keeping lamp upright

[kingsolomon]

We have a tall reading lamp. The light is still working but the two halves of the stem bit that used to screw together have eroded somehow (?) so now it hangs down like a sad broken flower. I feel like there must be a way to mend it, but cannot think of one for the life of me. And I don't know how to google it, as I don't have the right vocabulary!

Any one have any - preferably cheap and easy - suggestions? A piece of bendy metal that is somehow strong enough to hold it together? (But where would I get that?)

Do you have a photo of the lamp please?

If it is the flexible neck bit, you might be able to get a replacement part like this one

Thanks for your response! It is not the bendy neck, just the metal poles no longer screw in to each other. I tried taping it with that tough black tape but it was not strong enough.

It looks like it might need to go to lamp heaven :(

I'd put some wood inside to strengthen it and then if needed tape it together, but if you get a long piece of wood the same length as the upright it should just sit on it

Possibly a garden cane?

Could you get a stiff plastic tube into the parts that no longer screw together? The connector would need to be a close fit to the inner diameter of the two parts. A plumbing pipe may do the trick, or a hose pipe connector.

Thanks for the photo but if you get a clearer one, I might be able to suggest a solution that will work. Are the two pole parts metal and are they hollow? Are they completely straight? How did they join before?

Thanks all - and sorry for the totally crap picture, it is shoved away in a dark corner.... Garden cane or a stiff plastic tube inside is a good idea, but I don't actually know if there would be space. They are hollow metal poles but the cable takes up most of the room. They are straight, and used to just screw together, but I think the metal grooves have worn away somehow (it's not even that old), so now they just uselessly spin round without connecting. I am at work now but will try a better pic later, if any of you nice people have more thought power to spend on my lamp!

If it is a case of the thread on two parts that screw together, you might be able to use pfte tape (about £1 in wilko) over one thread. If you can't be bothered to source pfte tape, you could try nail varnish or superglue. Whether or not it will work will depend on how much overlap there is where one part goes into the other.
Another method would be to put a tight-fitting pipe or cylinder over the joint

Sugru might hold it, you can get it in black so it would blend in.

Amazing! Thanks for your suggestions - I've never heard of sugru before, but if it works like it says it does, that sounds perfect.

I don't think the tape would hold it as there is minimal overlap, but a kind of cylinder could be another good option - is there such a thing as a hinged one that I could clamp on, as I can't unscrew it from the base or the top because of the cable?

A Jubilee Clip, maybe get a chunky one so it looks a bit industrial.