Steampunking a Bar Lantern
by Infrasonic in Workshop > Lighting
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Steampunking a Bar Lantern
First I have to say that this is my second instructable and as some people noticed at my first - it is a showable. I am sorry for that but this is the result of my way to do these things. I search for antiques and matching parts everywhere and everytime and after collecting these I combine this parts to something else. Sometimes I search for something very special (and order this from realy extraordinary specialists) and on the other hand I find matching inspirations in my collection of founded parts of junk, waste, garbage.
I found this Lantern on a fleamarked and got it realy cheap. It´s made of tinplate and the glas is a bottle. I think a cover on the spout is missing. In the stand is a battery compartment (2 C-cells - 3 V) and a switch and a small bulb is under the bottle. All in all it´s a good base to steampunk it.
I found this Lantern on a fleamarked and got it realy cheap. It´s made of tinplate and the glas is a bottle. I think a cover on the spout is missing. In the stand is a battery compartment (2 C-cells - 3 V) and a switch and a small bulb is under the bottle. All in all it´s a good base to steampunk it.
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Changing the Light
After inserting batteries I experienced that everything worked but the bulb was dark and boring. I opened all and disassembled the bulb and the lamp socket of plastic (it was wedged in the bottom) and cut the wires up there. Some weeks ago I bought some flickering candles, tealights made from LEDs and a CR2016 and soldered 6 of the LEDs to a small ring for another idea that didn´t work. In this lantern they should develop the life that I missed with the bulb. So I replaced this first.
The wiring is from the original now, only the bulb was changed to the LEDs. Because the soldering was made for something completely different I covered the metal housing with tape down the hole to prevent any shortcuts or losses.
At this point the electric modifications will do it for now. Let´s do the steampunkination and look where it goes.
The wiring is from the original now, only the bulb was changed to the LEDs. Because the soldering was made for something completely different I covered the metal housing with tape down the hole to prevent any shortcuts or losses.
At this point the electric modifications will do it for now. Let´s do the steampunkination and look where it goes.
The Eye of the Lantern
The look of a lantern is heavily changed by a magnifying glass. And I love it. I love the old torches that uses them and I love the old film- or slide projectors with this look. In a dollar shop I found paper weights of glass and I just had to scratch off the picture on the plain side. Things like this I´ve got in stock - I take them as I see them and these will fit to many other objects.
To prevent scratches and as a ground for constructing I taped the funnel with paper tape. Next I marked the outer diameter of the glass. With the tool you see in the picture woodturners are allowed to find the center of round objects and it helped me too. The whole construction was made on the funnel and at least I needed marks at the 45-135-215-305 degrees.
From the 0-90-180-270 degrees I marked the half with compasses. I used the compasses also to mark the distance from the outer rim for the screwholes. I realy couldn´t figure out where to place them so I guessed. And Mr. Spock couldn´t have done better...
The found and marked points got punched and drilled 3 mm wide. 4 M3 screws, each with a srew-nut on the inner and outer side fixes the glass perfect. No glue or silicon. No rattling or sticking.
To prevent scratches and as a ground for constructing I taped the funnel with paper tape. Next I marked the outer diameter of the glass. With the tool you see in the picture woodturners are allowed to find the center of round objects and it helped me too. The whole construction was made on the funnel and at least I needed marks at the 45-135-215-305 degrees.
From the 0-90-180-270 degrees I marked the half with compasses. I used the compasses also to mark the distance from the outer rim for the screwholes. I realy couldn´t figure out where to place them so I guessed. And Mr. Spock couldn´t have done better...
The found and marked points got punched and drilled 3 mm wide. 4 M3 screws, each with a srew-nut on the inner and outer side fixes the glass perfect. No glue or silicon. No rattling or sticking.
Columns to the Corners
From a junkyard I took some turned brass pieces. I don´t know were they are from but they looked like theyl´d get their appearance sometimes. I have short and longer pieces and together they nearly fit to the lamp housing. To push the look to steampunk I slaughtered a clockwork (or two) and added a gear wheel in the middle.
The bottom of the lamp housing has already drill holes at each corner and the bottle inside leaves enough space to assamble a screw there. As the columns are realy heavy I decieded to make holders of brass only from downwards but it should be strong enough to keep everything upright. I made the holders from 4 mm brass and 1/3 of the length is behind the connecting screw to the housing so I have a good support by friction and lever.
The bottom of the lamp housing has already drill holes at each corner and the bottle inside leaves enough space to assamble a screw there. As the columns are realy heavy I decieded to make holders of brass only from downwards but it should be strong enough to keep everything upright. I made the holders from 4 mm brass and 1/3 of the length is behind the connecting screw to the housing so I have a good support by friction and lever.
Changing the Footage
At least the foot is looking boring and I don´t like swich position in the front.
I thought about changing the whole thing to a massive brass candle foot I have but I would need to add the energy managemant and the weight of the thing is already at about 4 pounds. It´s cold outside and even colder in my workshop so a modification is all I want to do now.
So I looked in the parts I disassambled from a old clock and found the holders wich connected the clockwork to it´s wooden housing. The angle was exact the same as the foot of the lantern, they are black and I had 4 of them - good luck. At this point I didn´t knew what to mount there but 4 holes at each holder that point right downwards make anything possible.
To reach the place with my drill I had to disassamble the foot. It´s connected with bounded plate. After marking the position and drilling I fixed the new holders with M3 screws and reassambled all with the switch backwards.
I thought a little bit about adding some fancy funky stuff there but at least a steampunk lantern has to be a tool in several expeditions. A steampunk lantern has to go to new worlds and has to work in unbelievable and unknown situations. So I made the stand adjustable with 8 M3 screws and 16 screw-nuts. This lantern can be adjusted to the slopes and dales of the moon as well as the different concavity of venus or deep under the surface of the earth in any cave.
I thought about changing the whole thing to a massive brass candle foot I have but I would need to add the energy managemant and the weight of the thing is already at about 4 pounds. It´s cold outside and even colder in my workshop so a modification is all I want to do now.
So I looked in the parts I disassambled from a old clock and found the holders wich connected the clockwork to it´s wooden housing. The angle was exact the same as the foot of the lantern, they are black and I had 4 of them - good luck. At this point I didn´t knew what to mount there but 4 holes at each holder that point right downwards make anything possible.
To reach the place with my drill I had to disassamble the foot. It´s connected with bounded plate. After marking the position and drilling I fixed the new holders with M3 screws and reassambled all with the switch backwards.
I thought a little bit about adding some fancy funky stuff there but at least a steampunk lantern has to be a tool in several expeditions. A steampunk lantern has to go to new worlds and has to work in unbelievable and unknown situations. So I made the stand adjustable with 8 M3 screws and 16 screw-nuts. This lantern can be adjusted to the slopes and dales of the moon as well as the different concavity of venus or deep under the surface of the earth in any cave.