Telstar rewiring help needed please!

[Lizzie]

Hi everyone!

I searched for instructions on how to rewire my Mathmos Telstar and though I found Astro rewiring help, no such luck for my lamp.
I moved to Califormia from England a few years ago and have been faffing around and procrastinating when it comes to certain things -one of these things is sorting out my lamp so I can actually use it again!

Could someone give me some advice please? Or better yet, link me to a step by step tutorial?!

Thank you in advance!

Lizzie

[Bridget T]

Quickest way would be to get an adapter and just use that to power the lamp.  On the one I had imported, I accepted that I would just have to find the special sized bulb (US light bases don't fit), and cut off the wall end and replaced it with a new plug.  Some of the die-hard people on here replace both the socket that holds the bulb and the wall end so it's completely US wired.  

If you have the wall space, I would just use a travel adapter, it's the cheapest easiest option.

[Carol]

I found plenty of info on how to rewire the Astro, but not the Telstar and since I don't own any Mathmos lamps and don't know much about the whole rewire project, not sure if that would help you any.  If the bulb set is set up the same way, maybe you could use it as a guideline or at least to get some idea, but again, i'm not sure and don't want to give out the wrong information.

[Brad]

you can purchase a step-up voltage transformer to keep the lamp in factory condition, but these are somewhat costly and bulky.  you'd still have to use UK bulbs which are not readily available at your local hardware store.

the best option IMO is to re-wire the lamp using a 40w S11 (120v) bulb with an E17 base.  this is the exact setup used in the starship made in the USA and should work for your telstar.  i am not 100% sure since i don't own a telstar, but my dad does, and the base wiring and electrics are similar.  if you are interested in taking on this project, let us know and we can help you.

[Lizzie]

Thanks everyone!

I'm definitely going to re-wire rather than go the step-up transformer route, I really don't want to have to deal with one of those chunky things!

Bridget, with the travel adapter option, does the lamp get hot enough? I'm happy to buy my light bulbs in England when I'm visiting if that's a viable option, but I figured there wouldn't be enough power in the U.S. to get the lamp going and I would need a step-up converter if I left the lamp as-is.

Brad, great! Thank you, the light bulb/base info is exactly what I needed! What about the cable? I don't know much about electricals -is there more than one kind of lamp cable? Also, I've read stuff about dimmer switches, should I make sure I add one of those?

Thanks again!

[Brad]

any lamp replacement cable should work.  just make sure it fits into the black plastic piece at the bottom of the base.  the cords can be found in the lamp parts section of a hardware store.  you can add an in-line dimmer switch, but they tend to be on the large side.  another option is the cord dimmer, which plugs in between the wall and the lamp, and can be removed if need be.

[Lizzie]

Just ordered all of the parts....

I'll take photos as I go once everything arrives, (and share where I got all the bits from) exciting!
We live with an electrician so I'll be sure to show him my work before I plug anything in haha!

[Brad]

cool!  this forum can definitely use a re-wiring guide for the telstar as i don't think we have one.

[Lizzie]

Ok, so the last piece finally arrived.... My lava lamp is now happily gooing away!! I'll put up my rewiring photos in a separate post so they're easy to find if someone else needs them. Thanks everyone!

[S I]

Hello - I just received my Telestar lamp and want to get it running.  You appear to have been able to this.  Would be able to let me know what materials you ordered and how you got it working.  Thanks

[Lizzie]

Hello!

I realise I am well over a year late in replying....!! Did you work it out? If not, I'd be happy to help :)

I had issues uploading photos last time I tried, and I gave up haha!

S I said:

Hello - I just received my Telestar lamp and want to get it running.  You appear to have been able to this.  Would be able to let me know what materials you ordered and how you got it working.  Thanks

[Ryan]

Lizzie, I recently bought an old Telstar on eBay that I wouldn't mind re-wiring. I would love instructions on the process, if you could include photos and supplies. I'm also going to send you a friend invite.

[MichaelN77]

Hello Lizzie, I was wondering where all the photos and guide to rewiring your Telstar are and how is it working after all these years please?