Book Lamp

The Book Lamp shines on all on its own on the bookshelf. Where once it housed pages to excite the imagination, it is now home to a lamp to liven up the space behind it.

This project can be made for $5 and takes less than half an hour to put together. Read on for the details.

Note: the bulb looks like an incandescent, but it is in fact a CFL. The spiral fluorescent is inside a plastic bulb.

Step 1: Stuff

This project is very simple and if you already have a book that you're willing to sacrifice, the cost is just $5 for the lamp from IKEA.

Some people freak out when books get destroyed for projects like this. Well, tons of unsold books get destroyed every year. If this was one of the last few copies on Earth that would be one thing, but according to the dust cover of the book I used there were over 100,000 sold so there are plenty more. Having read some of it a while ago, the world isn't missing much anyway.

Materials

• IKEA Lampan lamp
• hardcover book at least 2" wide inside
• rubber band

Tools

• Pliers
• X-acto knife
• safety glasses

Comments

[Jantho]

STILL... a better love story than Twilight!

[tkdgirl]

It wont catch on fire?

[shellyscorner]

Not with a 7 watt bulb. It could certainly catch fire if you used a bulb with higher wattage. To give you an idea of this bulb....most light bulbs that are used in night lights are 7 watts or less. I absolutely would NOT use a higher wattage though!!!

[wannabemadsci]

This is not the type of bulb used in night lights.

As noted in the 'ible this is a 7W CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp). Most all consumer electronics, including CFLs, are designed to operate (and tested for safety) with air being allowed to circulate around them. Putting the CFL in a space without ventilation will increase the temperature of the internal electronic components and in the worst case create a fire hazard and in the best case reduce the life of the CFL.

Even the new LED bulbs produce a fair amount of heat and need free air around them.

[instructascott]

This is a very nice project, well done. Does the bulb not get hot though?? I would be worried about burying a bulb in paper..

[wannabemadsci]

You have a valid concern.

As noted in the 'ible this is a 7W CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamp). Most all consumer electronics, including CFLs, are designed to operate (and tested for safety) with air being allowed to circulate around them. Putting the CFL in a space without ventilation will increase the temperature of the internal electronic components and in the worst case create a fire hazard and in the best case reduce the life of the CFL.

Even LED bulbs produce a fair amount of heat and need free air around them.

[سلي]

Interesting, I just bought two of these lamps the other day. I didn't get a light bulb with mine though, but it's a crafty idea! Too bad I want to keep my lamps. I am determined to find a way to decorate them though.

[NINiver]

Very nice re-use of a book. Look at the gorgeous sculptures this artist makes out of books...no shame here either! http://guylaramee.com/  I'm itching to try
this!

[Spud_Hutson]

Very cool idea. I did have fire-related concerns, but the comment section has put me at ease. Definitely going to have to give this a go!

[ArcticLiz]

Nice one! Can't think of any book that deserves to be cut.. but i'll get one.. :D

[runfromnuke]

I can think of four...and they're all from one series.

"Twilight"
"New Moon"
"Eclipse"
"Breaking Dawn"

[abhimaster333]

i totally agree

[abhimaster333]

lol

[phelandhu]

Yeah, but do you really WANT those on your shelf?

[runfromnuke]

You do make a very strong point.

[wamj]

good gift for a gf that likes twilight

[tlockary]

But but but... I wouldn't have a GF who loves Twilight...lol J/K

[cyprian916]

lol great comment hilarious.

[ArcticLiz]

haha guess I agree.. (: thanks btw!

[jabujavi]

And if you add some aluminium foil to reflect the light, would you obtain better result??

Soo cool. I will do it for my brother's new house!

[suayres]

If the idea of "destroying" a book bothers you, you could alway buy one of the blank books meant for journaling. This gives you the option of creating your own title (with your name in the author spot, of course). I have seen this done for "altered book" applications. I have to admit, damaging books makes me cringe, so I have never altered nor modified a book. Mom raised me well!

[twighahn]

make the bible the light of the world

[blambert1]

This is great! I am definitely going to make one of these lights. I do not know if you are in the light contest, but I vote for you..It is one of the most unique ideas I've seen so far.
At Christmas time you can find single night lights which are a cord with an in line on/ off switch at the Dollar stores...Might want to use different color bulbs in different books....Just a thought.

[--= Excogitate =--]

If I'm the first to say fire hazard, i'd be surprised. That said, it is ascetically pleasing.

