How is the thought of turning an empty beer keg into a home-made lamp? You would be pleasantly surprised to know that instead of throwing away the kegs and adding to pollution and landfills, you can actually utilize and reuse them to make something useful for your daily life. Let us see how you can make such a lamp at home.
The lamp comes with a completely touch receptive switch for on/ off/ dimming operations, and this switch is nothing but the metal body of the keg itself. Cheap and easy to make, this is an item you can make easily make at home. Its individual parts may come for as little as $20. Besides, it gives you the added option of recycling your used kegs, which would otherwise have gone waste. So, besides being an item for daily home use, it is also environment-friendly.
Difficulty Level:
Moderately Easy
Time Required:
One day
Resources Required:
Mini Keg
Touch Dimmer (screw-in type)
Light Socket
Light Bulbs
Plug / Extension Cord
Electrical Tape
Aluminum Foil
Needle Nose Pliers
Utility Knife
Tools:
Multipurpose Knife
Needle Nose Pliers
Estimated Cost:
Excluding the cost of the beer keg, the whole arrangement is estimated to cost you below $20.
Instructions:
1. Assembling the parts
All the resources mentioned above can be easily found in an electronics store. Gather all the tools and components before you start.
2. Prepare the keg
Empty out the keg. Then, all the air from inside the keg must be drained out. This is done to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide inside the keg, which in turn would reduce the pressure inside it. Then, the tap of the keg must be pulled out completely, followed by the removal of the rubber stopper with the help of pliers. This step should be followed for the removal of the air vent plug and its stopper as well.
3. Cleaning the keg
The keg should be washed thoroughly to remove the uncalled for odor of the stale beer. Warm water should be avoided for the cleaning purpose as it may weaken the carbenator at bottom.
4. Wiring up the keg
Two holes should be drilled about the bottom portion of the keg for the wires to go inside. As the light switch itself acts as the on/off switch, the light socket doesn’t warrant a switch separately. Now, the female end should be cut off from the extension cord, followed by the feeding of the wires through the two holes drilled near the bottom. The end of the extension cord and the light socket should be joined together using electric duct tape as cover. Then, the whole wire assembly must be pulled out through the keg.
5. Adding the switch and testing
Join the metal contacts of the switch with the body of the keg. Test the lamp, by switching on.
6. Finishing touches
The second hole should be patched up using epoxy, and then it can sand out, followed by some paint for the aesthetic appeal. Then, a light bulb is added to the arrangement and it is plugged on. If you want, a lamp shade can also be added this fixture, but is best avoided. Now, touch the lamp and la n voila, the lamp is on.
The first touch will turn on the lamp dimly, second will brighten it, third one will brighten it more and the fourth touch will turn it off. Now, enjoy the light of your very own home-made lamp in the darkness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is there any potential risk in operating the lamp?
A: A voltage surge during operation may give you an electric shock. And even touching it with wrong protection can cause a fire hazard.
Q: How to make the lamp dim by touching?
A: The lamp will be turned on dimly by the first touch, the second touch will brighten it a little more, the third touch will give it the highest illumination, and finally, the lamp will turn off in forth touch.
Q: The bulb eventually went out. I replaced it but now the touch switch doesn’t work. I have to turn off the power from the mains to switch off the lamp. Why?
A: When the lamp failed, it probably took the Triac (semiconductor ‘dimming’
component) with it too. It is probably dead now. These are drawbacks of cheap circuit
design.
Q: My lamp stays on and I am unable to switch it off by touching it. What do I do?
A: You have replace the triac and any other components that may have failed or been damaged. If you don’t want to spend any money to repair it, all you can do is discard the lamp.
Q: Does the keg need earthing?
A: The keg doesn’t warrant separate grounding as it is already grounded through the part of the lamp that is connected with the wall socket. The keg only acts as a switch of capacitor, which logs the enhanced capacitance of the circuit when our body touches the keg on any of its part.
Quick tips:
1. The keg must be washed thoroughly so that the odor is wiped out completely.
2. The wire should be threaded through the keg from its inside, which can be achieved by removing the tap followed by the air vent.
3. Light shade can be avoided to prevent the extra load on the socket assembly.
4. Always switch off the device when not in use, and not simply putting it off by touching.
5. The hands should not be covered with gloves etc when switching the lamp on or off.
Things To Watch Out For
1. Extreme care must be taken while handling sharp objects near the lamp.
2. It must be completely ascertained that the connections of all the wires are complete and secure.
3. Extreme caution must be shown while handling this project, as it warrants the modification of an electrical plug, that may be potentially dangerous or pose a fire hazard.