Does this thing exist?

[bluedevi]

I'm making lanterns and lampshades, and I want to test them, so what I'd like is this: a bare lightbulb on the end of a flex, so you can loop the bulb end over a rafter to hang down like a normal ceiling light and plug the other end into the wall. I seem to remember the builders having one when my home-home was being built back in the late 80s. But

Comments

[khalinche]

This totally exists, my dad has/had one in his carpentry workshop and a posh version was featured in the Guardian Style mag feature on home offices a while ago. Hmm, I'm not sure where you could get one though. *thinks*

[metame]

I think the phrase you need is "Inspection lamp" - those are the ones sold for lofts, garages etc (and are slightly weather proofed and usually with a cage to keep the bulb from burning you/your house..

What I want (in order to make a lamp) is just a screw fitting, some flex, and a plug. B and Q rather failed me, so if you end up with a more "DIY" solution let me know?

Re:

[carsmilesteve]

see i was thinking screw fitting, flex and plug as well. have you tried wickeses?

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Pendant/invt/712935

then just take the end off, add more flex and away you go, right? 3amp fuse in the plug and you'd be fine i reckon...

[shermarama]

Aha, yes, just like this. That would work.

[carsmilesteve]

and that's a Proper Scientist talking and everything ;)

[hatmandu]

This is driving me mad - I know exactly the kind of thing you mean. My dad used to use one in the loft. The closest I've found so far ('inspection lantern') is this: http://www.towsure.com/product/13522

[shermarama]

Ones that are just a socket on the end of some wire are a little harder to find because then you've got potential bare electric points like the inside of a light fitting but without them being fixed securely to something safely distant like a ceiling. If something like that was being sold you can imagine that someone would have one dangling over their bath or sink in such a way as it would drop in and kill them or whatever

[bateleur]

You will need:

* One of these...
* ...one of these...
* ...and some of this.

Plus a screwdriver and a bulb to use with it.

The only thing I don't know is which fuse rating is most appropriate.

[mzdt]

as small as you can buy - 1A @ 240v is still 240W, so normal incandescent bulbs will take a quarter of that, low energy ones a twentieth. The smallest plug fuses readily available are probably 3A. To be fair, though, the fuse protects the cable, so as long as the cable will carry 3A without heating effects, 3A fuses will be fine. 1A if they can be found, though.

If an doubt of any misuse (or the general public) stick the whole lot on a plug-in RCD adapter, too.

[hatter]

And for several on the same plug, take some extra lengths of flex, strip both ends, add another bulb holder on one end, screw both the mains and the spare flex into the terminals on the first bulb holder, daisy chain eac new one onto the last. If you're using real bulbs, you'll need to do some maths to figure the best fuse, 1A is still good for 3x 60W, you probably want 3A if you're using several 100W bulbs or 4+ 60W bulbs though.

I've still got one of these in my loft with a plug that drops through the loft hatch, because I've not got around to wiring something better in.

the hatter