My new garage tool

[7tooZ]

Finally opened the Christmas boxes and found this COOL tool.

Considered the rechargeable model but decided it probably would never leave the garage. Great new tool

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[Captain Obvious]

Nice! I was messing with shop lights a couple months ago as well. I got tired of replacing 13W fluorescent bulb in my typical shop light, so I took it apart and modified it to use a 60W equivalent LED bulb instead of the 13W flourescent. Then I decided that I could stuff TWO of the 60W LED bulbs in there. Took a shoehorn and some creativity, but I got them both in.

No more "blink - blink - blink - ON" of the fluorescent ballast. It's instant on, full bright even in sub-zero temps, and it's now like holding the illumination brightness of the SUN in your hand. AND it even runs cooler than the 13W fluorescent!

I've got something like 1660 lumens of awesome warm while illumination POWER on the end of a cord!!

[Patcon]

On 1/9/2017 at 10:32 PM, Captain Obvious said:

Then I decided that I could stuff TWO of the 60W LED bulbs in there. Took a shoehorn and some creativity, but I got them both in.

And you didn't post a how to???

[grannyknot]

Here's how, I already bugged him about it,

Replied: yesterday at 11:07 AM · Report

Here's a couple more pics of how I made my shop light. I used two of the GE "Light Stick" LED bulbs. I tried to stuff the 100W versions in, but just couldn't make it work. I settled for the 60W versions. Just in case you haven't seen them, the "Light Sticks" look like this:

I pried off the threaded bases and marked the plastic globes with a marker to cut them off shorter (without hitting any of the LED emitters inside):

Hacksaw (or lathe if you just happen to have one) the plastic globes shorter and put two of them nose to nose:

A little clear plastic tape holding the two of them together in the middle. You can't see it, because it's clear. Soldered some pigtail wires to the original connections that live inside the threaded bases, and some electrical tape just to keep those connections covered. The wires from the end bulb run down along the outside to join in with the bottom bulb. Those wires live around the back of the shop light when the reflector is installed:

Slip the bulbs into the original fluorescent lamp base and pull the wires through:

Put the original cord, outlet, and switch back into place and make the electrical connections:

Close up of the highly complicated electrical work. With the fluorescent ballast removed, there's plenty of room:

Put on your welding goggles, and remember not to look at shop light with remaining good eye!! 

Let me know if you need more help.   -Bruce

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[zKars]

Brilliant solution!

And it looks like those cut off caps could be another source for new inspection light lenses!

[heyitsrama]

I saw the thumbnail in the iOS app, and thought
"Pipe bombs are not garage tools"


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