Lamson Light!

I call this the Lamson Light because I made it from part of an old Lamson pneumatic system. These pneumatic systems were once very popular in stores and businesses for transporting items such as small parts or orders from one department to another. An item would be placed in a special container, placed inside the door to the system, and would be delivered by air pressure to the next station. Modern versions are still in use today, such as those used in drive-through banks.

This particular one, however probably dates back to the 1950's, and was purchased in an estate sale.

The first thing I did was to clean up years of filth off this thing. I decided against painting it, however, because I liked the somewhat worn look from all the years of use.

At the bottom was a flange, which I used to mount the device to a small piece of wood for stability.

I used a candelabra light socket, which I attached to the base using some old lamp parts I had in my junk box.

At the top opening of the device, I made a fiber plug to close up the area where the pneumatic tube would have been connected, and in the center of this plug I installed a simple on/off switch.

I wired the light socket just like any other lamp (one wire branches through the switch). The wire going to/from the switch is hidden behind the frame of the door so it is not visible from the front.

I used a "flicker" bulb in this lamp, since it's main purpose is to be decorative. It is used in a hallway near a side door to my house as a nightlight.