Shop lighting upgrades

Before polishing the guitars, I decided to upgrade some shop lights.  I have very poor natural light in my shop unfortunately.

I stole two task lamps from above one of my benches.

I had a thrown together lamp that I would roll around.  I made a new base and added the two additional task lamps.  I even made the center one on a height adjustable pole.

Over the bench, I made some new pendants from some old high bay lighting fixtures that were destined for the scrap yard.

Now just to experiment and find the right bulbs, especially for the portable lamp.  I’d like it bright enough to do surgery if I turn them on. 

Intermission for non guitar stuff

While my lacquer was curing for two weeks I took the opportunity to do a couple things around the house.

I installed an automatic gate opener for my drive way.  Of course I picked a particularly cold week to run 125′ of partially buried power cable and bug together a bunch of electrical connections.  Oh well… its done.  No pics.  Not that exciting, except to me, not having to get in and out of the car a few times every time I want to leave the house is a pleasure.

Another project on the back burner for about 2 years was restoring an old copper fixture that was original to my house.

I guess when having electric lighting was a status symbol, this was probably extravagant with 16 bulbs in it. Originally in the dining room, the bulbs were facing down and exposed, and it hung about 8” off the ceiling. I ended up moving some fixtures around and replacing this with a much nicer chandelier from another room.  I decided to restore, then install the fixture upside down, so the leaves would show and drop it about 2′ off the ceiling.

About 2 years ago I pulled this out of the basement and took it apart. Most of the copper leaves needed to be resoldered where they met the center hub. I guess the weight over the years took its toll. That was about as far as I got.

Yes, I use my buffing wheels in the paint booth.  Keeps the dust down.  I still wear a respirator though.

The brass sockets are my favorite part.  No one will see them with its hung upside down, but they just don’t make parts like this anymore.  The Edison and other text makes it even better, besides how well made and solid they are.  Only rewiring some of the bulbs, there are an additional 8 short sockets that I didn’t polish up.  They are in a box with the remaining sockets if I need spare parts.

The copper leaves came out well. They are definitely hand hammered.  Each one is a bit different.  Those creases are hard to get into, and they like to hold excess buffing compound.

Came out pretty well.  I only wired 4 sockets and it was still a pain in the butt and a tight fit.  Maybe I was a bit overzealous using 14 gauge to each bulb and a 12 gauge feed? Only used 40 watt bulbs and its almost too bright for me.  Guess I need a dimmer.

 

Working on my shop… In my shop.

Trying to get the aluminum hanging rails up. First thing is to make some lighting to hang because what’s in there just isn’t cutting it.

Fast lamp repair

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Quick 10 minute fix about a week ago.  Had this lamp for a few years.  After multiple attempts to attach the lamp socket after I first bought it, I finally realized that I could solder it. Used the last of … Continue reading →

Beer cellar makeover

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Converted an old walk in ice box in my cellar to a beer/wine cellar.  Used old planks from a barn that used to be on my parents property for the shelves.  Refinished an old gas/electric lighting fixture that was in … Continue reading →

Just some old parts

Got some new old lamp parts today. Even a beat up trumpet to use.

New lamp action photos

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More lamp photos taken by my sister…Tried a couple pictures in one of the old parts of our building.  Not sure if I like these or the ones on the backdrop.

Victorian/Modern standing lamp

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Standing Lamp.  Made from a old rusty stand that was in my house when I bought it. White acrylic shade from cut off scrap sheet we used for a trade show.  Fabricated the shade pieces, metal top, switch, etc…  Can’t … Continue reading →

Standing lamp- found base

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Here is a sketch of the lamp I hope to finish this week.  Second picture is the vintage base.  This was in my house when I bought it 12 years ago.  Had a flash of inspiration on how to use … Continue reading →

Standing lamp project

Parts for another lamp all ready to go, minus the stand, which is painted. Maybe I’ll get it assembled and photographed this week with any luck.