UKC

I've found a really nice table lamp in a small back street boutique in Paris.

I asked the elderly salesperson if it would work in the UK and he'd only shrug like the french love to do to foreigners.

An adapter won't work as it has to fit behind a cabinet. I was wondering would it be safe to re-wire it with a UK plug?

The current cable + plug is transparant so I can see it only has 2 wires. I guess its missing the earth wire. Its a modern design and I suspect hand made so of good quality.

It's too expensive to take a punt on and not wanting to electrocute anyone nor burn the house down can anyone with electrical experience offer any advice.
Thanks

In reply to Indy:

If it's a Class II item, look for a square within a square symbol on the label, it doesn't require an Earth.
So you could change the plug.

In reply to Indy:

Don't think you'd need to earth a lamp? As long as it's rated for 220v-240v and isn't American made (since they only use half our voltage) you should be fine rewiring it.

Blue wire to the left terminal brown wire to the right!

In reply to Indy:

Chop the French plug and put on a replacement plug (added advantage: you even can choose the angle for the cable), or replace the entire cable if you are unhappy with this.

I rewired all my German appliances in this way when moving to the UK, and back again (plus the stuff I bought new) when moving back to Germany. Should be trivial, but you could even ask an electrician do do it for you if you don´t feel comfortable with your work.

CB

In reply to Lusk:

Thanks for the super quick reply.... it didn't have any labels on it but I saw the display model. Would it be a tag/sticker or moulded into the plug etc?
cheers

In reply to Indy:
I brought several lamps (& other electrical stuff) back from France after working there in the early 1990s, after changing the plugs they all worked fine. Since then I've moved back to France & had to change them back again, c'est la vie.

In reply to Indy:

my employer sends out lots of low voltage items like this with just a push in converter similar to the link below which doesn't require any re-wiring and is the same size a a standard uk plug.

http://www.lindy.co.uk/power-c8/power-accessories-c341/travel-power-adapter...

In reply to cb294:
Should be trivial, but you could even ask an electrician do do it for you if you don´t feel comfortable with your work.

I don't mind doing it I just need to be 100% sure it's safe to do.

In reply to Indy:

It would be printed on the item in some permanent way; either embossed in, or on a sticker not designed to be removed.

Class II means "double insulated" - in other words, there is an electrical insulator (like a plastic box) between the electrical bits of the lamp and the outside. Otherwise, we would normally earth it. Obviously they are happy for it not to be earthed in France - so just changing the plug leaves it no less safe over here - but personally, since functioning earths have saved my life twice (and I'm only 30), I wouldn't have something in my house with a defective earth.

In reply to Indy:

The UK and French mains voltages are harmonised to 230V 50Hz. Therefore it should be absolutely fine to change the plug for use in the UK. In fact all consumer electrical equipment sold in the EU must be compatible for use throughout the EU (although you may need to change plugs).

The lack of an earth wire is common and perfectly acceptable (assuming that the luminaire is double insulated).

To be legally sold in the EU it should have a CE mark somewhere and if it is double insulated it should also have the Class 2 symbol which looks like a square within a square. However, if it is second hand (or the boutique is more concerned about image than compliance) the label may have been removed since it left the factory.

In reply to Indy:

I can't see a reason why it wouldn't work

At the very worst you could remove all the wiring get a standard bulb holder and flex and wire:

e.g. http://www.mr-resistor.co.uk/item.aspx?v=1&i=16150&gclid=Cj0KEQiAyv...

Or a plastic version

Install, and wire it yourself.

In the same way you could easily and safely turn just about anything into a lamp with only basic diy/electrical skills

In reply to Indy:
Yes, you can do this. Wire the two to the live and neutral on the UK plug.

Only issue is if they are not marked as to which way round they go (as Europlugs can be inserted either way). This could mean the outer bit of the bulb holder being live, which isn't what you would normally do, or the neutral being switched instead of the live if it has a switch.

This is unlikely to cause you harm unless you have a habit of sticking your fingers in bulb sockets. But to avoid confusion, if it is switched try to wire it so the live is on the side the switch acts on.