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I've wired a lamp holder using some lamp wire, with two wires. On the end, I've added a plug end that has a ground prong. I didn't connect anything to the ground prong. I've plugged it into a grounded outlet.

Good news: There's plenty of light!

Bad news: I am anxious that there will be bad news. Is it gonna burst into flames?

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    Good news. All electrical devices do not need the ground prong. The ground prong if connected to metal casing/housing of the device is to trip the breaker if the hot makes contact with the metal. If no ground and hot makes contact, it becomes live and you can touch live power. Touching something grounded at the same time can make life interesting and short. Have not check newer lamps, but older lamps seldom had ground and most of us lived. It is an extra safety measure. Don't use it near a bathtub.
    – crip659
    Commented Feb 11, 2023 at 0:55
  • Hey, thank you!
    – Sam Vidovich
    Commented Feb 11, 2023 at 1:01

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If the safety ground lug isn't needed by the device, having it but leaving it un-connected does no harm. You could use three conductor wire and ground the lamp body, but that's uncommon for table lamps. The only (very uncommon) concern here would be if someone was using the lamp in a situation where grounding actually matters and was misled by the plug.

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  • Awesome, thanks!
    – Sam Vidovich
    Commented Feb 11, 2023 at 1:01
  • Would add "for safety" to the first sentence. Don't think any device needs ground to work.
    – crip659
    Commented Feb 11, 2023 at 1:06
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    @crip659 -- you'd be wrong! there are a few devices where earthing is indeed essential to their function (specialized test equipment, mostly)
    – ThreePhaseEel
    Commented Feb 11, 2023 at 3:46

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