Upcycle Project Progress : Industrial Lighting

While I expected an easy manufacturing process for the lamp mount, nothing went according to plan. The first step in the manufacturing process was laser cutting the designed parts out of MDF wooden sheets. Unfortunately, the laser did not penetrate the wood completely which led to most of the parts not being cut even though I repeated the cutting process on the same parts multiple times. This meant I had to work with the parts that did cut successfully and would have to modify the design accordingly. Luckily the top and bottom mounts which are paramount to the design did cut. I replaced the side support pieces that didn’t cut with a rope attached to the mounting points in a zig-zag pattern to match the industrial aesthetic.

Another issue I faced was glueing the parts together. I have worked with MDF wood before and usually use Superglue for bonding MDF parts together. While assembling the design this time superglue didn’t work out for sticking the parts together. I had to switch to Elmer’s glue for bonding. Elmer’s glue takes a lot of time for drying and this is why the assembly of the lamp was a tedious process holding all the parts one by one for drying. The final problem I faced was soldering wires unto the bulb holder. The contact points on the bulb were coated with a material that prevented the solder from sticking to it. I had to remove the coating and then solder the wire onto it. Eventually, after all the problems I faced, the project ended up looking good and I was satisfied with the end result.

Actual Design :-

Intended Design :-

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2 Comments. Leave new

  • Shrey Naresh Solanki
    February 28, 2023 11:59 am

    Wow, it sounds like this lamp mount project has taken you on quite the trip! It’s wonderful to hear that you were able to address the problems that emerged during the manufacturing process and come up with original solutions. It’s such a creative and intriguing touch to substitute the side support pieces with zig-zag rope patterns. It’s wonderful to see that you were able to persist despite the difficulties and achieve a successful outcome. Your ability to pay close attention to detail and solve issues is impressive!

    Reply
  • Michael Dailey
    February 27, 2023 8:27 am

    I’m really impressed with how well this turned out. I can imagine how laser cutting and gluing could have been tricky and tedious, but you pulled it off. Maybe you could have put some cut up paper towel rolls to use as a support to hold the upper piece up while you glued to keep the levels parallel. Either way, I think what you have right now looks great

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