Original ideas on how to independently make a sconce from improvised materials. How to make a pendant lamp with your own hands DIY metal lamp

In this article we will figure out how to make a complete and safe lamp with your own hands. In the initial publication of the cycle - - the general quality requirements were considered, how to form a luminous flux, as well as how to choose a light source and - safety first - the rules for connecting a stationary lamp to the mains. From the previous article, we learned how to make the main lighting parts of the lamp -. Now it's time to take on the solid, reliable and beautiful constructive basis of all this.

About LEDs

LEDs as lighting sources are becoming increasingly popular: they are very economical, durable, almost do not heat up, which provides ample opportunities for self-construction and design. In addition, low-voltage power makes LED light sources safe. Therefore, in this article a significant proportion of the material is devoted to how to make your own LED lamp.

However, the quality of light from LEDs has not yet reached the ideal: his spectrum is pretty tight. You can soften it with various lighting techniques, which was discussed in previous articles. But thanks to the low-voltage power supply, a street or garden LED lamp can be made independently without special precautions, and also be autonomous; then voluminous disappear excavation and cable laying on site. In this section, we will focus more on LED lamps.

Some examples of what can be achieved by taking on lighting equipment with your own hands are shown in the photo. A similar selection “for ideas” or “for inspiration” will be compiled by anyone who knows how to use the Internet. And here we will deal with things that are not so aesthetic: how to embody all this in the material. Cheap, reliable and practical. Preferably at home, on your knees.

Materials, tools, equipment, technologies

To do good light, expensive and / or hard-to-find materials will not be needed. Former technologies focused on incandescent lamps, which are very hot and consume a lot of current. The current homemade ones have housekeeper lamps and LEDs that emit little heat, which simplifies the design.

For the manufacture of a lamp, neither in appearance nor in quality inferior to industrial designs, we need cuttings of metal tubes, steel wire with a diameter of 1.5-2.5 mm, galvanized sheet steel 0.4-1 mm thick and pieces of plastic or inexpensive plastic products, see below. And in many cases, to achieve the desired result, it is possible to get by with unnecessary trash. Wood processing for a complex lamp is a special case, and we will not bypass it.

Note: good old glass also should not be discounted. Take a look at this tutorial for example: diy.ru/post/3916/. That's what can be achieved by working at home with such difficult material. Only one small "but" - what the author of the product (a man, no doubt, very skillful and quick-witted) calls cutting, in fact, edging. However, how to call it is the business of letter-eaters, and it is enough for the master to make the contraption good.

Very simple but tasteful

Examples of excellent lamps made from improvised materials, namely, scraps of wood and paper, are well-known Chinese lanterns, see fig. When using modern light sources, their fire hazard is negligible, much less than that of an electric kettle. The basis is most often a rack frame, pasted over with paper, pos. 1. For the frame of what is in pos. 2, thin bamboo sticks are better (you can split an old rod into strips), or the ends of modern fiberglass rods; sold in fishing stores. The joints are wrapped with thread and glued. Paper (preferably rice) after pasting is lightly sprayed with water from a spray bottle. When dry, it will stretch. After that, the paper is varnished for strength.

A Chinese lantern can also be made entirely of wood: chopsticks or table skewers (wooden twigs on which barbecue and kebab are served at the table). Both are made of light, fairly well-reflecting light, wood. And its slightly rough surface effectively scatters light, which softens it.

From chopsticks, placing them with broadened heads alternately to the left, then to the right, side light-transmitting panels are gaining, pos. 3. And from table skewers it turns out quite good ceiling lamp for the kitchen or hallway, pos. 4. The ends of the sticks (they are made of soft wood) are simply pierced with a sewing needle with a fishing line threaded into it.

Plastics

But back to the materials, they are not finished yet. Excellent details of chandeliers, table lamps and floor lamps (cups, caps, see below) are obtained from reusable plastic tableware- bowls, glasses, saucers: the rim on the bottom is carefully cut off or sanded down. Then this place is passed 2-3 times with increasingly fine sandpaper; the last pass - "velvet" - and polished with felt with GOI paste. The decorative, lighting and technological (ease of processing) qualities of such parts are very good.

The second type of plastic, which allows you to make a very original lamp (see Fig.) - polymer clay Or just plastic. In terms of lighting properties, it is not inferior to light wood, and in a thin, 2-3 mm layer, it is translucent, like milk glass, i.e. softens the light very well.

Polymer clay is available in various colors immediately-plastic in plastic bags and bars, like plasticine. The latter are quite hard at first, but soften when kneading. To speed up and facilitate softening, you need to put 3-4 drops on the bar vegetable oil, and start kneading when it is absorbed.

Lampshades are molded from soft plastic on a mandrel lubricated with petroleum jelly. Immediately, if necessary, they fill the texture with a brush, at the bottom right in fig. To obtain an openwork ceiling, the tip of the package is cut off and the mass is squeezed out with a sausage. After about a day, the product dries up, then you can, without removing it from the mandrel, cut out figures, scallops, frills. Completely the product dries up in 3-7 days.

Bar plastic is used for the manufacture of lamp stands. Having molded the workpiece, it is baked in the oven at 120-130 degrees. When a brownish crust forms on the product, the gas is covered to a minimum and “baked” for another 1-3 hours, depending on the size of the part. It should cool completely in the oven, which is undesirable to open. The baked workpiece can be cut, sawn, drilled, polished, painted. In this way, lamp cases are sometimes not only original, but also quite spicy (see the figure), or even frivolous on the verge of decency, or even beyond it.

