groundinglamppipe
I replicated this lamp from a Home Depot tutorial.
http://blog.homedepot.com/diy-industrial-lamp-cool-desk-lamp-made-from-pipe/
I'm worried that the lamp socket isn't isolated enough and that the frame of the lamp can become dangerously live. It is definitely not grounded.
Step 9 – 12 show how the socket is constructed.
Is it safe? If not, can you be specific on how I can make it safe? I'm no electrician
Procedure
Notes
Live wires from a light-switch sometimes have the wrong colour insulation but are marked with red tape (indicating switched-live).
Typical wiring for a ceiling lighting fitting in the UK is as shown below
Note that this image does not show the strain relief that must be present on the hanging cable. Fittings with exposed metal parts will need a protective earth connection. The one you have looks like it particularly needs this!
Back in 1949 when your house was built, the code of the time allowed the metal shielding of the BX cable to be used as a ground. Over time these connections degrade from corrosion, and the grounding could eventually fail. Oftentimes, when a home is renovated to use non-metallic wiring (NM), the ground to existing BX cable can also become disconnected. This is likely the case with your house.
There still is a possibility that the ground is intact, but it is unlikely. You can test this with an inexpensive outlet tester like pictured below. These typically run around $10, and are a good investment. In your case, you would probably see that this outlet has an open ground. Make sure that the outlet is properly secured to the box before you test it.
If you find that the outlet is not grounded, you should avoid using it until you can have that part of your home rewired.
Best Answer
Most lamps have a two-prong plug. All the lamps in my house, even the ones with metal casings, have two-prong plugs. I don't think you have a safety problem.
However -- if I were building this lamp, I would attach a three-prong grounding plug and cord, just because the aesthetic of the lamp is so obviously 'heavy industry' and most heavy industrial equipment is fault-grounded.
In order to do this, you would need a grounding lamp kit. It's better and cheaper to purchase the whole kit, but if none is available, you can safely substitute a three-prong grounding plug and cord into the kit shown in the Home Depot tutorial.
You will also need a grounding locknut, also known as a bonding locknut. These are widely available if you know what to ask for.
I think the design calls for a hole through the pipe, but the rest of the project requires no cutting or drilling, and the hole is not strictly necessary.
Hole option: before beginning assembly, drill a 3/16" hole into the side of the 3/4"-to-1" coupling, through the 1" section. Drill about 1/4" from the end, or just clear of the reinforcing flange. Chamfer the ends of the hole because you will be feeding a wire through it later.
In step 9, you thread a 1/2" grounding locknut onto the 1/2" close nipple, or thread a 3/4" grounding locknut onto the 1/2"-to-3/4" coupling. Snug it up tight. The threaded rod from the lamp kit may have a hole for the ground wire. If so, pull the wire out through the hole now.
In step 12, if using the hole option, feed the fault-ground wire from the grounding lamp kit out through the hole. If not using the hole option, bring the wire out through the open end of the 3/4"-to-1" coupling. Strip the end of the fault-ground wire and attach it to the screw on the grounding locknut.
The pipe assembly is now safely connected to the round pin on the three-prong plug.