Make Your Own Nautical Lamp

"If a man [or a woman] is to be obsessed by
something, I suppose a boat is as good as anything,
perhaps a bit better than most." 
 E. B. White

One of the more complicated lifestyle things to manage on a sailboat is interior lighting. My boat has old incandescent dome lights. The bulbs themselves give off a yellow-toned light, and the plastic domes over them have yellowed as well. They’re not very bright, and they turn on and off by twisting the dome. Since they’re old, they can be hard to turn on and off. Two just don’t work any more.

I’m exploring what to replace them with, but meanwhile I was faced with the reality that I needed better lighting now. So I tried dome-style work lights. I put an LED bulb in one and a fluorescent bulb in the other. I clipped them to the overhead handholds.

They both worked well, except that the clips holding them up kept slipping. Every time they fell, the domes dented more until they both looked like they’d been run over by trucks. They dented if they fell on to a settee cushion. I think they dented if someone sneezed. They had been ugly to start with and now they were truly awful.

So then I remembered old charts I had for another project. I had much more chart paper than I would need for that project.

Here’s the final result:

By using a slightly larger dome with protective bales, as well as the extra strength given by the paper wrapped around the aluminum, so far they have not dented at all. The bales improve the rigidity of the dome remarkably.

To make these yourself, here’s what you’ll need:

     * Aluminum work light:

         I recommend a larger one with two bales that help protect the aluminum from denting.

     * Old charts, enough to cover both sides of the work light (one large chart was more than enough to cover two work lights) 

     * Sand paper (I used 150 grit)

     * Elmer’s glue

     * Water

     * Cup or glass

     * Plate or wide bowl

     * Scissors

     * X-acto knife with sharp blade

     * Damp paper towels

     * Brush

    Time needed: about two hours

First, set the bales aside and sand the aluminum cover very lightly, inside and out. Wipe the aluminum down with a damp paper towel.

Look at your collection of old charts, or ask friends. I had no trouble finding some.

First, pick a circular section about 5” in diameter that looks interesting. Cut a small area in the center, and TEAR the outsize edge of your circle. The circle doesn’t have to be perfect and will look better if it is not. Torn edges will absorb the glue better, and layer under other pieces of chart more seamlessly.

Lay that circle in the center of the inside of the work light. It will not lie flat yet. Cut or tear from the outside edge toward the center in several places until this piece of chart does lie nearly flat. (You may find that tearing all the way from the outside edge to the center in several places may work best.) This is the tightest curve, except for the lip, that you will have to cover.

First piece, after it’s been torn and fitted, glued on

Mix the glue in a plate or wide, shallow bowl, about 50/50 with water. Soak your piece of chart in the glue/water mixture for at least 30 seconds, until the chart becomes softer and more pliable. This takes a little while because most charts are lightly coated to make them slightly water-resistant, but they will soak up the glue and water.

Lay your first piece of chart so that the center hole lines up with the bulb socket. You may need to trim that more. Try to trim it to the edge as well as possible. It does not have to be absolutely perfect as the bulb will block that edge. If you go too far, don’t worry – you can always patch it.

Chart paper, soaking in glue and water before application

As you look at your maps, study them and consider what sections you want to use. I found that my chart had notes written in on them and I wanted to make sure those pencil notes went on the lamp and that they were not later covered up by other pieces of chart. Likewise, I felt that large expanses of water were boring, and used the most detailed parts of the chart (one large chart covered two large floodlights with pieces left over). The chart I used is of the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

One several areas on this chart with notes made by the old owner. I made sure these sections
went on to the lamp. Also note the quality of the torn edge. It helps with glue absorption
and results in a smoother surface on the finished lamp.

 
Continue to tear, not cut, your chart pieces, roughly, to fit but also overlap. Consider what is already on the lamp that you want to leave exposed, such as the penciled notes on the piece of chart above.

Don’t try to line the chart pieces up so the chart can be read. You can’t force a flat surface to cover a curved one without considerable distortion. When I look at my finished lamps, they give the impression of a continuous chart, not what it really is -- bits and pieces that have been crazy-quilted together.

As you tear your chart pieces, you will have to continue to break up larger pieces so you can overlap them slightly, so they can follow the curves of the lamp. Test your pieces by laying them where you want them to be placed so you can make any needed adjustments. See the next two pictures:

Example of a piece I tore to cover an oddly-shaped bare space

 

If you find pieces that aren’t laying flat, work those spots gently with your fingertips. You’ll find the chart paper softens more and that you can mold it to the curves. You may have to tear  a slit in a piece to get it to lie flat as well. You can also apply more glue/water with a brush after you've placed the piece on the aluminum.

 The piece previously shown, torn again to cover the inside

curve of the lamp without bubbling or buckling.

Have a cup of water handy deep enough to hold your brush in case you have to leave the project, so your brush does not dry out and get hard.

As  you approach the edge of the work light, experiment with several shapes and sizes before covering the rim. This is the place where the chart paper is most likely to become “lumpy.” Soak those pieces well, and go back and check the edge periodically as you continue to work on the lamp, as creases and bumps can appear several minutes after the chart paper appears to have been laid flat. Add more water or glue and water to those pieces with the brush as necessary. Pieces that wrap around the edge will be more likely to buckle and will require periodic checking for lifted edges.

The inside of the lamp is now nearly covered

Continue around the outside of the work light as you did the inside.

When the work light is completely covered, dip the brush in the glue/water mixture and coat the entire lamp with the glue/water. Check the lamp carefully for small places where aluminum is still exposed.

After you’re sure you have covered every bit of aluminum, put the bales on. They will poke through the paper easily. If you can’t see where the holes are, hold the work light up to a light and you’ll be able to spot them. Put the bales on before the pieces of chart paper dry.

After the lamp has dried for 24 hours, check it once more for small exposed spots of aluminum. Some of the paper may have shrunk as it dried and fooled you. When completely covered with all pieces completely dry, take the bales off and spray several coats of sealant on the lamp, inside and out. You don’t want it damaged by a splash of water.

Don’t use incandescent bulbs in this lamp. Of the two bulbs I have tried, I prefer the LED bulb over the fluorescent one for this purpose. The LED has a larger diameter (the bulb shown cost $39 about a year ago, but it was worth it, and they last a very long time), and it gives off an even, bright but soft light.

If you want, you can spray paint the remaining exposed aluminum – the large spring clip used to position the lamp, as well as the bales. For my lamps, I think off-white would look best.

Another view of finished lamp, with LED bulb

I have had a few problems with these lights. First, the clip mechanism often works its way loose. Put Lock-Tite on the screw.

Second, although the smaller work light dented if you sneezed without the protective bales, it also had an on-off switch. The ones I covered do not have that, something I did not notice until I had covered them both. I plan on putting rolling switches in the cords.

Third, the clips themselves tend to slip off the best place for me to hang them from, the overhead hand-holds. I solved this problem by putting a zip-tie through the two sides of the clip above the handhold. I don’t pull it completely tight so I can move the lamp if I need to. It’s not ideal, but right now I have these lights in temporary placements. Once I have replaced the dome lights I’ll be able to judge better where I want these lights placed. I may install dedicated hardware for them, and once they have a permanent place, they can be unobtrusively attached. I may aim them at the ceiling at either end of the cabin for diffused light.

I have more old charts left, and I have another project in mind, but that probably won’t be posted for a little while. Meanwhile, look around you. If you have a table lamp on your boat, chart paper can update its look and make that table lamp look more as if it belongs on a boat. If the surface of your table is in rough shape, you can sand it, apply charts with varnish, and create an interesting table top. Use multiple coats of varnish for things like table tops.

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