Ceramics

Since we are talking about coasters, let's try to make a lamp out of a bottle. Ceramic beverage vessels crafted by in-house designers deserve best use than garbage, moonshine or recyclables for pennies.

There are 2 problems here: stability and holes for cable entry and a switch. The first is solved with sand, poured into the bottle by 2/3 or 3/4. To solve the second, it would seem that a tubular diamond drill is needed, which is expensive, wears out quickly, and requires a high-speed drilling machine. And we can do without all this:

• We will select a copper tube of a suitable diameter.
• We will securely fix the vessel that we will drill so that the drill enters along the normal (perpendicular) to its surface in this place.
• Around the place of the future hole, we will fashion a roller 4-6 mm high from plasticine.
• Let's rub a couple of pieces of fine skin against each other over some pallet to get about a teaspoon of corundum powder.
• Pour it into the hole and drip 3-5 drops of engine oil - you can drill.

For drilling, it is better to put a drill with a copper tube clamped in a chuck in a frame that turns it into a desktop drilling machine. Such beds are sold in tool stores; the prices are divine, the benefit to the artisan is invaluable. Moreover, you can buy to the bed turntable with degree scale.

They drill ceramics with copper and corundum in jerks: slightly pressed - raised - pressed again - raised. Abrasive particles first eat into copper and drill, but then they break out and crumble. Pulse drilling constantly renews the corundum “plating” on copper, and the oil prevents the powder from scattering and speeds up the work. The main thing is that the tube, with each feed, falls exactly into the already selected groove.

Electrical fittings

For a novice lighting engineer, it is best, perhaps, to use cartridges for lamps for a regular E27 base with fastening with union shaped nuts (threaded flanges); its designation begins with E27H, and the drawing is shown in fig. It will not work to fasten such a cartridge, or a regular one with a skirt, with a threaded fitting in the lid: if there is an M10x1 or M12x1 die, then at home, with a manual wrench, cut the thread on a thin-walled tube without cutting it and not rolling it, very difficult, even with grease. Under mounting with flanges, you will have to make a mounting ring, as described in the article on lampshades, it is much easier.

Note: if a wall lamp is made in which the lamp is located along the base, then cartridges with a side bar are usually used, see fig., but they are more expensive. In this case, you can also get by with a flange cartridge: an Ω-shaped clamp is bent from the wire and fastened to the base with self-tapping screws.

The second thing you need is a screw terminal connector, or a terminal block, or just a terminal block, to connect the lamp to the wiring. For a chandelier, it is mandatory not only for the sake of ease of installation, but also according to the requirements of safety regulations: suddenly the chandelier breaks, its thinner wires break out of the terminal block, and the ceiling wiring does not suffer, which will prevent an accident and ceiling-grooving repair work.

It is better to take a terminal block of the “comb” type, see Fig.:

Such are compact, reliable, exclude accidental short circuits, and by biting the jumpers between sections, it is elementary to get a connector for the required number of wires. It is allowed to enter no more than 2 stranded wires with a copper cross section of up to 1.4 square meters into each terminal. mm in total and not more than 1 single-core, regardless of the cross-sectional area of ​​​​its conductive core.

About wooden lamps

The tree, on the one hand, is easily processed and looks solidly finished. On the other hand, to make an elegant wooden lamp, you will have to use some special technological methods. Which we will consider.

cable channels

The first problem that arises in the manufacture wooden lamp: how to make cable channels in long parts. To do this, without special equipment, “on the knee”, you can use a wood drill with a narrowed 6-sided shank, see fig. A metal tube is tightly put on it, crimped, and the opposite end is bent in a T-shape to make a manual collar; to facilitate and greater accuracy of work, it is better to take a two-band drill.

Through axial holes in long wooden parts are drilled in advance, before bending:

1. Blind holes are drilled in both ends of the workpiece desired diameter, with a depth of 30-40 mm, trying to ensure that they go as accurately as possible along the axis of the part;
2. They are drilled with the described manual wrench alternately from both ends, each time passing no more than 3-4 thicknesses of the part;
3. The chips from the holes after each pass are carefully removed;
4. After the jumper is broken, the hole passes through twice, from one and the other end. This is necessary to remove the step inside, which the cable can catch on when tightened.

How to bend a tree?

bent lamp wooden parts it is quite possible to do it yourself: seasoned thin-layer wood softens under heating, without delamination, but after cooling, it retains the shape given to it. Bamboo, walnut and soft woods are the easiest to bend, e.g. Linden. Harder - wood of medium hardness: maple, ash, hornbeam. For bending oak, beech, mountain ash, and other hardwoods, it is better for a novice cabinetmaker not to take on. MDF also bends well.

The wood is bent either steamed in boiling water, or heated dry to more than 150 degrees. The first method is simpler, but suitable, except for bamboo, for a few species. The second is more difficult, but more accurate, because. wood does not swell and when cooled, respectively, does not shrink.

To bend wood, you need a piece of steel pipe: with a welded end for steaming or with both open for dry bending. The pipe for steaming is installed obliquely, a workpiece is placed in it, poured with water on top and boiled. Boiling water must be violent so that the workpiece is bathed in steam bubbles. The process is continued for 10-120 minutes, depending on the thickness, species and condition of the tree. You can take out the workpiece for a few seconds to check its readiness, but you only need to add boiling water instead of boiled water. Dry bending, blowing the workpiece in the pipe with a building hair dryer. First, on a sample of wood, you need to check what temperature it can withstand without charring and cracking.

How to tighten cables?

