I wonder what kind of duty cycle one could expect from a light socket? Assuming the branch is properly protected... wouldn't the breaker trip before the wire was damaged? In the smaller gauge wires the ampicity is higher than the breaker by a factor of 1.5. As for the fixture itself... no idea... some of them fail over time with a normal light bulb.
As for using an ungrounded machine... not safe... but it will likely work.
If you remove the fixture (heaven forbid) is the fixture grounded? If I had to do this in a pinch, I'd remove the fixture and wire directly in.
As for the ganchos (hooks) to steal power. It was a real problem when I lived in Argentina. You'd see the utility truck coming through knocking down the ganchos and everyone was scrambling to roll up their kit before they made it to your block. Nothing more than lamp cord with hooks on the end.
If you want a good read check this article. It states in the first four months of the year the utility removed 10,000 ganchos in Cordoba!
http://www.afinidadelectrica.com.ar/articulo.php?IdArticulo=86
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In Argentina I lived in a house with two prong ungrounded 240V outlets (newer homes have 3 prong outlets with ground). In the summer I would be sitting at the computer and if I set my bare foot on the computer case it would shock the hell out of me. I finally bought a chunk of cable and ran it from the case to a ground rod outside. Knowing a lot more about grounding now then I did then... I likely was grounding the entire house through my computer and who knows how dangerous that was... oh well... I lived. :laugh: Grounding is a science all itself. Improperly grounded circuits can be more dangerous than ungrounded circuits depending on the potential. Every time a CNC vendor wants a not-bonded ground rod at the machine I cringe... but that's another topic.
