3 Simple Ways to
Share What You Make

With Instructables you can share what you make with the world — and tap into an ever-growing community of creative experts.

PhotosPhotos

Share one or more photos of a project, recipe, or whatever you've made, quickly and easily.

Get Started

Learn more & Get Tips

Step by StepStep-By-Step

Share your step-by-step photos with text instructions of what you made so others can do it too!

Get Started

Learn more & Get Tips

VideoVideo

Share your how-to video. You'll need your embed code from a video site such as YouTube.

Get Started

Learn more & Get Tips

Print PDF

Favorite

Radio Lamp USB Flash

last photo ←

It's my first job in steampunk. Made as a gift for radio amateur. Oak wood, brass, old radio lamp and 8 Gb USB flash drive

15 comments

Jan 14, 2012. 5:19 PM

cutshopguy says:

Beautiful work, just beautiful. Do please provide some "how-to" details.

Dec 6, 2011. 12:12 PMxaenon says:

If I had to guess, I'd say the 'vacuum tube' is the glass envelope from a neon bulb, with the USB drive's activity light rigged to provide the 'filament glow'. Pretty slick looking no matter how you look at it.

Dec 6, 2011. 4:28 PMxaenon says:

Looking at it again, perhaps the 'tube' is a automotive bulb. The bulb number escapes me, but it has two metal sleeves on either end. It is ( or at least was) used for dome lights and glove compartment lights.

Dec 7, 2011. 9:40 AMAladdinSE (author) says:

it is mostly like this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_tube
vacuum diode or something like that - nice looking piece of glass with a kind of metall inside :)))

Dec 7, 2011. 12:51 PMxaenon says:

I've never seen a radio tube quite that small; even the CV4501subminiature tube they have in the wiki entry looks bigger than the thing in this project. Of course, I'm hardly an expert on radio tubes,. and maybe either the wiki entry or the photo here might be exaggerating the size a bit.

A neon bulb would have a couple of electrodes in it, though whatever is in the glass envelope here does appear to be considerably more elaborate.

I've got this instructable in my favorites, I'm dying to see the play-by-play on how he built this thing!

Dec 8, 2011. 3:46 AMAladdinSE (author) says:

i've added couple of pics with parts used in project

Dec 6, 2011. 11:28 PM

Junophor says:

Hi AladdinSE

I am very impressed about your work.
Especially the etching brass parts are absolutely good. You also did a great job by composing the different materials together!!!
I really like your style

Show us more
Ceers Aeon Junophor

Dec 7, 2011. 9:37 AMAladdinSE (author) says:

Thank you! your works impressed me too

Nov 8, 2011. 9:49 PMjefflarkin says:

This is absolutely beautiful! I'm not familiar with a radio lamp, where did you find that part? I'll reiterate what everyone else here has said, I'd love to see the step-by-step.

Nov 2, 2011. 11:45 AMAvariel77 says:

That's awesome! How did you make it?

Dec 4, 2011. 10:27 AMAladdinSE (author) says:

thank you! it was made as a gift for my father.

Oct 19, 2011. 12:48 AM

Kaelessin says:

fanTAStic . . .this is perfect!

Oct 14, 2011. 11:14 AMtroyka says:

love it, how did you make this?

Oct 13, 2011. 4:00 AMironsmiter says:

what a CUTE little vacuum tube!

Agree with Aleator777...
Tube mounting, brass etching, usb modding.
we need the HOW! ;-)

please make another one, and take pictures!

Background stuff from picture 2 looks FUN.
those the old bits from the sacrificial radio used to make this?