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Food  Living  Outside  Play  Technology  Workshop

Introduction to making a SteamPunk Light Tube U.S.A. Version 2.0by Grasshopper1221 on June 14, 2012

Table of Contents

Introduction to making a SteamPunk Light Tube U.S.A. Version 2.0  ........................................................................

Intro: Introduction to making a SteamPunk Light Tube U.S.A. Version 2.0  ................................................................

Step 1: Parts:  .............................................................................................................

Step 2: Tools:  .............................................................................................................

Step 3: Assemble the light tube part 1  ...........................................................................................

Step 4: Wiring 101  ..........................................................................................................

Step 5: Assemble the light tube part 2  ...........................................................................................

Step 6: Wiring the switch and power source.  ......................................................................................

Related Instructables  ........................................................................................................ 1

Advertisements  ............................................................................................................... 1

Comments  ................................................................................................................ 1

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Intro:  Introduction to making a SteamPunk Light Tube U.S.A. Version 2.0Turn some old junk into something really neat and has many app's.All parts for this build can be aquired fairly easy, The hardest parts to find would be the lamp bases which are the gas valves from a propane gas grill, there are manytypes of valves. It is purely up to the artist on what style to use. This device will use a 3.7 volt Lithium ion cell phone battery for power. They really super power LED'swithout a resistor and LED's can run for days on a single charge depending how good the battery is you will use.

This can also be powered by USB or AAA ,AA, C, and D batteries as well.Using a USB will require the use of a resistor or the LED will burn out within a few sec's.

A quick note:The best way to recharge you're cell phone battery is by using the cell phone that the battery came from to recharge it, This means I would suggest using an OLD phoand NOT you're current cell phone, Like me you will have to do a quick cell phone hack and solder a quick connect to said OLD phone.

Step 1: Parts:As I said prior the parts are fairly easy to aquire and they are as follows.

2 Small brass gears. (Scraped from old clocks washing or dryer machine timers) Cost free

2 LED's color of you're choice.(Pulled from old VCR's Radio's) Cost free

2 Stainless steel rods (taken from junk CD/DVD players.) Cost free

2 Brass gas valves from gas grill. (Scraped from junk grill) Cost free

4 Dollar store Laser pointer's (Just the cap's are needed.) Cost $4.00

2 1/2 to 3/8 copper pipe reducers (bought at any hardware store). Cost $2.00

2 Decorative lamp Sleeve (Hardware store.) Cost $1.00

1 Hard clear plastic tube. (Dollar store cup with washable straw.) Cost $1.00

1 Fire sleeve White. Cost free (found at local wholesale electrical contractorsupplier, Or pulled from electrical appliances that use heat.)

1 Single pole toggle switch. from Radio Shack Cost $3.19

2 lengths of thin insulated copper wire about 25 inch's Cost free (USB cable stripped down to the 4 conductors work great)

Total cost for all parts you may have to buy will be about $12.00. I had all this on hand so cost was nil for me :)

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Step 2: Tools:Wire cutter's, Strippers.Soldering iron, flux, solder.Vise.Dremel.Pipe cutter.Utility knife.Gorilla glueHelping hands. (if you have them)Hot glue gun.

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Step 3: Assemble the light tube part 1First I placed the base and 1/2 to 3/8 pipe reducer in the vise and gently pressed it onto the base x2.

Next is to size up the fire sleeve, marked with a fine point sharpie.

Using the pipe cutter very very gently score the plastic tube, If too much pressure is used it will crack and break, the best way to cut this i found is by scoring the tubethen heat up the utility knife blade and cut it. Clean off any burs.

Now insert the fire sleeve into the tube mine was a real tight fit made it hard to get in all the way but i did it.

Now that the base and tube are ready we can move on to the stainless steel guide rods, these rods came out of burned up DVD and CD players the fit the holes in thebase perfectly. Slide them in and gorilla glue them into place, then slide the other base on to support the guide rods until the one end has dried completely.

After drying is completed remove the unglued side of base. Screw on the decor lamp sleeve and laser pointer cap for the end cap x2.

Image Notes1. fine point sharpie

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Image Notes1. only glue one side at this step

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Image Notes

1. A dab of hot glue here will ensure the cap stays on.

Step 4: Wiring 101First the wires need to be tinned, this makes it very easy to solder wire to LED's fast wi thout burning up the LED from to much heat, So dip the wires in flux and give tha fast run threw some hot solder.

Okay time to solder the wire on the LED's, Make sure you have got the positive and negative correct on both LED's. If possible try to use Red and Black wires in case have to rip into it again... Just makes it easier & faster if there is a repair to do or perhaps a refit.....

Now that the 2 LED's are wired it is time to run the wires threw the base, fairly simple.First place one of the last 2 laser pointer caps on the wire so that it will look like a brass bowl inside the base, I used hot glue at this point to fasten the cap into the basthe glue dries faster then I could set in place so I used a small torch lighter to heat up the base and remelt the glue without damaging the LED's and reseat the cap.

Wiring the switch will be the last step of this instructable.

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Image Notes1. Black tape , Heat shrink would be way better ... :(

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Image Notes1. remelt the hot glue to sit right!