The cables are tightened into the tubular parts of the fixtures using a guide rod - "fishing rods" - made of copper wire with a diameter of 0.5-0.7 mm. "Fishing rod" should be completely flat; a smoothly curved wire wound from a reel can also be crumpled in a narrow channel. The wire of the "fishing rod" is straightened, stretching it through a rag tightly clenched in the fist. The best guides are made from enameled winding wire, which is smooth and slippery.

"Fishing rod" is introduced from the far end. Before this, its tip is tightly bent, see Fig., To be rounded. The thrust is pushed into the curved channels, slightly feeding and turning. When moving from channel to channel (see below), the running end is directed with thin long tweezers or a screwdriver.

When the end of the rod appears from the opposite side, it is cleaned by 20-30 mm and tinned. The cable wires are cleaned and tinned for the same amount, up to 3 per 1 "fishing rod". Then everything is twisted together and soldered. The twist is folded opposite to the direction of tightening so that it does not cling. Tighten by alternately feeding the cable and pulling the guide. When tightening, the cable in the channel must not be taut all the time! If it is hooked, they pull it back a little, turn it a little and pull it again.

Note: up to 4 2-wire double-insulated cables with a cross-section of copper wires up to 0.5 sq. M can be pulled into a straight metal tube with an inner diameter of 12 mm. mm. In a channel of the same diameter in a tree - only 1 of the same cable.

Starting from the ceiling

Suspension of the lamp to the ceiling or wall is the most critical and vulnerable node. Hanging fixtures at the 1st point is allowed only if the base is a viscous durable material, for example. oak beams, pos. a) in fig. In other cases, you must either use at least 2 suspension points, or the luminaire anchor must press on the material from above, i.e. ceiling must work in compression, pos. c) - e).

A chandelier weighing up to 5 kg is suspended using a mounting plate, see fig. on right. The distance between the centers of the mounting holes in the plank should be, for a concrete ceiling, at least 9 of their diameters. If the ceiling is plasterboard, or suspended, or stretched, then the suspension is lowered from the main ceiling to the level of the decorative one using wooden or metal crosses or plywood boards, at the top there. How to make a suspension in some other cases, see below.

The main requirement for the suspension is that the lamp should never hang on wires. It should be held either by a rigid bar, or a strong cord / rope, or a cradle made of chains or the same cords. Under the top cap of the gimbal, the power cable must lie in a loose loop, and must not be pulled, pinched or pinched anywhere.

How to make a lamp?

Now he will try to reduce the information received into a single product, at the sight of which the guests will gasp as sincerely as the master expressed himself while working. We will be guided by the following principles:

• Complex and / or technological operations requiring special skills are avoided in every possible way.
• Adhesive or solder joints are used only auxiliary, holding the parts to be joined from displacement. The product assembled without gluing and soldering should, in the absence of external influences, remain intact in its normal position for an indefinitely long time.
• From an additional tool, we will try to get by with a hand-held electric drill and a small removable bench vise with a screw clamp for attaching to the table.

Let's start with a chandelier, as the most complex type of household lamp.

Chandelier

On a cord

The simplest suspension of a chandelier weighing up to 5 kg is on a cord, pos. 1 in fig. In this case, 4 additional holes will have to be drilled in the lampshade mounting ring (see article on lampshades); marked in green in pos. 1a. Cord knots must be knitted that do not slip or unravel, for example. any fishing hooks. Cord - any non-rotting cross lay (eg linen) with a diameter in an unstretched state of 8 mm or more. Cords and ropes of spiral lay are not intended for long-term tensile load!

The most critical part is the suspension hook (red CP). It must be bent from steel wire with a diameter of 4 mm; a hook made of 6 mm wire rod can withstand weight up to 35 kg. Of course, if you buy a ready-made hook for a chandelier, it will not be worse.

Suspension rods with the same weight - from 4 mm wire; with a weight of up to 5 kg, you can get by with 1.5 mm, and with a weight of up to 12 kg - 2.5-3 mm. The ring is made of galvanized sheet 0.4 and 0.8 mm, respectively, or, for weights up to 35 kg, 1.4 mm.

Note: steel soldering technology at home is described in.

In this case, it is better to fix the upper cup from slipping with a rubber ring, because. the spring washer can crush the cable passing under it. A good pallet comes from computer disk. Depending on whether the lamp is in the lampshade or in the ceiling, it is turned down, respectively, with the painted or mirror side. Radial cuts are made under the stretch marks of the lampshade in the pallet.

The top cup and cap are made of plastic utensils, see above. The cap lies freely on the pallet. Glue - any assembly.

Note: the bottom nut of the cartridge must enter the hole in the pan, and not press it. Otherwise, it may be difficult to repair or clean the chandelier.

On the tube

In a chandelier suspended on a rigid tubular rod (pos. 2), firstly, it is not necessary to bend the suspension rods so that it is convenient to knit a knot on their crosshairs. Secondly, the number of pulls can be anything from 3. Accordingly, the ring can also be made without an additional row of holes, such as is described in the article on lampshades.

It is preferable to fix the cap in such a chandelier with a shaped (decorative) spring washer. It can be obtained from a thick plastic button by drilling a hole in it in the center 0.5-0.7 mm narrower than the outer diameter of the tube and making an oblique cut at 45 degrees to the axis of the washer, a round link of a plastic chain with the same cut, etc. P.