[shellyscorner]

It's only a 7 watt bulb! They're used in night lights! It shouldn't get that hot. That being said...I certainly would NOT use anything with any higher wattage for that very reason.

[SuperCoPilot]

There were so many books that deserved it why would you do it to the Illluminatus Trilogy?!

[cellopants]

It's about Discoridans, dude. Eris would want it.

[SuperCoPilot]

i don't recall discordians cutting up books for lamps

[fungus amungus]

Because it deserved it.

[ljlittleswift]

Ha ha - too true!

[SuperCoPilot]

i suppose its a book of polarized opinion, i've yet to meet a person who was kinda into it, but i've met many who like it and many who hate it. i think its hilarious personally

[fungus amungus]

I tried getting into it several years ago. I don't remember hating it so much as not being into it at all.

[SuperCoPilot]

its a funny book but its really surrealistic

[Jakeg]

If only you could "Like" commens on here like on Facebook... =]

[catmanblack]

Haha, Awesome idea! But do you have to use an IKEA lamp? Are there any alternatives?

[kraftycrone]

kraftycrone says:
another brilliant idea from you! but I chose to use a solar flashlight ( they're surprisingly cheap) because they don't need to be plugged in, the "book" can be moved around - and have cool LED bulbs.

[Syx]

An easy way to avoid the paper getting too hot, and to increase the light output, is to line the cavity with some aluminium foil - the heat and light are all then reflected out of the book and away from the paper.

[joshuainthebox]

Fungus..you have great 'ibles...thanks for sharing!! Love this one especially because we have been using old 90's can lights for up-lights behind our bookshelf for nearly a year now and I've always been concerned about the heat.. this solves that problem and definitely warrants that "where is that light coming from?" question. Can't wait to use in our new apartment!!

[miphz]

nice lamp, very instructable and inspirational ... but uhm, i think better if we use any led, because they're not hot ... :)

[inkedchick]

Just a side note ... you can buy a socket and cord for lamp projects ...and I don't think they are much more expensive .....Very cool project though... this may be one I actually do =P

[fungus amungus]

True, but this bulb plugs into a different cord with a narrower socket and to get both for $5 is great.

[erillanos]

I purchased a Lampan Lamp to try and make myself one of these and the one I got did not come with the same light bulb you show above. Off to the store to see if they have anything close to what is pictured above.

[fungus amungus]

Weird. What bulb did it come with?

[erillanos]

The light bulbs are sold separably not sure if the lamps use to come with the light bulb.

[fungus amungus]

Interesting. I only bought mine a couple weeks ago.

[frogfrog47]

Also you could just make a fake book cover from cardboard and print, draw, or put a design on it and use more cardboard for supports. If you couldn't use a book.

[luvasu]

I agree, but better if you can RECICLE every part of the "lightbook". Why not to "carve" in our "junk box"?. And, why not to reinforce the inside of de fakebook using the inside of a tetrabrick (aluminium foil on cardboard), adding extra brightness to the mounting?.

[mdog93]

i thought that, but CFLs don't get very hot, but still if it's on for long periods it could be a bit of a hazard. Should be fine though if not on for long, right fungus?

[iborgiborg]

I like this idea and will try it. The bulb itself doesn't get hot, but, I have had one of these feel hot enough to burn. This was the plastic area where the globe ends at the bottom. Between the glass and the bulb holder in the photo above. I would only set up an LED globe.

[luvasu]

I agree, to avoid any danger from heat, use a LED bulb or similar... always with led light.

[f2point8]

Nice effect.

[pocketspy]

I haven't read all the comments, so, if you line the inside with aluminum foil, you can increase the amount of light without increasing the wattage.

[crusty knight]

My 2 cents. I repair copiers for a living. Many times over the years I've gone in to clear a jam in the fuser that's been there for a while. On my machines the fuser temp is around 350F. It's usually a couple days before someone calls for service, in the meantime every worker in the office has turned the machine on and let it warm up only to find it's still jammed. So the paper may sit in the fuser for quite some time getting reheated over and over. The absolute worst I have seen the paper was brown and crumbled easily but never combusted. These lights are a heck of a lot cooler than my fusers. I would have no problem hooking it up the way fungusamongus did. Nor would I worry about leaving it on for long periods.

[tomaway]

Everything is so close together... I wonder how hot it is?

[danceafterdark]

You could always switch to an LED bulb. They produce much less heat, so there wouldn't be as much cause for concern.

[shinyegg]

wondering same thing... any fires yet?

[Sam the Wizer]

Hail Eris!

[emerson.john]

All hail Discordia! It's time for you to see the fnords, Sam. I had a lot of fun with those books.

[sadiecoons]

Sooo cool!!!

[nickodemus]

You get some really crazy ideas... This is nice.

[Mr. Grumpus]

I really dig it and will totally rip you off when I make my own and show it to my friends!!! j/k On a serious note, I think just taking the book cover and heat forming some white plastic as a mount for the light socket could be an alternative to mounting directly on the paper. I'm not wading into the convo on safety, I'm just thinking it would be sturdier and less time consuming than cutting all the paper.

[yngla]

Nice project! I guess the hardest part is to find the perfect book... The titel of your book is the best!

[nak]

To the prettiest one -- you!

[figgalicous]

Jeepers people! Please read the conversation before commenting.

[MichelMoermans]

Nice! I'll definitly make this for my new place in Leuven (need ot move because my school changed) I do have one thought. What about the heat generated? Is their a chance of the book catching fire? How could this be prevented?

[fungus amungus]

Even after being on for over 15 minutes I can hold the bulb in my hand. The design can easily be changed so that the bulb is not lying on the paper if you're concerned.

[T3h_Muffinator]

Once again - a beautiful piece, Ed. I really like the 'glow' effect on the wall.

[fungus amungus]

Thanks, Josh!

[chanjunsung]

This LED bulb would work PERFECTLY in that book haha. It's a smaller size than the CFL and doesn't contain mercury.

http://www.eternaleds.com/4W_LED_Globe_A_Shape_Bulb_Eternaleds_HydraLux_p/hydralux-4.htm

[fungus amungus]

That would be nice, but it's also $35 for the bulb! It would be good for a light that was used a lot, but this lamp will likely see a lot less action.

[adambanksdotcom]

This is nice. If you have bookshelves rather than a single open shelf, the effect is probably much the same if you just place the bulb behind the book(s). Something I've done before with those bookshelves from IKEA that are far too deep for most books. Re the fire issue, paper is the most common material in lampshades, so presumably it's not particularly prone to catching fire due to proximity with lightbulbs? This guy measured the surface temp of various incandescents http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_can_you_measure_the_surface_temperature_of_a_light_bulb and got no higher than 136°C (277°F) even with a 100W. As we all know, the auto-ignition temp of paper (presumably different papers vary? hmm) is 450°F, or 451 if you want a snappy book title. So it doesn't seem that much of a hazard, although intuitively I'd definitely want to keep the bulb at the top and allow the heat to escape into the air without too much impediment.

[gmjhowe]

Nice choice of book!

[Mattrox]

I like It but, isn't it a fire hazard?

[omnibot]

Not with a CFL but an oldschool incandescent bulb would set it on fire.

[MegaMetal8]

Cool 5*

[dylancaiello]

anybody think it would still be safe with a 13w spiral compact fluorescent? I'd like to try it

[KT Gadget]

Depends how hot the 13W CFL gets. If it does not get as hot as a regular filament light bulb, then it should be fine, just always take safety measures if the CFL does get hot cause paper + hot bulb are never a good combination.

[flyboy11]

Fire Hazard?

[indestructable]

Not likely. That type of bulb doesn't get all that warm.

[indestructable]

Con: I've never liked the idea of destroying a book for a project, but that is just me. Pro: Well done! This is a great visual effect. It gives me an idea for another project that, if I do it, I'll make into an instructable.

[Kaelessin]

I've been intrigued by the idea of sourceless light for a while (i know it's not technically possible), i.e. how cool would it be to light a room up with no specific source! While that's impossible the next best thing is what I call clandestine lighting. I've tossed my floor lamp behind my bookshelf (in a corner) for this very reason. I must say this ible is something that will make an excellent addition to my harebrained idea! Thanks for a cool post! On a side note . . .what of the heat generated? I know it's only 7 watts but is this not somewhat hazardous still?

[scraptopower]

These little CFL's give off almost no heat. It's not a good idea to use an incandescent bulb here as the heat would be substantial, even for 7W.

[Kaelessin]

cool! I suppose i should have read more carefully but i didn't see the familiar spiral shape and assumed incandescent.

[Codum]

Super clean !

[kcls]

Nice!

[lemonie]

Very nice.

L