Introduction: Lamp; $1 Lamp

About: NYC born and raised

The goal of this project is to construct a lamp using only $1 and found/ repurposed/ recycled objects as well as any tools you have access to including garbage. The point is to find a small way to contribute to a sustainable and environmentally friendly future. For this particular peice you don't even need $1, as I was able to find everthing I used. This lamp is made from very few items and should take anywhere from 3-6 hours to make. However, this lamp can be considered more of a longterm project due to the lampshade made of soda can tabs. It will take a few weeks of collecting and driking enough soda. (Although I got most of my soda tabs from empty arizona's and beer cans). Pro tip: go to a house party to speed up the collection process.

Step 1: Collect Materials

You will need:

- hallow metal pipe

- skateboard, snowboard, or any unique peice of scrap wood

- soda can tabs (I used 80 tabs to make this)

- wire chord with plug

- clear plastic container

- lightbulb socket

- light bulb

Tools:

- drill

- hot glue

- wire cutters

- grinder

Step 2: Prepare Soda Tabs (bend and Snap)

To prepare the tabs you need a pair of wire cutters and a hard surface to bend the tabs on.

1) Remove the tiny circular flap

2) Bend the tabs at the spce between the two holes on the solid surface ( I used a table to bend them).

3) make a cut with your wire cutters in the middle of the thinner end

Step 3: Make Chainmail

1) organize four tabs in a diamond shape

2) push bottom of tab through the incesion you made to link them together

3) the tab at the top of the diamond attaches over the side tabs, the bottom tab goes gets attatched under the side tabs

4) make a couple groups of daimond tabs and place them in a row.

5) get single tabs to connect the diamonds together

Step 4: Secure Chainmail

loop a peice of wire through the top row of the chainmail to secure them together.

I made my chainmail around a plastic cup I used as a mold

I decided to leave the clear plastic their to maintain the full shape (when you remove the mold the tabs fall naturally and it makes the shape a bit smaller

Step 5: Attach Pipe and Board and Lamp Shade

1) Drill a hole at the top of the skateboard (or snowboard, or any splinter free peice of scrap wood) about the size of the hallow metal pipe. You need a spade bit drill to make a whole big enough to fit the pipe in.

2) Shave the pipe down to the size you want, keeping in mind how far out it will extend from skateboard. You need a grinder for this as saws meant to cut wood will not work.

3) hot glue a rim around the whole in the skateboard, and stick the pipe in the hole while the glue is still hot

4) Make an X shape incision in the middle of the platic container you used to make your chainmail around. Stick the metal pipe into the cut. I twisted my pipe in because it had nice spiral ridges.

~ you should now have all three body parts of the lamp (the board, the pipe, and the lmapshade) attached ~

Step 6: Wiring

1) take the wire you found, making sure it has a bit that pugs into the wall

2) split it in half

3) use an excacto knife to cut away the plastic sealant, so the copper wire is exposed. Twist the wire so there is no fraying

6) feed the wire through the metal pipe so the copper tips come through the front of the board where the lightbulb will be. feed it through the lampshade as well, giving it extra room so you can work on it without touching the lampshade.

4) attatch one wire to each side of the lightbulb socket by wraping it around the little handle

5) put plastic sealent over exposed wire and hold over a flame to make sure it molds to the wire and covers it all.

6) screw in lightbulb.

7) pull wire back till it is inside lampshade.

Step 7: Turn Your Lamp On!

Plug it into an outlet. Be careful! CaUtIOn! If wire is not fully sealed there will be an explosion.

Furniture Contest 2017

Participated in the
Furniture Contest 2017

Reclaimed Contest 2017

Participated in the
Reclaimed Contest 2017