Step 5: Assemble the light tube part 2Place the small brass gear in the vise and make it very snug( Don't crush or mar) Carefully drill the center of the gear out. The tube I used was just under 11/32 So thathe drill i used perfect fit, The gear should be able to move freely on the tube until glued into place.

You may have to use the Dremel to grind down a few teeth on the gear so that it will not bind on the guide rods. Insert the tube onto the LED run a thin ring of hot gluethe base, Remember it dries real fast on brass so you will have to remelt by heating the base up then press gear down hold hard for good 10 to 15 secs and it shall besolid.

Now repeat for the other end of the lamp and it is complete all but wiring the switch & power source.

Image Notes1. Ground down teeth

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Step 6: Wiring the switch and power source.For now I am just wiring a momentary switch to this light

Again a 3.7 volt lithium ion cell phone battery Identify positive and negative a little bit of flux and solder them to the battery RED + BLACK -

Wire the positive from battery to one side of the switch.Wire the other positive wire to the two RED wires from the LED's

Wire the ground wires from the LED's directly to the negative on the battery, completing the circuit and this Instructable.If you have made it this far then think about this, Firesleeve comes in different sizes imagine using 1 watt LED's! SteamPunk light tubes that are 2 or 3 feet long. Justsaying...

This lamp has many apps and can be added to many SteamPunkers wish list enjoy.I hope you enjoy this build as much as I did making it!

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Image Notes1. Solder both red wires to the switch 1 wire per terminal.

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Comments

10 comments Add Comment

 Warmtint says:  Feb 9, 2013. 7:18 PM REP

Hey Grasshopper

can you at least say what kind of grill you got those 90 degree valves off of? I havnt seen one yet tht looks like those and its a pretty crucial part of the thisproject. seems like every one I find is diferent than what you show. If we could know the grill it came off it would make fining it alot easier. Most look nothinglike the ones you show. you obviously have made this before. what grille are you pulling them off of? and also this f ire sleeve material. exactly what is itplastic? another integral piece that is impssible to figure. I dont mind hunting the stuff down but ya gotta give us more detail for kripes sake. every one ofthese instructables is vague and frustrating. Dont need to see a pic of your vice and wire cutters and other assorted tools. how about detailed info instead.

Thanx for your help and for a great possible project

 Grasshopper1221 says:  Feb 10, 2013. 9:19 AM REP

Warmtint: Everything I use is found in the trash, I did not buy 300.00 grill to remove its parts to make a 5.00 light, I am sorry I have no idea what kind ofgrill they are off. As they are many styles of gas valves be creative It don't have to be an exact match to what I have posted.Firesleeve is am guessing is.... Some kind of fiberglass maybe without the glass... I don't know again pillaged from stuff I find in the trash oldermicrowaves ovens toaster ovens, toasters ect... As I have tried to find this stuff on a roll with no luck, It is not plastic it is flexaible mesh tube.

And I do have to post pics of my tools, I try to explain it as best I can for all to see, If you are having a hard time understanding what I have posted Isuggest taking your time an read it a few times, I thought I was pretty on topic when I said where to find the parts. I will in the future try harder to make easier to understand.Thanks for looking and best of luck with all your projects Cheers!

 Winged Fist says:  Jun 24, 2012. 9:04 PM REP

Grasshopper - Great looking light tube. I can see this working nicely with a wide variety of steampunk projects. (Would look great on the right steampunkkeyboard;-) You got my 5 stars and vote for the Green Tech contest!

 Grasshopper1221 says:  Jun 27, 2012. 6:39 PM REP

Thanks Winged fist.However I think this will be my last step by step project, unless there's a cool contest..... It just take to much time to make the step by step and get verylittle exposure.So I think I will just post finished projects.Glad you like it!! Now go make a few and hook it up! Try using 1 watt LED's >:)

 electfire says:  Jun 15, 2012. 12:38 PM REP

Nicely done Grasshopper!Similar project to Junophor's though yours looks like it has better light dispersion.I also love the hardware you used to make the tube itself.Those gas valves are nice, wish I could f ind some.

 Grasshopper1221 says:  Jun 15, 2012. 1:36 PM REP

You are correct sir I must give Credit where it is due I did after seeing his light tube if you notice it is the same light I used on the steamPunk wall light,But I never did an instructable on how I built it.

With some extra cool parts I found I was able to make this again.

 Grasshopper1221 says:  Jun 15, 2012. 1:59 PM REP

Also I think the light dispersion looks so well because I am using Super Bright white LED's. I tried green and red and found that the dispersion wasallot less then the white LED's. Then again they were not super bright green's or red's so that could be a factor.

 Begradoo says:  Jun 15, 2012. 10:05 AM REP

This is beautiful. I think I'm going to make a few and put them around the house. Just got to find a few trashed grills. ha ha

 Grasshopper1221 says:  Jun 15, 2012. 10:33 AM REP

Thank you Begradoo! I am pleased that you like it. It is a fairly easy build, you can try to see if any local scrap dealers will sell you parts off there hugepile of gas grills.!?

 Begradoo says:  Jun 15, 2012. 12:56 PM REP

Not a bad idea. There is a metal scrap place about 5 minutes from my work. :)