This adapter will turn any 25W Colored Party Light Bulb into an eerily flickering light. This can be used with any standard light socket, provided you have the room for it. It is a modification of the flickering light fixture portion of the haunted signpost I found at (the now defunct) http://www.unpleasantstreet.com/index.php?x=/projects/2005/haunted_signpost&y=main

I found where the original Unpleasant Street idea came from...http://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/51359-sign-post-idea.html

Step 1: Parts

The parts from the home store you will need are: a light socket adapter, a flourescent lampholder with starter socket, and a 20W flourescent tube starter.

Step 2: Remove the Lamp Base

Using a jewlers flat blade screwdriver bend the indents (2x) holding the base on, out wards so the metal base can be unscrewed from the adapter.

Step 3: Remove the Rivet

Using a 1/8" drill bit, I drilled the rivet out. The rivet is located in the center of the plug in part.

Step 4: Separate the Two Halves

At this point the two halves of the plastic body should easily come apart.

Step 5: Prep the Starter Socket

I wanted to save the lampholder for a project in the future, so using the flat blade jewlers screwdriver I popped open the back of the lampholder and carefully removed the wire attached to it. I then bent the metal arm away from the starter socket and the brass rivet easily gave way.

Step 6: Fit the Starter Socket

I set the starter socket over the plugin to see how wide I needed to cut the hole.

Step 7: Cut and Fit

Then get out the trusty Dremel and cut out a spot for the starter socket. Make sure your cutting wheel goes deep enough so when you use the regular screwdriver to pop it apart it doesn't break the plastic shell of the adapter. That's what I did to my first one. Test fit the starter socket to make sure it fits down in the plastic shell.

Step 8: Start Wiring

Since the starter socket has push in connectors I cut a short piece of 16AWG wire and pushed it in. The black wire that came with the starter socket is solid core 18AWG. Then fit the starter socket back into the plastic shell running the wires to the inside of the shell. Then pull the brass connectors out of the other half of the shell.

Step 9: Modify the Neutral Conductor

Using a side cutters I removed the portion of the brass conductors so everything could fit. Make sure you cut the side of the fittings that used to go up into the part of the shell you already modified. Put the Neutral brass conductor back in making sure you get the top edge into the cutout.

Step 10: Modify the Hot Conductor

Near the rivet of the Hot brass conductor, cut the conductor. In order for the bottom half of the hot conductor to stay in place the U shaped end needs to be bent once more to form a square. In addition I made a tight curl at the other end for the wire coming from the starter socket. After inserting the wire into the curl, I added some solder just to make the wire a little stiffer. I did give the conductor a little bend to keep it near the wall of the plastic shell (You'll see this in a later pic) Using the rivet in the upper half of my hot conductor as the connection point, I slid the black 18AWG wire through the rivet and bent the wire around the conductor.

Step 11: Reassembly

Put the two parts of the hot conductor back into the unmodified half of the plastic shell and carefully put the shell back together. The starter socket may pop out because of the wires, it's ok for now. Make sure you get the neutral conductor into the cut out in the modified half of the shell. I then used 2 zip ties to hold the two halves of the shell together.

Step 12: Reassembly P2

I then screwed the metal base back on and used the flat screwdriver to bend the metal base tabs back into their notches.
Install the starter into the starter socket. Screw in a 25W party lightbulb and screw this whole thing into a light socket (with the power off). Turn the light on and watch it flicker as if your house were haunted and/or run down.
How do you like my first instructable?