THE Shovel Lamp! by Samuel Bernier

by Samuel Bernier

9.2K929

Intro: THE Shovel Lamp! by Samuel Bernier

My mom gave me a broken shovel that couldn't be fixed. Somehow, it broke right in the middle of the steel blade. Even a good welder couldn't bring it back to life. Even for recycling, this object was tricky to disassemble because of the rivets used to keep everything together. There was no way I was going to throw away such a beautiful object. Here is how a piece of junk became a 120 $ lamp.





STEP 1: Material

MATERIAL NEEDED :
- A broken shovel
- IKEA suspension kit
- Light bulb
- 1 small steel plate
- High temperature paint

STEP 2: Clean

1- CLEAN

Use grid 80 sandpaper to remove every rust and dirt from the shovel. Try to remove most of the paint. If you have a sandblast machine... you'll save a lot of time.

STEP 3: Metal Plate

2- THE PLATE

I can't really give you specific dimensions for the metal plate holding the light socket since most shovels are different. Basically, all you will need to do is punch a hole, 4.5 cm wide, in the steel foil and cut a V-shape to fit the shovel's shape. Bend the end of the V to create a surface that will help you stick or weld the two parts together.

STEP 4: IKEA Socket

3- CHECK UP AND PAINT

Make sure all the components fit together. Screw the socket on the plate and make sure the light bulb doesn't touch the metal. If everything works fine, remove the socket and paint everything with heat resistant paint (BBQ paint).

STEP 5: Paint

Use high temperature BBQ paint. Mate finish looks better. 

STEP 6: Photoshoot

9 Comments

Jerry1252 11 years ago

Our daughter will love this, and she even has an old shovel collection. Thanks!

Wasagi 11 years ago

Superb!! I can only imagine a room with Shovels repurposed as lamps, some rakes as coat/hat hangers, and maybe a flipped plow and some casks as a table, and it's sent my heart all aflutter.

velorna 12 years ago

Awesome idea.... It's amazing how modern and zen it is....

Duplo for Daddies 12 years ago

Nice work! I was wondering though, is it really necessary with the special paint job? If you use a energy saving bulb which generally makes less heat than a decadence light bulb, I believe that should be safe.
I want to make my own version of this idea, with one of those big shovels used for taking breads in and out of ovens. Perfect effect for my future bakery!

zappenfusen 12 years ago

Very cool. Does not one Instructable's member employ spell check? I'm going to have to go beat up a shovel now. How did your Mom like it?
Zapp

Samuel Bernier 12 years ago

My mom gave me the shovel, but she didn't get the lamp. I made the lamp for a found raising auction. A women bought it for 120$. Good price for a broken shovel.

kc0kfg 12 years ago

I think its a awesome finished project but you may want to retract the statement

"Even the best welder on earth couldn't bring it back to life"

I know I could weld it and im no pro and the pros out there could weld it stronger than new.