Dear Steampunkers, dear friends and followers

As you may know I like it to play with high voltages and with Plasma devices... it's "Science & Adventure"!

With this Instructable I show you how to make your own Steampunk Plasma Lantern, running with 300 Volts! For the power I use a flash unit from a disposal camera from KODAK. This small units are running with only one small battery (1.5V) and are easely to convert.

So, if you are interested, keep reading. We will start with an overview about the stuff you need for your project.

But please only open the case of a disposal camera when you know what you are doing. The capacitor could still have a lot of power in and there is the possibility of an electric shock if you touch the wrong parts!!! If you are not sure how to use the flash unit of a disposal camera please read some tutorials first - and always be careful!!!

Step 1: The Material for Your Steampunk Lantern

First of all you will need an old lantern or something similar. I found one under the snow in our garden.
Further I used the following stuff:

a neon filled bulb, called flickering bulb
a few brass rings and brass parts for decoration
the flash unit from a disposal camera from KODAK
a battery clip for a single battery
cables, a switch
a heavy brass ring for the bottom, some wood and screws

Step 2: Preparing the Flickering Bulb

First of all I prepared the flickering bulb and the high voltage unit, to be sure that it works. I soldered two cables to the bulb, one to the top of the socket and the other one to the bottom. Then I wrapped the socket with tape. You have to do that very good, becaue you don't want to have 300Volts at the metal body of your lantern - that could hurt!!!

Step 3: The High Voltage Unit of a Disposal KODAK Camera

I don't write too much about this step, because if you are able to handle such a unit you will now what you have to do. If not, please read and study first some tutorials about the use of this units from disposal cameras.

As you can see on the picture its very easy to convert such a unit. Take carefully off the capacitor, after you unloaded it. Then solder the cables for the bulb to this two connections, where before the capacitor was on.

Then use a drop of tin-solder to connect the two pins from the switch (see picture).

To finish connect the cables for the battery. Please check the polarity.

That's it. After you connect the battery, the flickering bulb should run...

Step 4: Prepare the Lantern

To place the electronic and the Battery into the lantern i had to cut out the bottom. Be brutal, then it will work!!!

Then I painted the lantern black, because I like this look together with brass.

Step 5: Putting Together All the Parts

First a mounted the bulb with hot glue to the body of the lantern. The bulb fitted exactly into the hole.
The I drilled a small hole for the switch on the side. After that I connected the electronic to the bulb and to the switch.
To close the lamp at the bottom I found a heavy brass ring. This ring is screwed to a wooden stringer (see picture).

Step 6: The Finish

To keep the glass of the lantern at the right place I used two brass rings, which fitted by chance perfectly to the lantern...

As a decoration I placed two nice brass parts to the top of the lantern (see pictures).

That's it. I hope I could give you an inspiration to make your own thing!

Your Chocolatist