DIY- compact fluorescent fixture

[mspofford032579]

SO I was pricing compact fluorescent fixtures with bulbs onbline and I just couldn't see spending over a hundred bucks for a kit, so I got ghetto with it and built my own! See attatched pics...

mspofford032579 Reviewed by mspofford032579 on 04-10-2007. DIY- compact fluorescent fixture SO I was pricing compact fluorescent fixtures with bulbs onbline and I just couldn't see spending over a hundred bucks for a kit, so I got ghetto with it and built my own! See attatched pics... Rating: 5

[mspofford032579]

The only thing I have left to do is use the wire connectors to attatch the cord and it's done, but I need to get a cord with a polarized plug... Anyhow, I'm posting the plans if anyone else is interested...

[mspofford032579]

While reading various threads in this forum, I observed people spending upwards of 20 bucks making light assemblies using modified bathroom fixtures, and I thought; why do that when you can make something better yourself for about half the price? So here it is: plans to my 136w compact fluorescent fixture.

Shopping list:
Some scrap sheet metal
4 light sockets w/pigtails and 90 deg. Mounting brackets (lowes part #75121 â??phenolicâ??)
1 can of flat white spray paint
1/8â?� inner diameter rubber grommets
Wire connectors (the in line tap kind)
An old plug from a tv or something- make sure it has the polarized end (one prong larger)
A small assortment of machine screws, nuts, and locking washers
Marine epoxy, caulk, or any kind of paintable sealer you can use to seal the edges to keep them from leaking light


Tools Required:
Sheet metal scissors or â??aircraftâ?� tin snips
Screwdriver
Pliers
Utility knife
Straight edge
Black magic marker
3 pieces of scrap plywood or â??OSBâ?� (must be at least 14â?� long)
A couple of C-Clamps
Drill with assorted metal bits
Rivet gun with a few rivets
Protractor (that plastic half circle ruler thing you used to measure angles back in high school)

[mspofford032579]

1) Start by cutting a 14â?�X20â?� piece of sheet metal as shown in figure 1
This piece will become the reflector for your light housing. The dotted lines represent where you will eventually be folding. The two black dots represent where you will be drilling holes to mount the posts which will support your sockets.

[mspofford032579]

2) Using the straight edge and the utility knife, score the two lines where you will be folding. These lines are represented by the dotted lines in figure 1. To fold, take two pieces of scrap wood and line their edges up. Then, place the sheet metal in between the two flush pieces of scrap wood, making sure to line the edge you just scored (using the utility knife) with the flush edges of the wood. Hold them all in place using the clamps. Then, place the third piece of wood on a flat surface like the table or floor, and bend the metal against it. Make sure before you bend, that the side you scored with the utility knife is bending outward not inward. You want a 115 degree bend as shown in figure 2
Use the plastic protractor as best as you can to check your work. After you have bent one side, switch it around and fold the other side. Drill the two holes in figure 1 using a bit with the same diameter as your machine screws.

[mspofford032579]

3) The next step is to cut the two side plates which will be riveted on later. Draw the
dimensions shown in figure 3 onto a piece of sheet metal.
I found it easier to actually draw the above image onto a piece of construction paper, cut it out and trace it, but any way that works best is fine as long as your measurements are reasonably accurate.

[mspofford032579]

Before you cut out the pieces, you will need to trace on a couple of tabs, shown in figure 4.
These tabs are what you will fold over, and rivet to the top part of the reflector. Simply put, they are 1 inch square, at a 90 degree angle from the 4.5â?� edge, and they start an inch from the corner. The black dots on the tabs represent a hole drilled through the center. Use the appropriate sized drill bit to match the rivets you will be using. Draw these tabs onto the plates you have already sketched out, drill the holes, and cut out the two plates. Once you have cut both side plates out, use the pliers to fold all 4 tabs at 90 degrees.

[mspofford032579]

4) Once you have prepared the side plates, place them on the sides of the hood so that the tabs are on the outside, and see how they fit. Thereâ??s probably going to be some gaps, and thatâ??s ok. Thatâ??s why youâ??ll be using the epoxy or whatever you came up with to seal it later. Itâ??s not critical what you use to seal the cracks either. It just needs to be hard and something you can paint over. I built two of these so far and I used some old bondo from the garage on my second one. Anyway, with the side plates propped up where they need to be, mark where you will need to drill the reflector so you can rivet. Once you have drilled out the necessary holes, use the rivet gun to secure the sides onto the reflector. This is all very wordy and seems pretty hard, but the project isnâ??t really that tough when you actually do it.

[mspofford032579]

5) Now is as good as a time as any to fabricate the two posts you will be mounting your sockets onto. Start by cutting out two rectangular pieces of sheet metal. Each will be 2 inches wide and 4.5 inches long as shown in figure 5.
Once again, my crappy ass diagrams make this thing seem like way more headache than in reality. After you cut out your strips, drill the two holes on each strip. Then, make the inch long cut (shown with the dotted line) on each of the two strips. Fold both strips the long way at 90 degrees. Next, where you made the inch long cut at the bottom, fold the two flaps inward at 90 degrees so that they end up on top of each other. Lastly, once both of these flaps are folded in and make a sort of base for the post, drill a hole (the size of your machine screws) right through the center of both folded flaps. The result should be a post with a 1â?� squared base and a hole drilled through the center of the base. Paint both posts with white spray paint.

[mspofford032579]

6) Moving back to the reflector with the side panels riveted on, there are obviously going to be some cracks and gaps. Fill them in with whatever you have, marine epoxy, bondo, caulk, also â??quick steelâ?� epoxy stick works well. Anything that will seal the light in is just fine. Once it hardens, paint the entire fixture with the flat white spray paint.