An eye for a hook in the suspension bar is obtained by flattening the tube and drilling a hole in the resulting lamella (petal). After that (and not before), a hole is drilled for laying the cable, otherwise dangerous mechanical stresses may remain in the material. A bar for a lamp weight of up to 15 kg can be made from pipes of the following types:

1. Seamless steel - inner diameter from 6 mm, wall thickness from 0.5 mm. Finishing - painting or covering with a heat-shrinkable tube (HERE) of the desired color.
2. Steel with a seam - vnutr. diameter from 8 mm, wall thickness from 0.7 mm. The finish is the same.
3. Copper gas in a plastic sheath - vnutr. diameter from 8 mm, wall from 1 mm. Finishing is not necessary, and so it shines with copper for years. You can not solder, under the adhesive connection you need to remove the plastic coating in that place.
4. For air conditioning systems made of oxygen-free copper - int. diameter from 10 mm, wall from 1 mm. Very easy to solder and glue. To preserve the copper sheen, the finished rod should be coated twice with a water-based clear acrylic varnish, diluted by half with distilled water.
5. Simple red copper - int. diameter from 12 mm, wall from 1.5 mm. It is soldered after stripping, you need to use flux paste with borax. It darkens over time and under coating, so it is better to make lamps in retro style from such tubes.
6. Plumbing propylene - very durable, but do not stick and, of course, do not solder. It is useless to finish, the design in any case turns out to be terrifying.

many-horned

From the tubes, you can make chandeliers with brackets-horns for individual illuminators. The device for connecting the horns with the rod is shown in pos. 5. The horns, with their even number, are connected in pairs with through threaded studs M2.5-M4 with nuts and spring washers. Pairs of holes for the studs are located at different levels, this must be taken into account when calculating the height of the straight part of the horn and making markings on their blanks. You can horns, incl. with an odd number of them, fasten with pairs of small self-tapping screws for metal, however, then the cables must be tightened very carefully so as not to tear the insulation on the sharp ends of the hardware protruding inward.

Note: complex / extended bends of the tubes are formed in sections, gradually advancing manual pipe bender along the length of the future bend.

If the free ends of the horns are without squiggles (sorry - volute), etc. curls, then it is better to cover the knot of their connection with the barbell with a cap lying on the lower cup (shown by a dotted line in pos. 5). In addition, then the laying of cables will be much simpler: a terminal block will fit under the cap, in which the cables from the horns will converge, and only one 2-wire will go up in the bar.

Multi-track chandeliers are most often made with switchable light. The diagram for connecting lamps to a 2-section switch is shown in pos. 6. Do not forget - SB switches (switches) must be included in the phase wire! And yet, it is extremely important: if the house is equipped with protective grounding, never use a ground wire as a neutral (zero, N) regardless of the power supply scheme (grounded or isolated neutral)! The earthing switch is always in yellow insulation with a longitudinal stripe, and the neutral insulation in properly arranged wiring is black. But in any case, before starting electrical work, you need to find zero and phase with a phase indicator!

About phases, zero and earth

The safety regulations (PTB), electrical installations (PUE) and the Code of Practice (SP) for the production of electrical work for related industries (for example, construction) unambiguously regulate the color of the insulation of only ground wires - yellow with a green stripe; colors for phase conductors A, B, C and neutral are only recommended. The reason is that in countries where the only acceptable power supply system is an isolated neutral (Germany, Japan, etc.), it is customary to designate phase A in white or light gray. without a hitch" is not always possible.

The chandelier is heavy...

For ceiling lights weighing from 15 kg, fastening on the 1st rod or cord is no longer considered reliable enough. These need to be hung on a chain or rope cradle of 3-4 branches. 1 branch should support the full weight of the luminaire with 3 times the margin.

The cradle is fixed to the ceiling using a triangular or square carrier plate made of steel with a thickness of 5 mm or more, pos. 7 in fig. The number of attachment points is 4 or 5, respectively. A fixing point in the center is obligatory: without it, if one of the corner fixings will be excessively weakened, the mechanical load will “slam” onto the next weakest one, the suspension will break out according to the domino principle and the chandelier “all of a sudden” will collapse.

Corner attachment points should be located on a conditional circle (red dotted line) with a diameter in centimeters of at least 0.85 of the weight of the chandelier in kilograms. In any case, the smallest distance between the centers of the holes in concrete ceiling should be from 9 of their diameters, as with a 2-point suspension on a bar, see above. Eyelets or hooks under the branches of the cradle are welded to the carrier plate. Homemade eyelets can be made from 6mm wire rod.

… and ultralight

Fans make a lot of lamps from disposable plastic tableware, PET bottles and paper. Their weight is negligible, therefore, firstly, it is permissible to mount the cartridge in the lampshade / ceiling lamp from the same kebab sticks, see fig. In this case, the cartridge is taken E17 or E10 with lugs, see fig. left. The "ears" of the cartridge with the help of a sewing needle are simply tied to the crosshairs of the sticks with threads, thin copper wire or fishing line.

Secondly, the suspension of an ultralight lamp can also be made cradle, but from a fishing line. Its branches are inserted into the ceiling cap along with the cable, as for a chandelier on a cord. Such a suspension is almost invisible. If the cable (recall, it should not be stretched anywhere, squeezed or pressed down) is twisted or twisted into a spiral, then an ignorant guest may at first be dumbfounded: levitation? telekinesis? superconductor and magnets?

Floor lamp

A floor lamp based on the same design and technological principles is, in general, an inverted chandelier on a rigid rod with some differences, pos. 3 in fig. above with fixture designs. First: the bar (which is already a stand) is made of a steel pipe with an inner diameter of 10 mm and a wall thickness of 1.5 mm. Ring - galvanized from 0.7 mm. Second: all joints of steel parts are soldered.

