semi-DIY Lighting taking apart a light - Started project post #43~! (56k)

[sewingalot]

Cool. Now to wait for the paint to cure in order to start the actual construction. It is still tacky.

[bsmith]

Lets see some pics. I love em'!

[Hoppy]

I think T5HO bulbs are always held up by the endcaps (sockets) which are attached to the fixture. Then the reflector just clips to the bulb(s) so it is the bulb(s) holding up the reflector, not vice versa. By contrast, PC bulbs only have a connector at one end, so they have to fit into clips at the other end, if not at both ends, to hold the bulb up, and the reflector is attached to the fixture to hold it up.

Because you have to twist the T5 bulb to lock it into place, you can't easily mount it like a PC fixture/reflector/bulb is mounted. The end caps (connectors) need to be held so they don't twist when you twist the bulb to lock it into place.

Have I succeeded in utterly confusing you?

[bsmith]

Here are a some pics of my catalina t5ho fixture. The reflector is held in by pop rivets, the bulb is held in by clips that are held in by pop rivets into the reflector and the electrical wiring is behind all that. HTH.

[airborne_r6]

Sewingalot - If your fixture is like bsmith's above then the easiest thing to do will be to attach the reflector and clip to the board with screws as I said on page 2. Then simply leave the wires and end caps coming out of the ballast intact and push them onto the ends of the bulbs. I wouldn't bother with the endcaps like wasserpest showed you unless you were planning on changing the wiring coming out of the ballast.

[Hoppy]

Bsmith, those are very good photos, and I now finally understand more about T5 mounting. (At least this version of it.)

[sewingalot]

Thanks bsmith! This is exactly like my fixture and I could explain it. Pictures are worth a lot of words, aren't they? So a few little screws won't hurt anything in the middle. The only thing that worries me at the moment is having another clip break and nothing holding the fixture in place but those clips. Right now as it is, one of the bulbs is hanging down below the fixture around 1/8" because of a broken clip. I am thinking something like a plastic tie stapled to the board.

[airborne_r6]

Originally Posted by sewingalot

Thanks bsmith! This is exactly like my fixture and I could explain it. Pictures are worth a lot of words, aren't they? So a few little screws won't hurt anything in the middle. The only thing that worries me at the moment is having another clip break and nothing holding the fixture in place but those clips. Right now as it is, one of the bulbs is hanging down below the fixture around 1/8" because of a broken clip. I am thinking something like a plastic tie stapled to the board.

Can you replace the clips?

[bsmith]

Can you glue the reflector to the wood, then mount the hardware to hang the bulbs in it? I would bet some gorilla glue would work wonders for that.

p.s. looks like its about time to polish those reflectors again.

[sewingalot]

Originally Posted by airborne_r6

Sewingalot - If your fixture is like bsmith's above then the easiest thing to do will be to attach the reflector and clip to the board with screws as I said on page 2. Then simply leave the wires and end caps coming out of the ballast intact and push them onto the ends of the bulbs. I wouldn't bother with the endcaps like wasserpest showed you unless you were planning on changing the wiring coming out of the ballast.

Originally Posted by airborne_r6

Can you replace the clips?

On the current light fixture, the clips were riveted in place. I called them, they sent a replacement and said I could superglue it in place. Long story short, it etched the reflector. That's what led the idea for the diy.

Originally Posted by bsmith

Can you glue the reflector to the wood, then mount the hardware to hang the bulbs in it? I would bet some gorilla glue would work wonders for that.

p.s. looks like its about time to polish those reflectors again.

Gorilla glue, huh? I have some, but would it be heat resistant enough once it dried? Polish - I actually went and looked at them.

[bsmith]

Gorilla glue is almost magma resistant aslong as you follow the directions when applying it.

I was talking about me polishing my reflectors, after looking at the pics they look spotted with water. Thats the one thing I don't like about the Cat fixture. No splash guard.

[sewingalot]

Originally Posted by bsmith

Gorilla glue is almost magma resistant aslong as you follow the directions when applying it.

I was talking about me polishing my reflectors, after looking at the pics they look spotted with water. Thats the one thing I don't like about the Cat fixture. No splash guard.

LOL. Yeah, the lack of splash guard sucks when you have hard water. Etching quickly sets in. I am going to put together the pieces tomorrow and paint, so I'll get some pictures up soon. Will do a fitting before gluing or screwing anything in place.

[sewingalot]

This is going to take a LOT longer than I thought. Also, I just realized my drawing looks better than the box I just built.

Kafka, the wood worker helper with the pieces of painted wood. And boy, do I need to clean off that table!


The Good


The Bad


The U-G-L-Y


I think I used too much glue; notice the fingerprints where I glued my hand to the top. So now I wait 24 hours before I can sand and reapply another coat of paint. But I am wondering where to drill the holes in the back for the light switch and the cords. I am both really excited and nervous about this project. This will be my first wood working project without a lot of help from my husband. So far, I don't think it is terrible.

[airborne_r6]

It looks good so far.

[Hoppy]

Look at the good side of things: if ever you need to be found, the cops have a nice set of fingerprints to use.

It doesn't look bad at all to me. The first coat of paint or almost any finish is always a disappointing sight. Another couple of coats and it will look great.