How to repair your old series wired C-6 lighting strings.
Hello all.
Many of the die hard Vintage Christmas collectors still use
the older C-6 light strings on their
trees. Lets face it, the colors on those
old bulbs are unmatchable. Not to
mention the wonderful “hunting” for the burned out light. And, the even the
smell the older paint gives off as it warms up.
As many of you remember, and for those interested without previous
experience, all the C-6 light strings were wired in a series configuration.
This simply means that all the lights need to be working in
order for the light string to light.
Also, they need to be snug, but not over tight in their sockets. Should a bulb happen to be burned out, or
loose and not making contact, the set will not light. C-6 light bulbs can be easily tested by using
a square 9 volt battery. See more info
on this on my website.
www.TheRoyalstonAttic.com
All of the earlier sets, used cloth wiring. It is VERY common for the cloth cords to fray
at the base of the sockets. This can be
easily repaired.
The brass sockets are simply pressed into the Bakelite or
plastic socket jackets. They can be
easily removed by pushing them out from the bottom. PLEASE NOTE
…..do not press straight in from the bottom, or you will push out the
socket bottom, and not the brass screw in threaded socket. Push in with a small nail punch or an
equivalent tool on the base edges of the brass.
Push gently. Work your nail punch
all around the edges evenly until you have gone completely around. It may take some time to gently work the
brass threaded socket out of the Bakelite jacket. BE PATIENT.
If you try to pry it out from the top, you risk the chance of breaking
the top edges of the Bakelite jacket.
Once you have the socket pushed out from the jacket, you
will be able to see the solder connections.
Simply unsolder one wire at a time.
Now use some clear nail polish on the cloth cording below
the frayed area. Let it dry thoroughly.
Once the nail polish has dried, simply trim the wire back
with some wire clippers. Use a sharp
razor to trim off the frayed cloth, and re-solder the wire back in place. Repeat the same process for the second wire. Now gently press the brass threaded socket
back into the Bakelite casing, just until snug.
Once you have removed all the fraying, and the exposed bare
wiring, you can now safely use the light set once again.
It is also common to see fraying around the plug where the
wires enter the plug. Use the same
process as above to repair the fraying damage.
This can save those priceless light strings your parents,
grandparents, or even great grandparents used on their trees.
Always remember, if you are unsure on tackling a project
like this, make sure you have a qualified person perform this work for
you. It is never worth a short circuit,
or fire because of frayed or bare wired touching. Always be safe. Remember, even a damaged set of C-6
lights are still good sale-able items on eBay. Collectors seek all styles, manufacturers,
and conditions of these sets. Decorate
safely and have fun!
Should any of your brass threaded sockets need replacing, I
can supply them.
www.TheRoyalstonAttic.com