Further, in the lower support of the floor lamp, a sufficiently heavy and extensive structure should be provided for attaching the bottom of the rack. Under the floor lamp of the usual type, a cross will go from about 450x450 mm from an oak beam 100x100 mm. A blind hole with a depth of 75-80 mm is drilled in the center of it along the outer diameter of the rack, and it is glued into the socket with mounting glue. Also glue the rack into the shelf of the floor lamp. It will be useful, both in design and strength, to apply a polished washer with a diameter of 60 mm and a thickness of 2 mm (steel) or 4 mm (aluminum) on the glue. The described design allows the amateur to do without custom-turned parts in the manufacture of a floor lamp.

Desk lamp

A working table lamp based on our principles of construction is even simpler than a floor lamp, pos. 4: a fairly massive and durable base (wood, plastic) with a stepped through hole along the axis. A lampshade ring is laid on the step and fastened with self-tapping screws. Then at the same time it will press the whiskers of the lampshade extensions and it will not hang out.

Note: for the base table lamp from ceramic or glassware, you need to make a pommel-knob with a stepped hole mounted on its neck. The most suitable material for this is plastic.

For outdoor lighting

Let's leave outdoor lamps for 220 V purchased: it is impossible to make a "forever" sealed cable gland for mains voltage and also a sealed case with glass at home. We will work with voltages up to 12 V, then the cable entry is quite simple, see fig. And if the light source is powered from a current stabilizer, then no short circuit will be scary.

However, things may not come to electricity: for temporary lighting in the garden or at a picnic and in the 21st century, an ordinary candle is often more convenient and cheaper, it is also more romantic. And you can make a candle lantern with your own hands from a coffee can in just a few minutes, see the video:

Video: do-it-yourself candle lantern from a coffee can

Such a lamp is suitable for a light bulb; then there is no need for ventilation holes and the carrying handle can be fixed on the lid, which is more reliable.

A permanent outdoor lamp should already be electric. the main problem at the same time - reliable sealing. Here again, glassware with a screw-on lid comes to the rescue: an outdoor lamp works well from a can. In this case, since a more powerful light source is required, it is better to take a vessel from under conservation. The cable entry pipe is made by breaking through the cover with a round pointed rod. For complete tightness, aquarium silicone is applied once and for all to the rim of the lid from the inside before screwing.

The lamp "once and for all" involves the use of very reliable and durable light sources. Requirements for its quality and spectrum fade into the background, because. non-living or working premises are illuminated. Given these conditions, an outdoor lamp on the porch or, say, at the entrance to the garage, is best made from led strip: with a negligible consumption of electricity, it will give quite bright lighting. An example of the manufacture of such a lamp, see:

Video: do-it-yourself garden lamp in 15 minutes

In the garden and in general on the site, high brightness of lighting is no longer needed, here, in general, if only not to get off the path and see the door to the bathhouse, cellar, barn or bathroom. On the other hand, it is very, very desirable to have a garden lamp autonomous: here the point is not the cost of electricity, but the cable, and who would like to make trenches in a well-groomed area?

Powered Garden Lights solar panels(SB) and a buffer battery (battery) are commercially available, but they are either expensive or short-lived. Let's try to figure out whether it is possible to do it on our own, especially since it is quite possible:

• 4 white LEDs with a current of 20 mA each in a lampshade made of milky glass or a frosted plastic bottle, more or less acceptable for garden needs, will illuminate a circle with a diameter of 4-5 m. With a current of 10 mA each, you can still see in the light spot where the stone is, and where is the pit. Total average 60 mA.
• The battery, taking into account the weak recharging in winter and the decrease in capacity in the cold, should give the maximum current of the illuminators for at least 30 hours. Finger batteries for 2500-3500 mAh, frost-resistant up to -20, are on sale. We take the minimum allowable battery capacity of 2500 mAh.
• Voltage drop across the luminous diode approx. 2 V. In order to stabilize the total current consumption and the battery discharge mode, on which its resource significantly depends, we give twice as much to the quenching resistors, for a total battery voltage we get 6 V.
• The SB, taking into account the energy efficiency of the Ni-Cd battery of 74%, should give a current of approx. 75 mA. Based on the winter in the middle latitudes, we take a rated current of 100 mA.
• Also, taking into account the efficiency of the battery in terms of energy and voltage losses during charging, we take the SB voltage of 9 V.
• In order for the battery resource not to fall from overcharging, the recharge current through it should not be more than 5% of the hourly discharge current. With a battery capacity of 2500 mAh and a short circuit current of 100 mA, this condition is met, even more so with a 3500 mAh battery. That is, instead of an expensive and complex charge controller, you can simply put a silicon rectifier diode.

A diagram of an autonomous garden lamp, built taking into account the described conditions, is shown in the figure:

Despite its simplicity, the battery in it is never brought to degradation of the active medium due to overcharging, and only in exceptional cases can it reach a deep discharge; therefore, its resource remains normal when operating in harsh temperature conditions. "Zest" here - SB. Their internal resistance is large and non-linear, according to a power law, grows with increasing load current, as a result of which the short-circuit current of the SB is only slightly greater than the nominal one. From this point of view, it is more profitable to use less expensive polysilicon SBs in this circuit.

The CU control device closes the switch S when the SB voltage drops to the "twilight" level. VD1 will close by then and the battery will stop charging. It is connected to the battery only for power supply. Switch - diode or transistor optocoupler or electromagnetic relay; in this case, the reed switch is better, because a conventional one with a low voltage coil will take more current than all LEDs. In this case, it is impossible to use a thyristor optocoupler as an S: in order for the opened thyristor to close, the current through it must drop to a very small value, almost to zero. Since the current is constant here, the thyristor, once opened, will not “quiet” until the battery is completely planted.

