The last few days I've worked on a light for the bathroom. I’ve pondered that project for a long time. I always begin by searching for real life lighting fixtures to get some ideas on how to design lights then I look for tutorials and there are some very good artists and designers who create beautiful pieces, but I have certain limitations:
· I am neither an artist nor a designer, so I have to study how real things are made and try to figure out how replicate the item. If I can’t, I buy it.
· I have limited skills. I’m not good at all at soldering which is required if you want to join metals. I’m going to learn how because I want to solder my electrical connections when I install my lights. Because I lack certain skills, I am limited to certain materials: wood mostly, and paper, card stock, and chipboard
· I try to limit myself to what I have in my stash, too, to save money and to use up what I have on hand. I am also limited by the tools that I have mastered: beads and beading supplies; wood; my Maker; my little table saw; and my Dremel.
I can work with clay, but a 3-D printer sure would be cool, but I’m not ready to go there yet, but creating the hardware for the bathroom light would have been easy. Right ????
For this project, I began by taking the plastic pump tube out of my hand soap bottle, thinking that plastic tube would be easy to work with. I like the look of a round pipe-like base, so the plastic tube would be great, and it was easy to work with, except that once I got it designed, I didn’t have a way to hang it and I knew that painting it would be problematic, mostly getting the paint to adhere to the smooth, nonporous plastic tube, so I abandoned that prototype.
I dug in my lumber stash again to come up with a design for the fixture. I decided that wood would be the best foundation for the light fixture. The base is 3 3/4 inch long, 1/4 inch wide, and 1/8 inch thick. The block will be used to attach the fixture to the wall with the wiring threaded through--that's the plan now.
I'll use 12 volt lights and jewelry bead caps to build the base. A small round one will go inside the larger bead cap to keep the bulb from sliding through the hole in the larger cap. You can substitute a small bead for both the small bead caps. If you have to go shopping for parts, you will find a variety of bead caps to choose from.
The glass globes came from Just Miniature Scale online and Superior sells them, too, but they are out of order now, so try Etsy shops that I mentioned in my last post.
It's a simple design and easy to assemble--so far.
Now I am ready glue the pieces together. I learned how to glue these tiny lamp parts together following a tutorial for a Bindles Ornaments kit. Using a tooth pick as holder to stack parts on is quite handy. Just don't glue your parts to the tooth pick.
Still, I like the results.
And so, my friends, the New Year begins. My goal is to finish the Manchester--certainly much before year's end--like this spring, hopefully. There is still so much work to do. I hadn't realized how much work it would be to make everything; still, my goals for the house to make everything or purchase items from artists, use up as much of as my stash as possible, and to create a modern farmhouse with a fresh, clean look give me purpose and keep the project challenging and interesting.
Wishing you a Happy New Year full of promise, prosperity, good healthy, and great miniature projects.
So here's to you, friends.
Happy New Year and Well Done Ann! I totally enjoyed reading your tutorial of how you've constructed your lamp and I think that your end product is Simply Grand!
ReplyDeleteI applaud the fact that you have built what you needed from scratch using what you had on hand coupled with a good dose of old-fashioned Creativity- Bravo! :D
elizabeth
You are sweet Elizabeth. Thank you. I'm not done with it yet; I'll keep tinkering until I figure out how to hang it.
ReplyDeleteI am always in awe of folk who can make some complex piece from 'odds and ends' they already have. Well done on a creative piece. Couple of suggestions that may not even be any use but maybe worth throwing out there in case….. is the wood strip thick enough and forgiving enough for you to make grooves to lay in the wires and then cover with masking tape or similar to hold them in place then painted of
ReplyDeletecourse? As for getting the best possible finish on you painted wood….maybe won't work with an oil based paint….. i do many coats rubbing down between each one with 400 sandpaper or nail buffer or similar. At least three coats and have done as many as seven!!! But then I am slightly cracked.
I needed you lesson on sanding and more coats of pain and I like the idea of scoring the back of the base to make channels for those tiny wires. I think I have more work to do. Than you.
DeleteApologies for typos…. Done in a rush….
ReplyDeleteAs observed earlier, we have a similar approach to minis; if we can’t make it we buy well made pieces. But I must disagree with your claim that you have limited skills. You are quite accomplished and have been so generous in sharing your skills with the mini community. Your light fixture looks good so far. If I were to make a modern globe fixture I would keep it simple: drill holes on the wood mounting board that are large enough to push the globe neck through. For a finished look on the front, use a jump ring at the junction between the globe and the board. But most of all – have fun. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sherrill. We tend to be our own worst critic. I started with your method, drilling holes in a plank then, went a little crazy. I'll keep fiddling until I'm satisfied.
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