DIY Mini Torch Stand!

Hi guys,

Firstly, I apologise for the fact that I haven't been uploading that often as I've been busy. Anyway, let's just get straight into it...

When I take photos, especially for Instructables, I've felt that I would like a portable lamp to help me make my images better. Being an Instructables member, I (rather obviously) decided to take matters into my own hands, and came up with this.

I doubt that this would win any beauty contests (do Instructables look at how good a project looks like to feature it, anyone?), but hey, it does the job!

Just saying, that the light of my torch wasn't as bright as it's supposed to be as it was a little low on batteries.

You will need:

• A scissor
• A torch - it shouldn't be too big or long (i would recommend one that has a wide beam, especially if you're planning to use it for photography)
• Wire - it should be stiff enough to support the weight of the torch, but not so stiff that you can't mold it easily by hand - the length depends on how high you want the torch from the base
• Bottlenose pliers (is that what they're called - i forgot)
• Scissors
• Cardboard or maybe a thin piece of wood for the base
• A couple of paperclips
• Paint and a paintbrush - optional

Warning: This step is very confusing, so I advise you to refer to the pictures if you're confused

Attaching it to the torch

First of all, grab your piece of wire, and fold it in half. Now, make a loop (from the folded side of the wire) and slide it around the middle of the torch. You should have two individual pieces of wire side by side - so get ONE of them, and put it over the torch (see figs 4, 5, and 6). Repeat this two or three more times, and pull the two strands of wire tight.

Making the wire stiffer and joining the two pieces together

From the top, where the long piece of wire meets the loop part, start twisting the wire going down. Try to twist it as tight as you can so the wire becomes stiffer. Do this until you reach the bottom, but leave about half an inch or so ( depending on the size of your base and paperclips- the larger your base/clips are, the more you leave) or so untwisted. You might want to use the pliers for this.

Attaching the paperclips

Before you start, strip the loose pieces of wire of its coating. Now join these two pieces of wire to the top of the paperclips, and secure it.

Start off by sliding the paperclips onto the base. Use some sticky tape to keep it there. Now, get the second piece of wire, make a loop that's big enough to have the front of the torch slide into, and make a stem underneath it. Fold this 'stem' in half and twist it to stiffen it. This will help support the torch. Fold about an inch or half an inch of the stem from the bottom to make a right angle. Then make a hole opposite the paperclips, and put this wire inside. Also, you'll need to secure it with sticky tape.