About aquarium lighting

For lighting aquariums, special linear fluorescent lamps are used. Not the same as flower shelf lamps: the spectrum of aquarium lamps is adapted to the optical properties of water and the vital needs of aquatic plants. Both lamps are unsuitable for general lighting of premises: the light that favors photosynthesis is by no means always useful for human vision.

There is no doubt that the right lighting in the kitchen sets the tone for the whole interior. A chandelier can become a central element in this cozy and warm room.

Using improvised materials - or even junk - you can make a lampshade from threads, an eco-style lamp from jute twine or plastic bottles, or you can make a real masterpiece - a beautiful chandelier from wooden or glass beads.

And you can not only hang a lamp made by yourself in the kitchen or in the dining area, but also give it to your loved ones.

Method 1. From improvised materials - everyone can!

The simplest do-it-yourself lamp is made of threads. Indeed, even a child can handle such a design. So, to make a chandelier of threads, we need:

• Threads - you can take ordinary jute twine or thick cotton threads, with a total length of at least 100 meters, the color is chosen based on your imagination and the existing interior;
• PVA glue and a brush for its application;
• Petrolatum;
• 2 balloons- one for work, the second for testing; it is better to take a ball not ordinary, but round, then the shape of the lamp will be the correct shape.

Advice! A children's or rubber beach ball is also suitable. For very large fixtures, a fitball is suitable, for example.

Work on creating a ball of threads is carried out in the following sequence:

1. We inflate the balloon of the required size. Do not forget that the resulting lampshade made of threads will repeat the shape of the ball. Draw with a marker one or two circles at the top and bottom (more below).
2. Pour the glue into a container and carefully process the threads. And the ball itself can be coated with Vaseline with a brush.

Advice! Do not immediately apply glue to all the threads - it is better to move along the place of winding.

1. This is followed by winding the threads on the ball, taking into account the drawn holes - it depends on the density of the winding how your lampshade will turn out in the end.

1. After the ball is wrapped, you need to leave the future chandelier to dry for at least 24 hours.
2. The ball bursts and its remains are easily removed from the solid structure that has become. As a result, a lampshade made of solid threads was obtained.
3. A hole is cut from above - under the cartridge.
4. It is necessary to check the strength - another ball is inserted into the lamp and inflated. This will demonstrate the flexibility of the design.

In this way, you can also perform local lighting in the kitchen by creating several lamps from threads with your own hands. And you can hang it in the dining area, as shown in the photo.

Do not forget that for a ball of threads you can make an additional decor in the form of interesting coloring, beads, butterflies or artificial flowers, or you can make a whole bunch of balls different sizes.

By the same principle, you can come up with your own unique lamp design. For example, from lace, or a ceiling lamp as in the photo below.

Method 2. Create a masterpiece - you need to try!

Excellent kitchen lighting will turn out if you make a lamp of beads or fabric with your own hands. Get a lamp in style or a real chandelier-chandelier.

For this job you will need:

• Old hoop, garden basket, hanging metal planter, or wire to create a frame;
• Decorative chains;
• Beads, beads, ribbons, strong threads;
• Cartridge with a lamp.

The lamp will be a two- or three-level structure of rings located one above the other and connected by chains or wire.

Rings can be taken in different sizes, creating a lampshade in the spirit of vintage classics, or the same - just such lighting is performed in.

The base of the lamp is certainly painted, wrapped or decorated, after which they start stringing beads.

The consumption of beads in this project is as follows:

Lower part: beads with a diameter of 16 mm, 15 pcs. on a thread;

Upper part: beads with a diameter of 12 mm, 31-32 pcs. on a thread.

Here you can vary the degree of tension and the number of threads.

Advice! Work should be carried out by first hanging the chandelier and inserting a cartridge into it.

By analogy, you can create a chandelier made of artificial fruits for the kitchen. And subdued lighting will turn out if you use fabric for covering the frame. As a rule, such a lampshade is made for country styles and.

Method 3. Lamps made from waste materials - for a modern kitchen!

The most original lamp can be made from such waste material as plastic bottles and disposable spoons - it's beautiful, cheap and environmentally friendly!

We make a lampshade in the style of minimalism and - no additional decorations from threads and beads, only matte white or colored plastic. To make such subdued kitchen lighting with your own hands, we need:

• Base made from a 5 liter plastic bottle;
• Cartridge with wire and lamp;
• Glue for high-quality fixation;
• Lots of disposable spoons.

To make a chandelier with your own hands, cut out the bottom of the bottle and cut off the handles of the spoons (not completely, so that a small stalk remains). Using glue, we fix the cut spoons on the base bottle. They need to be placed evenly, in order, then the lampshade will look attractive.

Advice! Each next row is overlapped, without gaps.

The resulting chandelier will resemble fish scales. However, it should be remembered that such a design is quite dense, which means that additional lighting will definitely be needed in the kitchen.

The shape of the lamp can be different, for example, in the form of a lotus.

From disposable spoons you can make such decorations.

A lamp made of plastic bottles, or rather from their bottoms, made by hand, may seem lacy or consisting of many small flowers.

Advice! Such a lampshade can be made not white, but colored - which means that you need to take colored bottles or paint it with paint of the original color: copper, gold, steel, pink, black, etc.

The resulting lampshade can be hung in the kitchen or over the dining table.

Let your kitchen be cozy and bright! We wish you creative success and present some more great ideas for making kitchen lamps with your own hands from improvised means.

materials

most suitable and available materials is paper and textile. They are easy to transform, they are well known to each of us and can be found in everyone. home. wonderful lamps obtained from threads or yarn. Naturally, glass can also be used for ceiling lamps. At home, these are ordinary or unusual, with an interesting shape, jars or bottles. Especially bold projects include plastic containers, coffee packaging, and plastic children's toys.

