it down with a "plunger move" to turn it on or off.

Regards,

 Thank you for the information on the Stiffel lamp pole switches! I have a lamp that's had switch problems for quite some time and will plan on taking it apart for repair. Since the switch is just a push button 3-way switch (AntiqueLampParts has these in stock) it should just be a matter of making sure that the replacement switch will thread into the base properly. When I find the correct part for this I'll post it.

Q. Hi Bea -- I have a pole switch lamp that belonged to my grandmother that stopped working. Any idea on where to find someone who can repair or where I can find parts ?

A. Hi David. It looks like you have the pieces, so it might be solderable depending on what material it is, but it almost surely can be glued with epoxy adhesive [on eBay or Amazon].

I've personally been totally amazed by the strength of J B Weld epoxy ⇨
and am completely confident that if you have the pieces, and you clean the joint well, it will hold just fine.

Regards,

A. Hi Kristine. Although your graphics are a bit on the small side for me to see clearly, it looks like this is a switch with a special finish, so you probably need to shop at one of the lamp parts stores listed at the top of the page since I doubt that this is something you can pick up in the electrical aisle. But after unplugging the lamp, unscrew those two small screws so you can remove that brass cover plate and get a better look.

You can re-wire the switch by putting the wires on exactly the same places on the new switch, or by replacing wires with ones of identical length, color, and gauge. For more general info on household wiring, big box stores all have small paperback books on the subject, although it is obviously safest and best to have it done by a licensed electrician. Good luck!

Regards,

A. Hi Ken. Thank you for the kind words!
Suppliers are now listed at the top of the page. You're welcome to ask anything you wish, and hopefully a reader will answer you :-)
But the situation remains that we'll provide all the room enthusiasts need as they gather & chat with each other and post pics and Q & As, history, or anything that anyone wants to post
... but this isn't a consulting service; I've never owned a Stiffel lamp, so I don't have a lot of interest in them. I'm happy to provide space for the Stiffel community but I can't build it :-)
Enthusiasts will either continue building this community here or they won't.

A. Hi Diane. Not a pull chain, but apparently a push rod :-)

For Stiffel lamps which you turn on and off by grabbing the pole and pushing down with a plunger motion, pay attention to the part of this thread where Bea Koempel-Thomas explains how the pole switch works and we include the patent drawings. Apparently there is a rather standard "push-on / push-off" switch at the base of the lamp, and a push rod and return springs to actuate it. Whether a do-it-yourselfer has enough knowledge and experience, I can't say; but if you show that drawing to an electrician he can probably fix it.

Luck & Regards,

A. Hi James. I don't know where to find actual assembly drawings, but drawings from the patent are on this thread and the actual lamps must be built rather similarly to the patent. Good luck.

Luck & Regards,

A. Hi Milt. If I am understanding the pic correctly, that piece of plastic looks like what we call a "flange bearing" or "flange bushing".

Google for "plastic flange bushing" and see if you can find something the right size.

Luck & Regards,

A. Hi Mary. Sorry but I don't understand what came apart from where, let alone why. Please try to send us a picture of the situation. Thanks.

Luck & Regards,

A. I did a Stiffel pole switch repair a few years ago. I did use a push button on-off switch that I bought from AntiqueLampParts. Note that the pole switch is not 3 way but on-off. The pole switch just turns the lamp on and off however it is set. The socket switch is the three way setting. (Or 6 way if the lamp has the three way mogul bulb with three surrounding bulbs, which was my lamp setup.)

Be careful when disassembling, because there are a lot of little parts. Lay them out in order so you can put it back together. There is a small positioning ball bearing that sits in two indents, so look for it.

Installing the switch requires drilling out the hole in the inside of the base a bit. The trick is that the contour of the metal in the bottom of the base has a slight slope and you want the switch to be vertical. The solution is to use a lock washer that fits the diameter of the replacement switch. The offset split of the lock washer in the proper rotation is just enough to correct the angle to vertical.

Then reconnect the wires like the old switch.

A moderate skill DIY job. Lamp works fine with a few years of daily use.

A. A while back I asked for help in identifying a replacement push on/off switch for my Stiffel floor lamp. After a significant amount of searching, I found a switch that works for me: the Gardner-Bender GSW 24. The switch is available on Amazon for $2.02. This switch is also available at Lowe's and Home Depot. Please note that for the on/off switch in the base of the lamp you want the push switch, not the rotary switch.

Now I will address the installation of the switch. For most Stiffel floor lamp owners this will be a first and only switch replacement experience. The replacement will take about forty-five minutes to an hour.
1. Unplug the lamp. Remove the shade, the milk glass diffuser, and all light bulbs.
2. Lay the lamp horizontal on the floor. Sit on a chair. Lift up the lamp base and remove the one screw from the sheet metal disc on which the lamp stands. Put that metal disc and screw aside.
3. You can now see a bunch of wires, two wire nuts and a black switch module which is screwed into the cast-metal base of the lamp.
4. Disconnect the two wire nuts (remember which wires were connected or take a picture). Unscrew the switch module.
5. Screw in the new module and reconnect the wires and wire nuts.
6. Sit the lamp upright, plug in the lamp. Push down on the lamp pole. The lamp should work.
7. Assuming the lamp works, you now take out the bulb, lay the lamp on its side, and replace the metal disc. This is the tricky part. The securing screw is not centered in the metal disc. It is only about 5/8 inches long -- not long enough for one to easily position the screw into the screw hole in the cast metal base. I recommend positioning a thin wooden rod (perhaps a chopstick) through the disc hole into the base screw hole, and then securing the disc temporarily with sticky duct tape. -- Then remove the wooden rod and screw in the original 5/8 inch screw.

Replace all bulbs, the diffuser, and the shade.

Good luck. May God bless you.

A. Hi Lisa. I've never had a Stiffel lamp and I wouldn't know the vagaries of particular switches or lamps. Nor do I urge people to do electrical fixes themselves rather than going to a fix-it shop or calling an electrician. But I'm happy to explain how 3-way bulbs and sockets and switches work in general :-)

A 3-way bulb contains two filaments rather than one. A 50-100-150 Watt bulb for example will have a 50 W and a 100 W filament, and either or both can be energized to offer the 3 Wattage choices. 3-way bulbs only work in 3-way sockets, which have, in addition to the center solder blob to bring power to one filament, another little solder blob off to the side which matches the extra brass ring you see in the base of a 3-way bulb and which runs to the other filament.

The job of the 3-way switch then is to allow the choice to bring power to either or both of those solder blobs and consequently the filaments.

Generally the neutral wire runs uninterrupted from the plug to the screw thread in the lamp, and the hot wire runs from the plug to the input of the 3-way switch; two wires run from the output of the 3-way switch to the two solder blobs. The 3-way switch delivers power to either or both of those wires depending on the switch position.

Luck & Regards,


Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

A. Hi Carol,
Although big-box stores will have rotary switches for lamps, I suspect that you won't find one with these special dimensions and threads. We have now listed possible suppliers for antique lamp components at the top of the page.
Luck & Regards,


Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey