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Step 3The Lights - What to use ?
Lights are , well,,, whatever you want them to be or have laying around. Obviously you can't use the old standard "C" lights (too big, and hot,,, will melt the plastic), but who uses them anymore anyhow? There are some really excellent lights on the market now, and LED are a good energy way to go, With LED (aka LOW Wattage) you can probably put 10 or 12 of these lights on the same electrical circuit! (disclaimer,, I am NOT an electrical engineer, so this is not necessarily accurate, but I've done it)
I like to use a variety of choices, some flash, some are solid on. I have found some that 'twinkle' which gives a nice effect. You are NOT limited to stings of lights, you can use the 'icicle' light stings, or the light nets. Any of them will work, so look long and hard at your options! You can also use those rather cool strings with 140 or 150 lights, that have 16 functions, or multiple built in flashing options. Remember to buy on sale just after Christmas and stock up for next year!
This first example below uses two stings of 25 LED lights, one string changes from red to green, the second from blue to white. The lights were bought at Rite Aid Drug Store, and ALWAYS ask for a discount, you'll be surprised. To install these, the faceted cover is removable; so unscrew it, put your light up to the hole from the back of the cup, and then screw the cover back on.
The second example uses a sting of 60 LED lights, and these bad boys are BRIGHT! Again, insert the lights from behind, and then I use the hot glue gun to "set" the bulbs in place. You can see how the clear plastic cups really reflect the light, making it very cool at night. You will also notice that you cannot see the green wire. Some people have indicated a preference for the white wires, but I find in the dark, no one knows the difference.
So, if you have 50 cups, and fifty holes, what do you do with the bulbs that have no cup? One option is to put the extra light(s) in an existing hole, making two (or three) lights per cup. Another choice is to hot glue the lights into a gap between cups. A third option is just to let the bulbs 'hang' on the interior of the light ball. (as I did on this second example)
If you are planning on using more than 50 lights per ball (on the smaller light balls) then your hole needs to be large enough at the bottom of the cup to insert two (or three) lights. This is accomplished by letting your hot soldering iron spend a bit more time in the opening, as the heat will cause the hole to expand.
I like to use a variety of choices, some flash, some are solid on. I have found some that 'twinkle' which gives a nice effect. You are NOT limited to stings of lights, you can use the 'icicle' light stings, or the light nets. Any of them will work, so look long and hard at your options! You can also use those rather cool strings with 140 or 150 lights, that have 16 functions, or multiple built in flashing options. Remember to buy on sale just after Christmas and stock up for next year!
This first example below uses two stings of 25 LED lights, one string changes from red to green, the second from blue to white. The lights were bought at Rite Aid Drug Store, and ALWAYS ask for a discount, you'll be surprised. To install these, the faceted cover is removable; so unscrew it, put your light up to the hole from the back of the cup, and then screw the cover back on.
The second example uses a sting of 60 LED lights, and these bad boys are BRIGHT! Again, insert the lights from behind, and then I use the hot glue gun to "set" the bulbs in place. You can see how the clear plastic cups really reflect the light, making it very cool at night. You will also notice that you cannot see the green wire. Some people have indicated a preference for the white wires, but I find in the dark, no one knows the difference.
So, if you have 50 cups, and fifty holes, what do you do with the bulbs that have no cup? One option is to put the extra light(s) in an existing hole, making two (or three) lights per cup. Another choice is to hot glue the lights into a gap between cups. A third option is just to let the bulbs 'hang' on the interior of the light ball. (as I did on this second example)
If you are planning on using more than 50 lights per ball (on the smaller light balls) then your hole needs to be large enough at the bottom of the cup to insert two (or three) lights. This is accomplished by letting your hot soldering iron spend a bit more time in the opening, as the heat will cause the hole to expand.
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