In addition, do not discard options such as rattan, bamboo and rubber. As a basis for a future product, both raw materials and a finished product can serve. So, for example, designers got the hang of creating amazing lampshades from beads, globes, parts of sets, mirror fragments and even crumpled music sheets! You just have to look at the things around you...

Realizing how difficult it is to move from thought to action, especially to see an exquisite accessory in an ordinary jar, we have prepared several master classes for you. Following the step-by-step instructions, you can easily make hand-made new things for any room in the house, dear to your heart.

Ideas and their implementation

Since we have already voiced the materials suitable for the manufacture of shades and lampshades, let's start with paper.

Plafond with butterflies

For work we need:

• white thin cardboard
• thin twine or fishing line
• glue gun
• wire for frame
• utility knife or scissors
• round nose pliers

Advice! Before starting work, decide on the size of the ceiling in finished form. In our example, the diameter is 30 cm, so we need a piece of cardboard 90 cm long.

1. We make a frame. We cut off a piece of wire 96-98 cm long. We turn the wire into a circle with a diameter of 30 cm and fix the ends with round-nose pliers.
2. We cut 3 hanging elements from twine or fishing line. We measure the length of the pieces, based on the height at which you plan to hang the lamp. We tie them to the wire in three places, evenly distributing the load.
3. We draw butterflies of different sizes on cardboard and cut them out.
4. We fold the cardboard, glue the joint with a strip of thick paper or stitch it with a stapler.
5. We fix the upper part on the wire. To do this, you can use both glue and thin wire.
6. The places of joints and cuts can be decorated with butterflies remaining after cutting.
   Look what an elegant lamp we have turned out. It will fit perfectly in the children's room and in the bedroom. You will see a special chic when you turn on the lamp and butterflies flutter along the walls.

Advice! Instead of butterflies, you can cut out snowflakes, stars or flowers. Decide for yourself what you like best.

In the style of the 60s

If you ask our grandmothers, they will certainly remember floor lamps with lampshades in the form of an inverted bucket, tied with colored threads. We can do exactly the same with our own hands.

We will need:

• lampshade frame - 2 pcs.
• decorative braid (3 colors, choose a combination to your liking)
• scissors
• crochet hook

Let's start manufacturing.

• We tie the first braid to the lower ring of the lampshade, leaving a tail of at least 5 cm.

• We pull it on the upper ring from the outside, throw it over it and stretch it through the inner side of the lower ring. We alternate actions until the beginning of the next frame sector.

• We fix the first braid and take the braid of a different color to work. We knit it to the next sector, not forgetting to leave the tail on the first knot.

• We do the same with the third sector, filling it with the remaining braid.

• We stretch the tails along the bottom of the lampshade with a crochet hook.

Here is our plafond from the distant 60s and it is ready, it remains only to insert the cartridge and assemble the chandelier in random order.

Braid with fringes

Another one original idea for a lampshade with your own hands, it is also connected with a braid, but not a single layer, but with a fringe. What do we need for this?

Prepare:

1. two metal hoops or take an embroidery hoop
2. braid with fringe
3. fishing line
4. acrylic paint, the same color as the ribbon
5. glue gun
6. scissors

Advice! Fringed tape can be purchased at stores selling curtain and furniture decor.

1. We paint the hoops or hoops with acrylic paint. If they are already covered with varnish or other paint, it is better to sand and clean them.
2. We wait until the paint is completely dry, and make three marks on each lampshade ring, placing them at an equal distance from each other.
3. Cut off three identical pieces of fishing line.
4. We tie them to the smaller ring of the lampshade, leaving the upper ends with a margin, so that later we can tie them to the lamp cord.
5. We measure the length of the fringe, subtract 2 cm from it, and tie the fishing line to the second ring for the resulting length. So we can get a cascade.
6. We heat the glue gun and carefully glue the braid along the lower ring.
7. We do the same with the upper ring, pulling it out of the lower one.

Advice! Keep in mind that hot glue can melt the line, so try not to apply it directly to the line. Drop the glue on the paper, let it cool a little, and then apply it to the fishing line.

Problems with the choice of fixtures are familiar to many. Lamps are purchased last, so combining them with all other interior elements can be difficult. But you should not despair. After all, spectacular lamps can be made independently, without spending a lot of time and money.

1. New Year's decor on the chandelier

Plastic beads, which can be purchased in the New Year's decor department, can be used to decorate a finished lampshade. Bright colors and shine will turn the lamp into a real decoration of any interior.

2. Urban landscape

The outlines of city roofs, cut out of dark paper, are glued onto a light lampshade. Such an application will easily transform a boring plain lamp.

3. The whole world at a glance

In every house there are old cards that lie unused for years. From them you can make a lamp with your own hands. Just wrap part of the card right size old lampshade. For a neater look, the paper can be coated with acrylic varnish.

4. From papier-mâché

For the manufacture of original lamp with your own hands you will have to remember the papier-mâché technique, familiar to everyone since childhood. The paper must be torn into small pieces and left for a couple of hours in an aqueous PVA solution. Then, layer by layer, an object of the desired shape is laid over the paper mass - for example, inflated balloon. After the papier-mâché has dried, the lampshade is ready.

5. The second life of old newspapers

Just pasting a lampshade with a newspaper artificially aged with tea or coffee is too simple a solution. Cut out circles from it and glue them so that they partially cover each other. Interesting game light and shadow guaranteed. Additionally, it is better to varnish the lampshade.

