Make A Camping Lamp!

It's Easy and Fun!

by Robert Gillespie

If you go car camping much, you've probably noticed it helps to bring lighting.  But flood lights are so harsh!  You may have seen people using a 5 gallon pickle bucket with a bulb inside it.  That works, but this project will give you a beautiful lamp that's much more compact, puts out lots of soft light, and adds to the beauty of your campsite.  The bead pattern on the side will glow like a Lite-Brite.  You are sure to get some comments on this fun lamp!

You can make this at home in a short time with only a few dollars' worth of materials.

Things you will need:

• A plastic planter in your choice of color.  I suggest a dark color so the light won't shine through it as much.  I chose green. 
• A package of "tri-beads," often called craft beads.  They are Y-shaped.  These beads are readily available at craft stores such as Hobby Lobby and Michael's.  Be sure they are translucent and not opaque.
• An outdoor extension cord with a single outlet at the end.
• A plug-to-socket adapter.  This has a light socket on one side and a plug on the other side.
• An LED light bulb; 40 or 60 watt equivalent suggested.
• A drill and a pair of pliers.
• Electrical tape.

These are the beads:

 

This is the plug adapter:

Let's get started!

1.  Draw a pattern on the planter.  It should be in dots, not lines.  I chose to do trees with the moon and stars above them on one side.  You can see the Big Dipper in the star pattern.  On the other side I did a sunset over the water.  The sunset pattern allowed me to use lots of colors.  I also put a row of green dots along the bottom of the lamp, to represent the ground, and a row of blue dots along the top of the lamp, to represent the sky. Be creative and draw whatever appeals to you. 

2.  Mark where you want the holes in the planter using a Sharpie.  For complex patterns, draw the pattern on paper first.  Punch out the holes on the paper template.

 3.  Tape the paper template to the planter, and mark the holes with a Sharpie.

4.  Remove the template and drill one hole.  Test the fit before you drill the rest of the holes!  The hole should be just a little smaller than the diameter of the beads.  The bead should be a tight fit and should "pop" into the hole with a noticeable snap.  You will be able to rotate the bead, but there should be no chance of it falling out.  Look at step 5 for information on how to insert the beads.

If the hole is too big and the bead is loose, you can use a little clear glue to hold it in.  But if you drill the right size hole you'll have a snug fit without any glue.  11/64" was the perfect size for my beads.

Here is the planter with all the holes drilled.

5.  Next, take a bead in a pair of pliers, and push one end through the hole from the inside.  Again, it should be a tight fit.  It should take a little work to push it through until it pops in.

6.  Now we're going to install the light.  Drill a hole in the center bottom of the planter (which will be the top of your lamp) that is just large enough for the extension cord to pass through. Not the whole plug, but just the round cord, or the smaller base of the plug.  Your lamp is going to rest on the plug when it's hanging.   Next to that, drill or cut a hole large enough for the entire plug to pass through, and cut a slit to connect the two holes.  Cutting is easiest to do with a razor blade knife.

7.  Pass the plug through the large hole, and slide the cord through the slit into the smaller hole.  Cover the openings with electrical tape.

8.  Screw the LED bulb into the socket and plug it in.  Use only LED bulbs because they create very little heat.  Regular light bulbs or - heaven forbid - those blazing hot CFL bulbs could melt your project and start a fire!

9.  To hang it, throw the plug end of the cord over a tree limb, and hoist the lamp to the desired height.  Plug it in, and you're in business!

Please send me your comments on this project!  And send me pictures of your finished lamp!  I can't wait to see what ideas you have.  Thanks! 

Here's another lamp I made:

This one features a BBQ design:

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