Chinese Lantern Fixture

[Chris Keth]

I've shown mine before, but here it is again:

 

 

 

That's a wonderful solution, Luke. I should really make myself a couple sicne I love china balls so much. The wire just looks like coat hangar or heavy steel bailing wire, right?

[JD Hartman]

You probaby could use two regular lamp harps, oriented 90 degrees to each other, to keep the bulb from touching the fixture. Just clip off the metal part where the finial screws onto the top.

[Luke Prendergast]

The wire just looks like coat hangar or heavy steel bailing wire, right?

 

Basically it's a 10mm stainlees steel rod with the appropriate thread cut for a brass and ceramic socket, wiring through the rod and crimped into the end to secure it, heatshrink sleeved on the exit for additional strain relief. The support for the china ball is heavy baling wire - two identical pieces formed into an approximation of the original harp, with a ring on each to fit around the socket where a lampshade would normally be secured, and proportioned such that the lamps filament is in the centre of the china ball. The whole thing is EARTHED; important given that you're handling bare metal with mains power running inside.

 

If you're not inclined to build your own - http://cgi.ebay.com.au/China-ball-Chinese-...9QQcmdZViewItem

[Phil Gerke]

I have a question on the wiring.

 

Is it OK to strip back the jacket on a 16 gauge AC cord and run the 2 leads the length of the lamp rod into the base?

 

Or do I need to just use an 18 guage cable so I can run it through the lamp rod.

 

It really seems like the same either way because the 18 guage lamp cable I have is simply 2 wires glued together and it seems like a crappy way to do it. If I use 16 guage and strip the jacket and used a really good strain relief I would have a heavier duty cable and still be in good shape right? That being said, would those IPON strain reliefs work in this way?

 

I was also planning on heat shrinking at the lamp rod.

 

Thanks a lot. I'll post photos when they are done.