6. Eternal lampshade

From an old metal basket or ordinary wire, you can make a lamp with your own hands, which will become a champion in strength and durability. In addition, such a lampshade is also completely fireproof.

7. From bright cocktail tubes

A lamp made of cocktail tubes looks democratic, but at the same time spectacular. Just glue the tubes of one of the sides onto the old lampshade with silicone glue. If you cut the tubes in half, the lamp will turn out to be smaller.

8. Chic and shine

Beads that have not been used can be used to decorate the lamp. Thread them onto thin jewelry wire (available at craft stores) and attach it to the metal base of the lampshade.

9. Clear geometry

Cocktail tubes, painted in gold or silver, will become the material for making a lamp with your own hands. Between themselves they are fastened with a threaded thread.

10. Lace patterns

Just cover or glue a plain lampshade with contrasting lace. In the first case, it is better to use elastic lace: they will fit snugly against the surface of the lampshade and look neater.

11. Paper Chaos

Plain white paper rolled into tubes becomes the raw material for the original lampshade. Glue them together in a chaotic manner, moving from bottom to top.

12. A cozy lamp for needlewomen

All buttons that do not find a use for themselves can be used to make a cute lamp. String the buttons on strong threads, and fasten them to the top of the lampshade.

13. In harmony with nature

A branch of an intricate shape will be an excellent basis for an unusual lamp. In addition to it, you will need several light bulbs in cartridges. Just wrap the wires around the branch.

14. Almost edible chandelier

The base from an old lampshade, decorated with cutlery, looks quite brutal. Such a lamp will perfectly fit into the interior of a country-style kitchen or loft.

15. Delicate textile petals

For the manufacture of such a lamp, a fabric is selected whose edges do not crumble. The petals cut out of it are attached to the lampshade with glue.

16. From decorative rope

Generously smear the base for the future lampshade with a thick one and wrap it tightly with a rope with a rough texture. It is not necessary to use an old lamp as a basis. Even old utensils, such as glasses or bowls, will do.

17. Lamp in a skirt

Translucent textiles, for example, tulle from old curtains, can find a second life. Having collected it in the upper part in folds, fix it on a boring lampshade.

18. Patchwork

A lot of multi-colored shreds are tied on the basis of an old lampshade. The more of them, the better.

19. From favorite postcards

Often postcards and photos, even those that you like, lie idle for years. Paste them over a boring lamp, and it will instantly change.

20. Our whole life is a game

A deck that is missing a few cards should not be thrown away. Thick glossy paper with a contrasting pattern is an excellent material for decorating a lampshade, practical and beautiful.

So, the lighting problem is solved. It's time to familiarize yourself with

A chandelier in any room has long been not only a device for lighting. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this is the piece of furniture that acts as the main decoration in any room.

Of course, a do-it-yourself chandelier will be a particularly valuable thing. This will not only highlight the special taste of the owners of the house, but also their creative mind.

Despite the fact that deciding to make a lampshade with your own hands for a chandelier, you will need to spend a lot of effort, because the process requires special concentration - for sure, the time of work cannot be considered wasted, since the work will bring incredible pleasure and even a pleasant aftertaste will remain after, and in the future you will definitely want to repeat this kind of work.

If you are thinking about how to make a chandelier, then you have probably already seen that today you can use the most various materials and sometimes quite unusual. For example, very often the ceiling for a chandelier is made of wood or glass.

However, if you want something even more incredible, then you can also use cardboard, wooden skewers, and even wine bottles. The choice here depends solely on the ideas that the creator has, as well as on various kinds of wishes from the owners of the apartment.

In addition, a chandelier made from improvised materials must also be created taking into account the general interior of the room.

Chandelier made of plastic spoons

Disposable spoons, which most people are used to using exclusively for a picnic, can actually also be one of the simplest and at the same time easily accessible materials for everyone to create an interesting chandelier option for any room.

If you look at a photo of a chandelier of such a plan, you will be struck first of all by the variety colors, and in the future it will be easy to understand that the material will last a long time.

In addition, in order to create such an interesting piece of furniture, you will need a minimum of financial and material investments.

What materials will be needed?

• Any empty plastic bottle. The only condition is that its volume cannot be less than five liters.
• Any plastic spoons. Their number depends solely on the chosen size of the future chandelier.
• Glue that will allow you to glue the plastic together.
• Cartridge from an old, no longer working chandelier.

The process of creating an original chandelier

Prepare plastic bottle. First of all, you need to get rid of the label and the bottom, as well as dry it properly.

Remove the plastic spoons and use a knife to remove any handles that are not needed. The only thing to do is to leave a couple of centimeters above the so-called “scoop” level.

Glue the blanks to the base of the prepared bottle. On the “tail” that remains, you need to apply as much glue as possible and then press it to the surface.

It is very important to continue to cover the entire bottle in this way directly in a circle until the entire prepared perimeter is “occupied” with plastic spoons.

It is best to arrange them in a classic checkerboard pattern and move them together a little.

In this way, it will be possible to reduce the number of "free spots" to a minimum.

• The cover is removed from the old cooked chandelier and placed in a dried bottle.
• If there is a desire, then decorative more often can be done in a similar way.

That's all. It remains only to install the chandelier in the chosen place, and also check its operation by connecting it to the power supply.

Another interesting option chandelier is a chandelier with decorative butterflies. It is worth noting that, having gone to almost any master class for making a chandelier, designers always offer to learn how to create it, which is not surprising, because it can fit perfectly into almost any room interior.

Note!

In addition to the fact that this option looks really luxurious and expensive, even a child can make it with the help of an adult, so its popularity is easily explained.

DIY chandelier photo

Note!