All, We never really put fancy **** for the house as a priority, even when it comes down to replacing **** that we know is ugly or we just don't like. So we were going past the lighting dept at the Home Depot the other night and I remarked how ugly the light in our foyer was. My bride sarcastically replied with, "Its ugly, but it works - what the hell are you thinking about - some kinda big dollar chandalier? I said - If I was gonna hang a frickin chandalier in there, it would be one that I made my damn self. She said, "I actually think that would rock. Please do!!" So now I have the wheels turning about how to build my own lighting fixture. I'm looking for ideas or pics that maybe something you guys have seen or done too. Some of my thoughts range from using stainless exhaust turndown tips with bulbs in the ends - to trying to finger out something with old headlight bezels - like a cluster of them - with the recessed cone shaped kind of light bulbs - maybe with a manufacturers name on them (the bezels - not the bulbs, if such a thing exists). Maybe even some big *** healight units like offin a 40 chebby or something - or the Peterbuilt ones that just sold on here. Cooler yet would be to incorperate some things that are EASILY identifiable to a car guy - like buick teeth - or a bullet nose from a ford or stude, etc. Flat black, pinstripes, and the like are also not outta the picture. Got any ideas? Thanks in advance for the help, John
Oh jeez this would be amazing!! Take an old flywheel and mount some trumpet polished tips in all different directions welded to it with 59 Caddy lights and bezels sticking out from inside the tips. I'm pretty sure you could get clear 59 caddy lenses from RB Obsolete. You could use a chrome chain to hang it from the ceiling. I know i'm crazy -Adamo
How about a hundred shrunken heads, all hung at different levels with LEDs in their eye sockets? You could hook them up to a sound activated sensor that makes the lights blink in time to "I feel Love" by Donna Summer.
A moon disc suspended by 3 strands of aircraft stainless cable, the light source mounted above the dish - a 300 watt halogen pencil bulb, intensity controlled by a dimmer rather than a switch. mike
hmmm.NADS....I might just make that, well except for the last bit...."it's raining men" might work better... Maiki
Not a ch****ier but Hemi valve covers have the right size opening and spacing for four globe style bulbs that work nice on each side of a bathroom mirror or Bar lights even over the pool table. I have some photo's somewhere of the ones I did
Old electric rotisserie grill motors (you can get them from yard sales dirt cheap) work to add motion. Hell, if you're gonna have gears and engine parts they might as well move, too.
You could just go to Home Depot and get a fixture, save yourself the trouble of building one. Besides Tony Stewart hasn't won a race in a loooooooong time so I'm sure he could use the $$$$$$. Frank
How 'bout.........a 36" mild steel hoop with about 40, '50 buick grille teeth tack welded to the bottom of it in a radial design, like an airplane radial engine. About every 5th one would have a light bulb in it, facing upward to the ceiling. Indirect lighting, see? Above this, you could have another hoop with many chrome swapmeet rearview mirrors, pointing in all directions to catch the light below them, to light up every corner of the room. Yeah, the mirror thing is pretty tacky.
Could always make something similar to this, but use vintage auto parts... con rods (cams even?) for the arms... just a thought, though I guess that may get pretty heavy...
You want to make it truely HAMB related? Use Kartsa's taillight tech article to make your own lenses. Use some tubing (conduit or whatever) and bend some ***** shapes (also for a HAMB tech arty) spilling over the edge of cleaned up hubcap of your choice.On top of which sits a globe or a cube or whatever kind of shape you like with holes/shapes cut/drilled into it that the lenses pop out of from inside. You could make damn near any shape lens and likewise any shaped lamp with all of these tubes worming all over the place that have lights on the ends. The possiblilities are limitless....Of course yo gotta buy a ton of sockets, bulbs and such. And you have to match the sockets with the tubing to make everything fit in there right. You might want to take a look at a multi lighted wiring diagram while you're at it. Boy did you open up a can.....you'll be back at Home Depot this weekend to get the other lamp.....
My wheels are turning - but we're not in a hurry. That - and I'm gonna have my 3 and 2 year olds my myself all weekend (AKA "Me First" and "Me Too"). Taking them to a wedding and reception on Saturday is gonna be project enough.
Lots of ideas using car parts, I see. Then you should definetly hook up a set of car horns facing down in the chandialier. Your friends will know not to ring the doorbell and door to door merchants peddling religeon or real estate or what not, will supply endless hours of free entertainment.
Here is the Chandelier I built for my Girlfriends birthday last year. I overheard her tell her mom how neat it would be to have one in her closet(closet has a 12 ft vaulted ceiling-room has a low ceiling) that is all it took for me. I wanted to mainly use automotive object I had,( like the ribbed, br*** sheathed 1930's buick hubcaps) but I didn't want it to look like I hooked a chain up to a bunch of spare parts. I wanted it to attain a 1930's art-deco machine elegance.
Here is my little brother, thedoowopkid13 holding it up after he wired it for me-I don't touch wiring.
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