How to Make a Green Lantern Power Battery (Hal Jordan's)

Here is how to make a working Green Lantern power battery (Hal Jordan's version) for around US$20. My son (5) has decided that the Green Lantern (especially Hal Jordan) is the coolest superhero ever, so for Christmas 2009 he will be getting Hal's Green Lantern power battery (the flower pot edition). The Green Lantern (Hal) comics seem to have a variety of different looking power batteries depending on year and artist, so this is an attempt for the middle ground.

If you would like a more modern power battery, see related instructable - How to Make a Green Lantern Power Battery (2011)

Step 1: Materials

You will need...

4 x Plastic flower pots (for the cones top, bottom and sides)
2 x Plastic flower pot trays (to enclose and lengthen the top and bottom cones)
1 x Christmas decoration/bauble - 8" for full size (the lantern's center)
1 x Camping LED lantern (to make it glow)
2 x Green plastic lids (for the lantern's 'glass/lens') * see below for substitutions
2 x Bike grip plugs (for the handle fixtures) * see below for substitutions
1 x Paint pail handle
1 x Sheet of rubber foam (for the Green Lantern symbol on the top)
2 x Bolts and nuts (for having access to the batteries etc)
Liquid nails (or suitable glue)
Forest Green (Metal Hammer) spray paint
Duct tape (always handy, especially to hold glue while it sets)
Sand paper
Drill (with hole saw bit)
Scissors and craft knife

Substitution ideas

* Green Plastic Lids (for the lantern glass): If you don't have suitable lids for the lantern lens, look out for cheap drink bottles that you can cut the bottoms off, otherwise any round piece of green plastic should do.

* Bike Grip plastic plugs (for the handle fixtures): I just replaced my wife's bike handle grips and so used the ends of her old ones, but I thought of using the middle bit of a cd spindle lid or perhaps even soda bottle lids.

Step 2: Forming the Top and Bottom Cones

With a craft knife cut off (and discard) the bottoms of two of the flower pots. Dimension-wise I would suggest that we want the cone to be approximately twice as high as the flower pot trays (as we will attach these latter to increase the height and enclose the cones.

Step 3: Drilling Out the Center Bauble

Taking your drill with a hole saw bit (the kind you might install a deadlock with) drill out a hole at the base (for the lantern light to shine through), and two side holes for the light to shine from.

Step 4: Attaching the Cones to the Center Bauble

We want to leave the base cone to be able to be opened to access the lantern light (and change batteries etc). So we first want to glue 2/3 of the bottom cone to the base of the bauble, as this is where the light with the final 1/3 will be attached later.

Disassemble the lantern and glue it to the bottom flower pot tray, making sure that the lantern light is centered and it can fit into the bauble.

The top cone may now be enclosed by gluing the flower pot tray onto one of the cut flower pot cones. We can now glue this cone to the top of the bauble.

Step 5: Forming the Side Cones

Trim the last two flower pots with scissors so that they retain an outer lip and that their length is approximately 2/3 of the top/bottom cones. Sand the cut edges with sand paper to help with a clean fit against the bauble's surface.

Step 6: Attaching Side Cones and Handle Fixtures to Bauble

Attach side cones over the bauble's side holes. Also attach the bike handle grip ends 90 degrees to the cones. Attach paint pail handle through handle fixtures (I would suggest to drill through the bauble and push the handle wire into the center for strength. I bent the paint pail handle to be approximately twice the diameter of the ends of the side cones.

Step 7: Cut Out Green Lantern Symbol and Attach Ready for Painting

Cut out a Green Lantern symbol with a craft knife and glue it to the top cone (match orientation with the lantern itself). I would suggest printing the symbol out and gluing the symbol to the foam as a template guide.

Sand the surface of the lantern, wiping off any dust to prepare for painting.

Step 8: Spray Paint Lantern

Place the lantern on a box or hang it from something before painting. Spray paint gets everywhere so perhaps do this in your garage or somewhere sheltered outside. I would suggest wearing a mask and perhaps eye protection. Keep the spray can about a foot away from the lantern (it is better to do many light coats than one heavy one). I would recommend using forest green metal hammer effect spray paint.

I placed a couple of tissues in through the side cones to protect the lantern LEDs.

Step 9: Attaching the Green Lenses and Tidying Up

Glue the green lids over each side hole. I found a slightly lime green color seems to create a fantastic green glow illusion.

You can attach the base by drilling through the bottom of the bauble and bottom cone base and attaching bolts. Also, you may like to have the switch to turn the lantern on underneath by drilling an additional hole in the base.