Need help with an old light.

[Strife]

I got one of those exterior light poles with an decorative arm and the wires going through a small hole in the center. The arm is curved in the shape of 1/3 of a circle.
The wires got shorted and need to replace them. The problem is there's already 4 - #16 inside (which pretty much fills up the whole 1/4" hole), lots of rust. Bottom line the wires won't even budge, I've been working them with WD40, even went and put 1/8" holes every 4-5 inches to get the WD40 spread around, NOTHING.
Anyone has an idea how to get the wires out? The only thing I could see working is like a short bit head with a flexible shaft of 20 some inches, but not I'm not even sure if these things exist.

 

[growler]

I got one of those exterior light poles with an decorative arm and the wires going through a small hole in the center. The arm is curved in the shape of 1/3 of a circle.
The wires got shorted and need to replace them. The problem is there's already 4 - #16 inside (which pretty much fills up the whole 1/4" hole), lots of rust. Bottom line the wires won't even budge.

The truth of the matter is that all things are not repairable. If there is to much labor involved it may be cheaper just to replace the decorative arm.

People don't like to hear it but some jobs are just not feasible.

 

[cowboyjwc]

The truth of the matter is that all things are not repairable. If there is to much labor involved it may be cheaper just to replace the decorative arm.

People don't like to hear it but some jobs are just not feasible.

I would agree. I have a fixture that my mom bought my wife and I, almost 30 years ago when we bought our first house. The other day it went Poof. Just gonna throw it away, repairing it would just be to much work and I think we got plenty of use out of it.

 

[Strife]

The truth of the matter is that all things are not repairable. If there is to much labor involved it may be cheaper just to replace the decorative arm.

People don't like to hear it but some jobs are just not feasible.

The problem with replacing is that these are pretty old so I wouldn't even know where to start looking for one, and the customer has about 20 of these poles with 4 arms each, so replacing the whole pole it's a bit out of the question also.

 

[jaylectricity]

Where there's a will, there's a way, but somebody will have to pay.

Is it cheaper to replace 20 lamp posts or is it cheaper to find a metal shop and pay them for a day (or 2 or 3 or 4 days, or whatever) to fabricate something for you?

 

[growler]

The problem with replacing is that these are pretty old so I wouldn't even know where to start looking for one, and the customer has about 20 of these poles with 4 arms each, so replacing the whole pole it's a bit out of the question also.

I had a similar problem except for that some one had broken the decorative arm off a lamp post.

Got name off lamp post and googled for manufacturer information. Found that all parts were still available but expensive.

I would try a search for the manufacturer. You would be surprised because many of these poles are manufactured for years.

Other than that, take the arm off and take it to a machine shop and see if they have any solvents that will work or a tool that will allow you to get the wires out. If nothing else they can cut it in half and reweld it.

 

[dhalleron]

In my area there are local shops that rewire old light fixtures and paint or polish to look like new. They even keep old parts from fixtures they could not repair to be used on similar fixtures.

Maybe a shop in your area has a trick or two to fix this for you.

 

[Joethemechanic]

Heat it with a torch, once the insulation burns off the wires they will slide right out.

But one thing, are there going to be any sharp edges from rust when you so get the old wiring out? You better do a close inspection.

Oh, and when you are saying "rust" I assume the material is steel. Be careful with heat if this thing is made out of aluminum or brass.

 

[jmellc]

If you can find a brand name and/or model #, post it on E Bay. A customer of mine found fan motors on E Bay that I could not get through a local motor shop and HVAC supply house. I told him I'd start calling him first when I needed things. This man can somehow find anything.