Clamp Stand Lamp

by guiseppe.ferrigno in Workshop > Lighting

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Clamp Stand Lamp

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A simple lamp using an old school science-lab clamp stand.

You Will Need

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You will need:

1. Vintage clamp stand with boss and clamp (mine is around 60cm tall, from ebay)

2. A lamp holder (mine is from Urban Cottage Industries)

3. Traditional filament bulb, to fit your chosen lamp holder (I suggest a 40w bulb as anything more can be bit bright for exposed bulbs. You can also buy these from Urban Cottage Industries, although cheaper ones can be found fairly easily, some low energy LED options that are quite nice are also available)

4. Lighting cable (Note some lamp holders require 2 or 3 core cable make sure to get the right one to match. I suggest buying at least 2 metres of cable as you will use most of a meter on the lamp itself. Again mine is from Urban Cottage Industries).

5. Standard 3 pin plug (you should use a 3 amp fuse for lighting)

Tools:

- Flat end screwdriver

- Electrical tape

- Cutting pliers or scissors

Assemble Your Lamp Holder

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Note: All fittings vary please follow instructions from your manufacturer.

1. Disassemble the lamp holder

2. Thread the cable through the top of the holder

3. As I was using plated cable I have taped the cable together a few centimetres from the end to stop in unravelling (this will be hidden within the lamp holder)

4. Separate the wires and cut back/tape off the first couple of centimetres of outer cable fabric (this make is easier to work with and stops any straggly bits getting caught up in the wiring)

5. Strip about a centimetre of the inner plastic cable off the ends, leaving the copper wire exposed

6. Place the appropriate wires in the fittings and tighten the screws to keep them secure (the earth cable, if you have one, is usually yellow and green or green, the positive and negative can be wired either way)

7. Re-assessembe the lamp holder and do up the cord grip if you have one

Wire You Plug

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Wire your plug to the other end of the cable

1. In a similar fashion to the lamp holder, secure the cables together, separate the cables, strip or tape back the outer fabric, and strip the plastic ends to expose the copper wires.

2. Place the copper ends in the corresponding fittings and do up the screws to keep them secure. Mine came with a useful picture guide shown in the photos to help with correct wiring.

3. Re-assessemble you plug and test the light. (Note always put the plug fully together before testing)

Assemble Your Light

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1. Attach the boss and clamp to your stand

2. Place the light holder in the clamp and secure

3. Use the boss to hold the cable in place

(4. An additional boss can be used towards the bottom of the stand to hold the cable in place)

5. Plug in and LIGHT UP

ta da