How it works

[wallace]

Can I put a 5amp plug onto an American cabled table lamp, or would I have to re-wire the lamp with 2 core cable?

[rojash]

Not clear from your post, but if you mean the lamp currently has 3 core cable, then it probably has acccessible metal parts, which means it requires a safety earth. Replacing with 2 core cable would be dangerous in the extreme.

[romko]

Apart from changing the plug, you would need to change the american 110v bulb to a uk 240 v one.

i believe the lamp holder may be of a different standard also, requiring you to put a UK bayonet stye one in.

[Insane Wally]

I got anamerican bedside light (Tinkabell), I put a 230V bulb in it & pluged it into a travel adaptor. I wouldn't use it for prolonged periods though.

[Tim Baxter]

American voltages being half of ours mean that their conductor has to be twice as thick as ours to carry double the current.  Their insulation has only to be half as thick as ours because they only have half the voltage that we do to drive the current along the conductor.  So basically, their conductors would cope but their insulation may not.  Their lamp socket is probably also 'Edison Screw' which you can get hold of from lotsa places now but more expensive for replacements.  Best replace socket and cable to BS.