Steampunking a Bar Lantern

First I have to say that this is my second instructable and as some people noticed at my first - it is a showable. I am sorry for that but this is the result of my way to do these things. I search for antiques and matching parts everywhere and everytime and after collecting these I combine this parts to something else. Sometimes I search for something very special (and order this from realy extraordinary specialists) and on the other hand I find matching inspirations in my collection of founded parts of junk, waste, garbage.

I found this Lantern on a fleamarked and got it realy cheap. It´s made of tinplate and the glas is a bottle. I think a cover on the spout is missing. In the stand is a battery compartment (2 C-cells - 3 V) and a switch and a small bulb is under the bottle. All in all it´s a good base to steampunk it.

Step 1 Changing the light

After inserting batteries I experienced that everything worked but the bulb was dark and boring. I opened all and disassembled the bulb and the lamp socket of plastic (it was wedged in the bottom) and cut the wires up there. Some weeks ago I bought some flickering candles, tealights made from LEDs and a CR2016 and soldered 6 of the LEDs to a small ring for another idea that didn´t  work. In this lantern they should develop the life that I missed with the bulb. So I replaced this first.
The wiring is from the original now, only the bulb was changed to the LEDs. Because the soldering was made for something completely different I covered the metal housing with tape down the hole to prevent any shortcuts or losses.

At this point the electric modifications will do it for now. Let´s do the steampunkination and look where it goes.

Comments

[longwinters]

Very cool I was pondering such a project, I fear your creation has exceeded my imagination, if time permits (projects real and proposed pile up like crazy, I may make a similar one and use one of the old style long filiment bulbs, this would require a cord, you have achieved a wonderful balanced look!