What to do about a wobbly lamp holder?

[Boholighting]

The lamp holders on the 2 lamps I have made are very wobbly. Would you recommend a glue? What type of glue? Thanks

 

[DPG]

Glue sounds a bit Heath Robinson. Is there any reason the fitting won't tighten up properly?

 

[Boholighting]

Glue sounds a bit Heath Robinson. Is there any reason the fitting won't tighten up properly?

I used a long threaded rod to go through the wooden base but it doesn’t screw in or go all the way through, it’s a bit loose…see photo. I was wondering about glue to stick the rod into the base hole but sounds like a messy job, do you have any other suggestions?

The one with the red wire does tighten, but loosens as the wire moves when turning the lamp.

Is gluing not a thing in lamp making?

 

[SparkyChick]

If the one with the red cable is mounted in cork, you will never get a secure fitting without using large metal washer/plates to spread the load. Cork deforms far too easily to form a solid mounting for anything.

In the other case, I suggest you invest in a decent hacksaw and cut the threaded rod down a bit so you can tighten it up fully, being sure you properly debur the inside of the rod where the cable runs. You may also want to thread a couple of nuts on before you make the cut so you can then remove over the new end, which should help remove minor damage to the thread. You can also achieve the same effect by filing a bevel around the newly cut end... this will make it easier to thread it into the fittings.

 

[SparkyChick]

I'll also add, that if you are finding the threaded fittings are coming undone when they are mounted in solid items (not the cork) when you're moving the lamp, you may want to put a spot of thread lock on the fittings and then tighten them down. Loctite make a variety of different sorts, the one I've used most was like a blue pritstik (I got from Halfords I think) but I can't for the life of me remember the code for it. It comes in various colours and the different types are designed for different applications, sounds like you may benefit from just a general purpose thread lock.

 

[Boholighting]

I'll also add, that if you are finding the threaded fittings are coming undone when they are mounted in solid items (not the cork) when you're moving the lamp, you may want to put a spot of thread lock on the fittings and then tighten them down. Loctite make a variety of different sorts, the one I've used most was like a blue pritstik (I got from Halfords I think) but I can't for the life of me remember the code for it. It comes in various colours and the different types are designed for different applications, sounds like you may benefit from just a general purpose thread lock.

Thanks for all the advice. I’ll give all that a try.