LED Island Fan Lighting

This is a light I created to eliminate an old hazardous Halogen light in our bedroom. It is rather low cost and you can make it in one setting.

Step 1: Step 1: Cut Out the Shape in Foam Core Board

This is a possible design for you to use if you wish to do a 3 light lamp. Note that when you wish to fold the foam core board, you must remove a 45° angle of the foam ONLY... you do this by placing a steel straight edge about 1/8" off the crease line at a 45° angle and slightly pulling back so that the blade does not puncture the finished face of the foam core board. Then repeat on the other side so you now have the center of the fold material removed. Once all the cuts are completed, then using glue, foam tape, I like to use hot glue to seal the edges and hold the unit together.

Step 2: Step 2: Arranging the Electrical Connections

I simply went out to Walmart and purchased their least expensive multi plug cord. Keeping in mind that it was also the largest wire size to make sure it was safe and would not turn into a zip cord. Then I was also able to get on sale for $3.50 the LED bulbs on left and right and for about $6.95 I also included a larger bulb for the center. Since this is made with the multi cord, I also purchased the simple plug in light bulb holders. I made sure that the structure of the foam core was definitely even with the where the bulb screwed in would not be below the top of the structure.

Step 3: Step 3: Covering the Structure With Aluminum Tape

For safety, I covered the entire structure with Aluminum (actual not just the colored duck tape) that is used to tape together heating piping for your furnace and is heat resistant. This also strengthens the structure and makes it ridge. I covered the outside and the areas inside where the bulbs would be closest to the structure to prevent any excess heat build up. The Aluminum actually helps to Heat Sink the heat away and keeps it cool.

Step 4: Step 4: Aesthetic Design Treatments

I had some nice marble black rock and I just hot glued pieces onto the structure to give it a more organic look and feel. It also added weight to stabilize the unit. I also incorperated a nice wood fan I had picked up in China on my last visit to Shanghai. It had a fan holder that I just cut into the structure and hot glued into place. This provides a screen giving you a soft ambient light.

Step 5: Step 5: the Finished Island Lamp

The results were better than I expected and it provides very good full lighting and the reality is that each bulb if we used it continuously would only burn about $1.50 per year in cost. We reduced our apartment electric bill by about $5-$10 per month by installing all of our lights with LEDs. Also, if you have the Ice Cream type fluorescents it is best to remove them all as if they break they are extremely harmful as they contain Mercury gas which is very dangerous. So go out and invest in some LED bulbs as they are very affordable now and they will save you money over their lifetime which in itself will save you money as they last 10X longer than regular incandescent bulbs. I hope you like the project and if you do please give some feed back. I simply love the results in all ways.