I have a new glass and silver chandelier, styled after a gasolier, that was shipped dismantled. I can reassemble the parts, but don't know how to rewire the arms to the center stem. All the wires are clear plastic, (they look like standard twinned lamp wire, not heavy gauge or anything special), with strands of copper inside. The two parts of the twinned wire are identical: no ridges or anything to distinguish one from the other. There are eight arms. I looked at similar queries on this site, but I'm still not sure which wire attaches to what. Do the wires from all eight arms get twisted together with wire that comes out of the center pole/stem part? Does it matter which twin is twisted together with??

Any help is gratefully appreciated.

Standard lamp wire has something to distinguish the conductors. The color or a ridge or smooth and rough. Look again closely. The marked wire, side with the ridge would be considered neutral. This wire would connect to the screw part of the lamp socket.

All the screw part of the bulbs get connected together and all the middle terminals of the bulbs get connected together. Neutral goes to the screw part of the base. Hot to the center. It's probably best to pigtail a white wire to the neutral connection and a black wire to the hot connection.

Functionally, it doesn't matter. It's safer to have neutral go to the screw part of the base.

Thanks for your answer! I appreciate your help and fast response. But I'm afraid you're speaking a language I'm not getting at all. I examined both sides of the lamp wire under a magnifying glass, felt it carefully, and I swear they are absolutely identical. Each side has a dozen copper wires inside. There is evidence of black tape adhesive on the stripped wires, but otherwise they appear clean, new, and like I said, the same on each side.

Also, you say the neutral, marked side (whichever one that is) "would connect to the screw part of the lamp socket." Could you explain what you mean? I don't understand "screw part" or "lamp socket."

It its barest bones, my chandelier has a center pole (which will screw into the ceiling) and a round, BASE UNIT at its bottom. One twinned clear wire is inserted in the pole and comes out of the top, and out of the BASE UNIT. The base unit has 8 holes into which the 8 arms will be attached.

The arms have a SCREW END and a lightbulb end. The lightbulb end is already wired. The same clear, double wire comes out of each arm's screw end. I don't know how to attach these SIXTEEN, separated wires of the arms, to the TWO, separated base unit wires.

Do I have to determine which side of the wire comes out of one or the other position on the lightbulb part, and match them up for each arm? Once I determine which wire is neutral (coming out of the bottom of the lightbulb part?), do ALL the 8 neutral wires of the arms get twisted together, along with the 1 base unit wire; and then do all the other sides of that wire get twisted together? This means the two separated sides of 9 wires would be twisted together in the base unit: is that correct?

And, pardon me for being a complete dummy, but I don't understand your next paragraph at all. :confused:

What is the difference between the "screw part of the bulbs" vs. the "middle terminals of the bulbs"?
What is the difference between "screw part of the bulbs" vs. "screw part of the base"? What is "hot to the center"?What do you mean by pigtail, and what white wire, and what black wire.. Sorry. I'm trying to keep it simple, but I'm afraid I'm too stupid!

Thanks.

The lamp socket has 2 connections, the center contact should be the hot connection, the threads(or shell) goes to the neutral(white wire). You could ask someone at Radio Shack, electrical or electronics place to "ring out" or identify 1 wire with white tape. It is quick and I do this type stuff for nothing. Hopefully you can find someone to identify for you.
Sometimes that cord may have a square edge on the wire to identify neutral. Good Luck

Personally I wouldn't worry about which is the neutral. But if you would like, you can purchase a small multimeter for $10 to $15 and trace these wires. You set the meter to Resistance or Ohms. That is the setting with the little horse shoe. Then touch one of the meter leads to the center terminal where you screw the bulb in and the other to one of the wires from that arm. If you get a reading, that wire is connected to the center terminal. No reading, try other wire. Mark all wires connected to center terminals. Connect all center wires to the hot (usually black) wire in the ceiling box. Connect all other wires together and connect to the neutral (usually white) wire in the box.

To be a little more explicit.
Connect the 8 center terminal wires to a wire going up the rod. Connect the other 8 wires to the other wire going up the rod. Use you multimeter to determine the which of the wires going up th rod is connected to the center terminals by touching one lead of the meter to a center terminal and the other to one of the wires coming out of the rod. This is the wire you want to connect to the hot (black).

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Combined with the other answers, I know now exactly what to do, and what this was all about. Yippeee!!