Cheap and Easy 'Gaslight' Lamp

Intro: 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!

Comments

[fritsie123]

Nice effect! This sort of thing would be great in my old-style garden. The "official" light are very expensive and your method is very affordable. I'll cover the whole thing in matte black with some splotches of rust brown for realism... Thanks for the inspiration.

[PKM]

A photo of the lamp in situ against a more neutral background (eg step two feet to the right of where you took this one) would show off the design a lot better. It's actually a very attractive piece considering it's half a hanger and some PVC pipe- good work.

[taleya]

Planning on taking one after the current sunny stretch calms down - unfortunately our yard tends to be very bright with sunlight, and it bounces off in weird ways :(