How to Make a Book Lamp

Intro: How to Make a Book Lamp

Hi,
Here i will show step by step how to make a book lamp (it is very helpful when you are late at night and want to read a book), this Instructable is very easy, and also very cheap, it costs less than 4 Dollars, and it is very handy!
You can find many of this Instructable accessories in your house!!

STEP 1: Supplies You Need to Start the Book Lamp

Here is what you need to get started:

-LED of choice (I prefer a white one, it is best for reading)


-Batteries (Make sure to get batteries that match to the LED voltage, otherwise the lamp may not work!)

-Batteries Holder and a Switch (You can get it from an old toy, or buy one, it is for the batteries from above, so seek for one that can carry the batteries you picked!).

-Clip (it can be small or big, the bigger, then more stability).

-Foil Paper (no more than a 30x30 cm ).

-Wire (try to buy a really thick one, not to thick, we want it to be movable and stiff at the same time!
No more than 1 mt).

-Piece of Paper

-Electric wire (The amount of electric wire depends on the size of the Book Lamp, so less than 50 cm).

-Plastic Tube (Optional).

STEP 2: Tools You Need

This are the tools you need to make the Book Lamp!

-Scissors

-Tape (Notice that the color of the tape will be the color of your lamp, so buy a cool color!).

-Pliers (good enough to cut some wire).

Glue (Some good glue to make sure the wire does not move, the glue must make a layer).

STEP 3: Getting Started

For this step you will need the pliers.

Grab the clip, and wrap the wire around it, as it is shown in the picture.
Make sure the larger part of the wire is facing upwards, because that is the "neck" of the Book Lamp.
Tight the wire really good with the pliers, to make sure it does not move.

STEP 4: Making the Connections

For this part you will need the electric wire, and the tape

You have to make the energy go from the bottom (where the batteries holder is placed) to the highest part (where the LED will be placed), so you connect the Batteries Holder and the switch to a electrical wire as it is shown in the picture.
(You might weld the part of the switch to make sure it is good).

STEP 5: Getting the Pieces Together

Now for this step i used some of the layered glue i bought, but you can do it with tape, but i highly recommend the layered glue, as you can see in the picture, the layered glue is like plasticine that in 10 min it gets really hard.

Picture 1.-
Place the connection of the Step 4 and paste it with layered glue, or tape.
Make sure to glue it very good.

Picture 2-3.-
Now wrap the wire ("Neck" of the Lamp) and the electric wire with Tape, with the color you want to be your Book Lamp.
Leave some extra electric wire, so when you move the "Neck" of the Lamp it does not break.
If you are confused look the Pictures.

(Optional).-
Introduce the "Neck" of the lamp (wire) in the plastic tube to make it more fancy!!

STEP 6: Making the Head of the Book Lamp

For this part you will need the foil paper, paper, and some tape.

Picture 1.-
First place the foil paper above the paper.

Picture 2.-
Make a cone with the foil inside the paper like the picture, and tape it at the end.

Picture 3.-
Now cut the cone, we will need the lower part, and it has ti be pretty small, so do not cut it to big.

Picture 4.-
As you can see i taped the lower part of the cone surface with tape, that is just for great looks!
Tape the foil that is inside the cone to the paper so it wont fall.

STEP 7: Lets Bring This to Life!

Connect the LED to the batteries holder and the switch as it is shown in the picture.

STEP 8: Lets Give It Shape

Tape the cone to the "Neck" of the Lamp (Wire). As it is shown in the picture.

STEP 9: We Are Done!!

We are Finished!! The Book Lamp is now finished.

Comments

[Fozzy Vis]

I'm still looking where to buy the sort of bendable "metal" tubes (you know, like some Ikea lamps have, it's hard to explain). Same use as the metal wire is used in this instructable. I would like to make a support for a (now broken) shower head that is bendable, but ofcourse just some metal wire isn't going to support the weight... I've tried twisting 3 copper 2.5mm² wires together but it isn't strong enough. Anyone any clues?

[nikhilj16]

why don't you try a straw? the ones which have the bending heads? that way you can even focus your lamp better!

[kasholte]

have you tried flexible conduit? should be in the electical dept of the local home depot

[Goombex]

Hi, mmm you migh have to go where you buy your shower, or other places where you can find showers, but if you dont, i was thinking this , and if it is not bendable, you can add like you said copper, or aluminium, and if it is not to stong, try makyng braids with aluminium, like picture 2. good luck!

[Fozzy Vis]

Well, the tubes are not the problem, that's not really the problem. I'm more looking for something like This lamp, the upper part of it. I'd *love* to buy something like that.

Not just for the shower head, it would be great for a multitude of things. I just need to find a place where I could buy it in Europe (or online for a decent price)...

[skydreamer.lee]

this is so cool! in here lights like this I found at the bookstore cost 10 and more and this costs so much less! thanks!!

[Bhutan dorji]

It is very interesting. i am also in search of white LED study lamp for rural students for night study. In your project nothing has been inform about the number of LED, capacity and type of battery of battery used for the lamp, and how many hours LED lamp will glow for the study if it is power only from battery. I would also like to have circuit design of it so that i will also make it one for myself. Is one white LED is enough for the night study for one student or more LED is needed to have more lights for the study purpose? Please do kindly suggest or give m above informations if necessary for the good LED study lamp.

Regards

[lyka]

whats the purpose of this??(; Sorry for this stupid ques..

[Goombex]

do you mean the supplies or the whole instructables, if its the instructable, i couldn´t read at night so i did this book lamp, to read at night, its portable, so its easy to carry, also because i had all the materials in my house and i didn´t spend any money, i was taking a shower and i figured how to do it.... reply if i didn´t answer your question, and theres no stupid question, stupid is the one that doesn´t ask at all!!! thank you for the comment

[anenano]

Something else that works pretty nicely for making the cone for the LED is a floppy disk. Cut about a quarter of it and wrap it around the LED, secure it with scotch tape.

[Goombex]

Thats great!!

[anenano]

Here's an image of an LED light with a floppy around it and a shot of the lighting system I made for my keyboard (with blue backlight). I'll probably make an instructable with more pics from this project.

[Goombex]

Thank you anenano, post some photos to take a look, if you have some..

[R4Man18]

For those of you that say HEY you could have gone to the dollar store and picked up a nice one for 1$ its not about the price its about being something he made himself.

[Goombex]

Thanks for the comment, after all thats what this page is all about, like the Wall-E Instructable, i think it costs tons more than buy a real one, but still it is the winner.

[mg0930mg]

This is really nice. Great job!

[wertyyrew]

Hey this is actually really usefull! thanks a lot! looking forward to new instructables from you!

[Etzick]

Amazing! It seemed a bit lame at first but its just simple and great quality! great work man! 5/5!

[Goombex]

well thanks. man. explain to me how lame to improve the next time!

[Michi394]

woooowww thanks to this instructable now i can read my harry potter books!!