Well i don't see that rope anymore the cord is also electrical taped i see

eh..... the best bet is get ONE piece wire, instead of taping piece by piece....which is called
"splice"..so to be honest....its about the same, not better...

It shouldn't be spliced like that....only places that can be spliced is inside junction boxes or in a unit such as inside that ballast casing

To make better..one whole new wire!

I'm thinking this is just a temporary set-up until he can fix it properly but yeah Jace is right! I typically use 15ft outdoor rated extension cords for my lights and strip the outside insulation off about 2.5 to 3" and i strip the conductors about half an inch.

If i only need a short cord ill use one from a computer supply or appliance cord from something completly broken, better Then paying $7 for a cord

I do that but I very rarely have any bad applicances so it's easier to just buy a cord. Plus I prefer longer cords so i don't have to use an extension cord with the harwired cord. For wiring fluorescents as plug-in shoplights, i will buy a much shorter cord. If i'm wiring a bunch of fluorescents I'd probably get one long cord and but some of those male plugs that you hardwire to the end of the cord and just cut the cord into roughly 30" sections. If you're using a 15ft cord, that gives you wire for 6 fluorescent lights which it about a doller per light which is excellent IMO. For lights in my collection is keep the cord a full 15ft though. My OV-25's cord is somewhere around 20-25 feet for some odd reason. It was boxed and sold as a 15ft cord but i decided to measure it one time and it was either 20 or 25ft.

For those who need power cords... not at the moment but I can get plenty of them, and I mean PLENTY! Next spring when my recycle centre opens again I'll be able to get some for anyone who needs one or more, just pay shipping! They can be shipped in an envelope so it shouldn't cost more than 3 to 4$, the more cords the cheaper per cord! Whether you need 2-prong or 3-prong, I can even get 120/240V dryer or stove cords for those who have access to a 240V source!

There are other parts I can get plenty of, like incandescent sockets or other wiring components. I could even make a sort of wiring kit with a pre-stripped cord, a connector and wirenuts

I get my power cords from the surplus store, they sell #18 two or three prong cords for $2, #16 three prong for $3.50 and #14 three prong for $4.50.

For this light I would just remove the plug on the short piece and put it on the longer piece so that the wire is one piece.

I would do that but that plug's screws are rusted in place and the ground prong is broken off so it'd need to be replaced anyway. Maybe I'll give it another shot with some WD40 or Corrosion Block...
Yeah, the wiring going into the ballast is probably rather tacky but it's all I can do at the moment...I can't get that stupid piece of plywood off either since somebody stuck it on there with a very rusty nipple...again maybe WD40 or Corrosion Block might work...
However, this and it's two identical siblings are missing a mounting hook so maybe for now plywood and rope is the best answer...

Replace the plug...

As for the other stuck parts use this...

Yeah, I was considering giving it another shot with a similar product...as for a replacement plug I guess the ground isn't a huge issue because there's no provision for ground on the fixture, I just thought this deserved better than lamp cord...
Since it has no mounting hook it could only be mounted with rope/chain through the piece of plywood. I haven't messed with this light anymore since (although I'm thinking of replacing the cors with a new (albeit shorter) one since I found some since this pic was taken. The only thing I've done is give it a new 400w clear Philips 400w MH lamp I was given.