Introduction: Cheap and Easy 'Gaslight' Lamp

This is something I knocked together for our halloween party - it took about five minutes, was cheap, easy and looks great

Step 1: Parts

First things first: Supplies!

- Solar charged garden lamp
- PVC piping (cut to desired height)
- A plastic coathanger
(Optional) PVP Pipe end cap

For this I used a rechargable garden lamp - cost you around $10-$15 (AU) at just about any place that sells them. I picked these up at bunnings, came in a pair, so there's one and a spare. The piping was 28mm, and left over from a Monster Mud creation. I cut it to 2m as our graveyard is full sized. The coathanger was a cheap plastic one lying about the house.

Step 2: The Lamp Bracket

I picked this coathanger because it had a funky scroll-like design on the end (probably for hanging pants) I measured by eye, worked out how far I wanted it to project, then cut straight through it with a dremel

Step 3: Making the Pole

The next step was to mark out the drilling points - I did this by basically just holding the bracket against the PVC and marking out the entrance points - A thing to note is that this will not be close together as the coathanger does angle (This comes in handy!)

Another thing I found useful was to drill the pilots with a dremel and then enlarging with my drill - it allowed for more accuracy when placing the holes, and less damage to the PVC.

Step 4: Putting It Together

At this point, all you need to do is wedge the coathanger into the holes!

I angled the holes on this so they put pressure in different directions - this means I don't need to glue it together, as when I attach the lamp, the weight will actually wedge it in tighter. By all means, glue if you like :)

At this point, you can also place the PVC end cap on the top. I didn't do it, as I had no end caps.

Step 5: Paint It!

After scuffing up the plastic and drilling some holes in the base, I painted the pole (sans black coathanger) with Project Paints flat black. I love this stuff, it goes on nicely, dries fast and looks damned good. To make it easier, I actually hung it from the clothesline to get around all curves.

You can put feet on it if you like, or a decorative stand, but we have grass and I have tent pegs, so I simply used the holes I drilled in the base to support it, and then hung the lamp on the hook.


Voila! Gas light!