Do-it-yourself street lamps from improvised materials

A country estate or summer cottage is a huge territory that you want to equip as best as possible. If we talk about design, then lighting devices will play an important role.

Since lamps for the home in this case are not the most suitable option, many owners make street lamps with their own hands. Such an idea cannot be considered a real adventure, since the manufacture of such structures is available to everyone.

The main thing is that you have patience, desire and free time, which is not a pity to spend on a homemade light source. The reward for the master will be a unique and even original design that will greatly transform the territory and simple convenience.

Do-it-yourself street lamps from improvised materials

Assortment for selection

The street lamp has certain responsibilities, or rather:

• It plays the role of an element of decor, and yet does not deprive the site of a harmonious appearance.
• Provides excellent lighting, so that the owners are comfortable on the territory, even at night.

If the street classic design is almost always equipped with a leg, and a device is also placed on it, then it will be possible to choose a model for a home-made lamp from several varieties of lanterns.

1. Floor lamps — they are installed in the ground, and their appearance most often does not differ from a home device. We are talking about a rack that ends with a round lighting fixture. There are other models, more original, when the dimensions / shapes / number of shades are far from the standard classic floor lamp.
2. Suspension-type structures are the simplest and most practical devices that can be mounted on roofs, verandas or immediately on tree branches. The simplest and at the same time popular option would be a long chain on which the ceiling is fixed.
3. Ground pedestal lamps — such devices, mounted directly on the ground, are often placed along the perimeter of footpaths. Other suitable places, for example, swings, beautiful flower beds, gazebos or other recreation areas. Such ground placement structures are usually made either square or rounded.
4. Wall lights — these lamps are the best solution for lighting the entrance to the house, near the gate or veranda. It is not difficult to make a wall-mounted street lamp with your own hands, and such devices come in a variety of shapes, but the most popular models are made in retro style. For the role of materials for them, quite unusual options for raw materials are often chosen.

Let’s consider other options.

Various light sources

In this case, there are definitely no shortcomings in the applicants.

In order to organize street lighting, apply:

• Simple incandescent lamps are the most inexpensive devices, but the option is very impractical, because they give too bright light, and saving on electrical energy with this lighting remains only a dream.
• Halogen lamps are the most economical type, which is famous for its incredible durability. But even here there were some drawbacks — the lamps are not resistant to temperature extremes, the dirt that accumulates on the flasks, and they also overheat.
• LED devices are real champions when it comes to saving electrical energy. Their small disadvantage is the cost, which nevertheless justifies the long service life of the lamps. The advantages include greater hull strength.
• Solar panels — the advantage of such a light source is the ability to place it in the most convenient for you «wilds» of the site, where it is unrealistic to conduct an electrical network. The solar powered battery can last 12 hours, but this luminaire requires an area with constant sunshine to mount.

And now about the materials.

What materials are suitable for the street

A do-it-yourself street lamp is made from a pipe and other materials. The choice will depend on the owners, because different materials can be used to create lanterns, but the most important thing is that they are not afraid of moisture. Plastic can be attributed to this category, but it has one huge minus — fragility. For this reason, this is not the best solution, because sooner or later this lamp will break.

improvised materials

It is far from always possible (and a great desire) to do a thing that is designed to last for centuries. For example, in summer cottages it would be much more logical to create structures from simple materials that do not need serious processing. For this reason, the owners, who have a lot of good things in stock and it is a pity to throw it away, make street lamps from any raw material. Suitable for this:

• PVC pipes.
• Construction Materials.
• Old crockery.
• Plastic containers.
• Cardboard boxes (which require excellent moisture protection).
• Wood (for example, wood chips or rods).
• Clay.
• Glass or tin cans.

Such lanterns for outdoor use have a huge advantage — they almost always attract attention, because they turn out to be original and unusual. Another advantage is the ease of their manufacture, because they do not require a welding machine and a lot of time to make them. Yes, there is a drawback — fragility, but you can quickly and easily replace the old product with a new one, but having a new one, i.e. «fresh» look.

