Sunday, 23 February 2014

How I made my U-Bend lamp.

I heard about this abandoned building called Blakey Moor that the college owned but haven’t used in years and was completely shut down. I chased up a few of the college council and estates people and had to get permission of two people and set up for someone to show me round. I was lucky enough to be allowed to be shown round by a great guy called Ian and Bill the technician came too. I was actually like something from most haunted it was pitch black because it was boarded up and some people had broken in the week before and took all the cables form the celling out but when I walked in it was a little scary to see great long black corridors and hanging celling with creepy school pictures dotted around. It was so great to get a look at some local history and a fantastic haul for stuff to use, most of the rooms got emptied out when leaving the building but there were bits and bobs on every floor, I wasn’t looking for any big already made furniture but little pieces of crap like fan grid covers or the plumbing tubing.  The only thing I’m gutted about was not taking enough photos but I was just memorised by the building and finding some great things.
I found this in the last room at the end of the corridor on the third floor, you know like you have an everything draw at home? With loads of pens and bobbles and pennies? Well this room was an everything room, not jammed with stuff but just loads of random objects and I found this in the corner.
Totally gross but it was filled with mouldy, crusty reminisce from the sink so I had to clean and scrub it all out, this had to be my lowest thing from this project, even going in skips was more hygienic…. So this literally took my hours but when I eventually got the piping clean..and myself I just looked all around it, and I’m not a planner in words or sketches so I just thought for a few hours, ad see what it could look like in different positions and different furniture, what colours look great with it, where it would sit in a room, what I want to make. I knew I needed to make a light and decided to make it a table lamp.
I started rejigging some of the parts but they are all made to fit so there wasn’t any room to change the positions really, I wanted to keep the visual aesthetics of the U-Bend to relate to everyone, I mean…Everyone has a U-Bend in there house?! Right?! I think it just comes with the sink.. My decision was to tweak the bend so it faced out words and already found a light bulb that would fit cosy in there then the wire could follow throughout the blue bit so I would be a little neater.
So I was in B&Q for just over an hour.. Looking for how to make your own light is useless there, being the strong independent woman I am I trooped on but an hour later I came to the realisation of sometimes it’s just easier to get a man to help..  I think his name was ‘Barry’, Barry showed me that I needed a 2 Core Heat Resistant Flex, a 3 Pin Plug and a Lamp Holder to like sit your bulb in. They all came with great instructions and it was pretty straight forward on how to put it all together.
My ‘if I had more time’ comment would be more of a ‘if I had the money’ I would of made the chord to plug it in longer but it was already racking up for all the fittings and the only one I could afford was a 1 metre chord and it’s just a little short.

I am really pleased with the overall look I think it’s just a great fun little creation and it definitely connects with everyone being a household item made from a household item. I think it is a commercial product because it works, it’s safe and fashionable. So pleased. 




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