Preparing Your Lamp

• 1). Cover your work area with plastic sheeting and put on your work clothing and mask. Your goal is to protect both your environment and yourself from possible dangerous lead paint residue. If you know that your lamp was painted within the past five years, you do not need to take these precautions, although a mask is still a good idea. If you have any doubts about the age or the kind of the paint, wear protective clothing and find out how to dispose of lead-based refuse according to local regulations. Read Warnings below before you begin your project.
  
  
• 2). Remove any peeling paint with a putty knife (minor scratches on lamp will be covered with paint). Put on two sets of disposable gloves and rub both painted and bare metal surfaces gently with sandpaper, then with OO steel wool. Your goal is to lessen visible cracks, if possible, and roughen the surfaces enough for new paint to adhere.
  
  
• 3). Wipe up sanding residue, on lamp surface, work surface and your clothing with damp paper towels. Bag towels in plastic and tie up the bag.
  
  
• 4). Apply a thin, even coat of spackle to deep cracks in the paint rather than sanding hard. Smooth spackle with gloved fingers. Let dry thoroughly and sand lightly.
  
  

Painting Your Lamp Base

• 1). Apply a thin, even coat of paint to bare metal and patched-crack areas of your lamp, using either or both of your disposable brushes. Let dry overnight. (Wrap brushes, unrinsed, in plastic wrap or a plastic bag, to use for the next coat.)
  
  
• 2). Apply a thin, even coat of paint to the complete surface of your lamp base. Previous paint may have obscured some fine detail on your lamp, and adding more paint will do likewise. Do the best you can with your small brush to remove excess paint on detail, but remember that you may have to sacrifice a bit of the detail to do a safe painting job. Let dry thoroughly. Rewrap brushes, unrinsed, to keep them pliable.
  
  
• 3). Add a second thin, even coat of paint. Let dry thoroughly.
  
  
• 4). Clean up your work area right away. Dump all disposable equipment--mask, apron, gloves, damp towels and brushes--into the plastic sheeting you used to protect your work area. Tie bundle securely and dispose of according to local regulations. Wash work clothes separately from other garments in hot water and detergent.