Metal is the perfect material

The best option would be to make a street lamp out of metal with your own hands. There are 3 worthy candidates here — copper, brass and bronze. But at the same time, the last alloy will darken all the time, and therefore the owners will need to spend a lot of time cleaning the lantern. Copper, after a while, will oxidize, and such a lamp will also receive a greenish ugly tint. Taking into account the extremely important shortcomings of the two rivals, brass is the clear leader, i.e. durable and attractive material. There is another option, steel, while it is ideal for street lighting, but when choosing such an alloy, one can only dream about the beauty of the product, because steel products are not very similar to decorative elements.

Overview of homemade lamp options

building material lamp

In this case, the specialist should have some cement on hand, as well as plaster. To create a street lamp, you need a couple of plastic bottles, one two-liter should be wide, and the second with a capacity of 0.5 liters. Two containers must have lids. If you have bottles, then 50% of the work is done and there is very little left:

• For a larger jar, it is worth cutting off the lower half, retreating from the bottom by about 1/3, and then screw the lid onto the neck.
• A smaller bottle is inserted into the larger container, which is also closed, and the neck should rest against the neck of the larger container.
• The sides of two bottles are fastened with 2-4 nails, which should ensure the immobility of a kind of «crate».
• Prepare the solution, and then pour it into the resulting space, and then wait for complete solidification.
• Remove the crate, and then insert the lamp into the ceiling.

This lantern can be left in its original form, or you can decorate as you wish. The main advantages of the product are uniqueness, no need to buy material and an unusual approach to classic building material.

«Bottle» street lamp

Under the ceiling, you can take any glass bottle or an unusually shaped jar in a non-standard color, and the work itself will not portend problems.

For her it is worth preparing:

• Thin multi-colored wire.
• Pliers.
• Wires, cartridge and lamp.
• Knife.
• Screwdriver indicator.
• insulating tape.
• Decorative elements like glass and beads.
• Bank (bottle).

The operation itself goes like this:

1. First, it’s worth doing the assembly of the electrics — the cartridge is connected to the wires, and then the lamp is screwed in.
2. Decor is placed in a container that is designed for the lampshade — small objects that can reflect light.
3. A thin wire is wound around a finger to get a spiral. Such an element is also placed in a container.
4. The cartridge with the lamp is lowered into a do-it-yourself ceiling, and then fixed with silicone.

If the jar is opaque, then it is decorated from the inside with the help of luminescent paints — drawings are applied or covered with a solid sheet. Such material provides an unusual glow, and it is completely safe, non-toxic.

Can lamp

It is easy to make a street lamp from improvised materials with your own hands.

Even small cans of drinks are suitable for creating such an item, but huge lantern containers will look original and impressive at the same time. In this case, the tools you need are a hammer, and nails of different sizes. A rounded beam acts as a work table, which is best clamped in a vice for fixation. The method for obtaining an exclusive is quite simple:

• First, draw on the jar the pattern you like, which can be of varying degrees of complexity.
• After the lines you need to make holes with different diameters, using nails and a hammer.
• A cartridge with a lamp is inserted into the jar, and then the product is hung or installed in the chosen place.

The degree of originality of this or that lantern will depend solely on the imagination of the author. The finished product can be painted with patterns or painted. This invention and technique makes it quite easy to create real works of art.

Wooden ball lantern

This option is quite simple and there are no complicated manipulations in it. To make a balloon, you need to collect a bunch of small branches and rods to find or purchase an inflatable ball / balloon and PVA glue. The process itself is simple and straightforward:

• Wood blanks are broken in such a way that short sticks are obtained.
• After inflating the balloon, randomly stick twigs and twigs on it.
• The master will determine the number of rods on his own, but it is worth leaving a place to place a cartridge with a lamp.
• The finished product is removed for a day or two to dry.
• Next, pierce or deflate the balloon, and place the cartridge with the lamp in the ceiling.

Such a street lamp can be hung on a chain or placed on a stand made of metal. There are many methods to get what you want, because a street lamp can be made by hand from all materials (the exception would be paper). For this reason, there is no shortage of ideas, and one of the potential options is presented in the video.