could use a little help with an old Stiffel brass floor lamp

Hello everyone. New member hoping someone here has some experience with old lamps.

I've rewired a lot of lamps and have just run across a part I can't quite identify. The only info I can find on this is a sticker on the base telling me it's a Stiffel R5307 and so far that info has not yielded any results. I even called Stiffel - they have no idea. I bet this thing is 40 years old minimum.

This is for my elderly aunt. It's about 5' tall, brass torchiere style and apparently of some quality. I had no trouble replacing the smashed porcelain socket and have two good 100/200/300W mogul base bulbs for it that are good.

Inside the base, under a metal cover is a Circle F 10a @ 125v switch. At least that's what patent # 63446297 says it is and it looks like the drawings.

Eh? The mogul socket is three way with a brass knob that meters out as good. I don't see how this could be a foot switch or even how it would operate. It has a brass fitting and was there for some reason.

My first thought was 'thermal fuse' but I don't think so. I am leery of bypassing it as I don't want to burn down the poor woman's home.

Anyone run across these? I am missing something and would appreciate any input. Well, this is online - most input

 

Would/could you post a photograph of the lamp itself including shade?

Debora

 

I actually called Stiffel and Antique Lamp Supply where I got the replacement porcelain mogul socket and they had no idea. I suspect this is vintage 1980, or at least that's when my aunt got it.

Since I posted I have realized that this thing may have already been rewired once before. Typically this has a long pipe with threads at either end that holds the base to the top. The decorative brass tube is a bit loose, it has a bit up play up/down. Not much but I thought it odd.

On the porcelain socket (new or old) the hole in the urn at the top did not line up with threaded turn switch. I cut the socket's metal yoke down by about half and now it lines up perfectly. I can't help but wonder if that was a replacement from years ago that somebody just forced in there and had the brass knob in at an angle.You can see where it wore on the brass knob's shaft.

I suspect that thing in the base wasn't a foot switch but that at one time you may have been able to grab that decorative brass shaft and give it a little shove and it would turn the light on/off. It may not have been originally a 3-way or if so may have had that additional feature. Around the threaded rod there are some odd cups/springs that I have no idea what are for. I thought maybe to keep the lamp tight but don't think it needs any of that.

Once I shortened the yoke and bypassed that peculiar switch in the base it works fine on all three settings. I've had it on 300W for a while now and apart from heating up my garage it seems like a happy unit.

The glass urn style diffuser is still at my aunt's, I didn't need it to fix this thing so I left it there so it wouldn't get broken in transit. I realize this is clear to me but you guys needs some pics. Unfortunately there's not much to see.

If anyone has ever heard of any of this I would love a sanity check.Otherwise I think it's safe to give back to her.

This woman has asked me to fix all sorts of things. I am mechanically inclined, restore cars and love working on all sorts of things but let me say that she has kept me on my A game with some of the weird stuff I have given to repair.Singing bears, furniture, dishwashers.....

You know what the most insidiously mind bending frustrating thing to date is? No, it wasn't the old Saab (I fixed that but Ye Gods what a pain in the shorts). It was an umbrella. A cheap pop up umbrella. I admit defeat on that one unless I can come up with a jig to reassemble it.

 

From the style of that floor lamp -- could Stiffel give you an age range on that model? -- it is quite likely someone's been "at it" before you. Hopefully, some of our members here who are more conversant with this sort of repair can give you a sanity check. Personally, at my age, I don't want anyone checking my sanity!