DIY light hangers

[Mjc20]

I had been wondering for a few days how i could raise my lights up a bit with out spending too much money. I finally decided on some pvc. I bought a 10'x7/8" pvc pipe for around $3, some 2x elbow joints for $.50, and some caps for around $.50. Also, i felt that the pvc was a bit on the flimsy side for holding up my lights so i went out and spent $7 on some 7/8" dowels and some 80 grit sand paper to sand down the dowels and insert them into the pvc. After a few hours of sanding down the dowels I still had to hammer them down into the pvc. Long story short, ive got 2x36" long pvc/dowel rods w/ 8" off shoots to actually hold the lights (w/ some eye screws to attach S-hooks and some chain). Its all sealed w/ either epoxy or silicone. Here are some pics....comments/feedback are welcomed







(i also forgot to get my U-brackets to actually attach them to my DIY stand that ive yet to finish, but im excited to see how this will work.)

[waterdog1]

I did this same thing, My ridgid tubing is thinner than that and I spray painted in black but It sure beats spending 2-3 hundred dollars for a retail light hander(thats how much I have seen them for!). You can even use metal if you have or borrow a pipe bender

[Hoppy]

I have been wondering if jamming wood dowels inside of thin pipes would make them strong enough to hold the light without noticeable sagging. It seemed questionable to me, so I just used bigger, stronger steel conduit for mine. Please post pics when you have the light hanging there, just to put that worry to bed. Did you do anything to make the elbows stronger? I know they are more robust than the PVC pipes, so they may already be good enough.

[Mjc20]

Originally Posted by Hoppy

I have been wondering if jamming wood dowels inside of thin pipes would make them strong enough to hold the light without noticeable sagging. It seemed questionable to me, so I just used bigger, stronger steel conduit for mine. Please post pics when you have the light hanging there, just to put that worry to bed. Did you do anything to make the elbows stronger? I know they are more robust than the PVC pipes, so they may already be good enough.

well my lights arent exactly what you would call heavy :p. I left the elbows as is, they seemed sturdy enough to me. Now all i have to do is wait for the epoxy to set and ill be good to go!

[Wasserpest]

Amazing, the things you can build out of plastic pipe and fittings.

Give it a coat of Krylon Fusion paint and it will look like you bought it.

[Mjc20]

just got home from work, and felt that my lights were ready to be put up so i did . I just kind of eye-balled everything (ive never been one to get too down into the details). anyway, here are some pics.









i need to move the eye hooks on my light fixture....i put them too far back so they lean a bit forward . Oh well, thanks for the comments

[Mjc20]

Originally Posted by Wasserpest

Amazing, the things you can build out of plastic pipe and fittings.

Give it a coat of Krylon Fusion paint and it will look like you bought it.

do you think id have to sand it down a bit so the paint has something to hold on to, try a primer, or both?

[Hoppy]

When I use that paint on PVC pipe I just wipe the pipe will with a rubbing alcohol soaked cloth to clean it well. I think the paint chemically bonds with the plastic.

I have had problems balancing my light which hangs a lot like yours. The power cord throws off the balance, and I have to keep adjusting the cord attachment to the support pipe to keep it from either lifting or pulling down on the light. That looks like it might be the cause of your balance problem too. I don't have a good answer how to get rid of that problem.

[Mjc20]

Originally Posted by Hoppy

When I use that paint on PVC pipe I just wipe the pipe will with a rubbing alcohol soaked cloth to clean it well. I think the paint chemically bonds with the plastic.

I have had problems balancing my light which hangs a lot like yours. The power cord throws off the balance, and I have to keep adjusting the cord attachment to the support pipe to keep it from either lifting or pulling down on the light. That looks like it might be the cause of your balance problem too. I don't have a good answer how to get rid of that problem.

i guess ill just fiddle around w/ it or add 2 more eyes to it......i shouldve thought about that beforehand.....live and learn i guess :p

[Wasserpest]

Not sure what the wattage is on that light, but if *IF* it is not too much, and the you plug it into a GFCI socket, you might be able to change the fat black cable to something nearly invisible and very flexible... like speaker wire.

(Note -- of course I would never recommend something like that, because you run the risk of electrocuting yourself and the whole neighborhood)

Like Hoppy said, no need to sand before spraying Krylon Fusion, just clean the pipe well. The trick is not to spray for too long in one place so it starts to run. Better to do several lighter coats.

[redman88]

by the looks of the pvc pipe it looks like you used electrical conduit, and regular water pipe fittings, right?

[Mjc20]

Originally Posted by redman88

by the looks of the pvc pipe it looks like you used electrical conduit, and regular water pipe fittings, right?

yea, i looked around for the normal pvc, but no one had it. nothing a can of spraypaint cant fix :p

[airborne_r6]

Originally Posted by Wasserpest

Not sure what the wattage is on that light, but if *IF* it is not too much, and the you plug it into a GFCI socket, you might be able to change the fat black cable to something nearly invisible and very flexible... like speaker wire.

(Note -- of course I would never recommend something like that, because you run the risk of electrocuting yourself and the whole neighborhood)

Like Hoppy said, no need to sand before spraying Krylon Fusion, just clean the pipe well. The trick is not to spray for too long in one place so it starts to run. Better to do several lighter coats.

A GFCI socket provides ZERO protection if you do this. However 16 or 18 gauge lamp wire is rated for way more amperage than your light will draw. The down side is that you lose the groundwire, assuming that your light has one.

[Mjc20]

Originally Posted by Wasserpest

Give it a coat of Krylon Fusion paint and it will look like you bought it.

That was more than accurate, my stand/lights look all nice and fancy now...once i find my camera, ill take a few pics and post em. Gonna do a coat or 2 tomorrow, let it dry over the weekend and i should be good to go