Miniature Spotlight

Out of nowhere I decided to make a WWII era seachlight/spotlight. I don't know why.

I looked at a few photos online of what those old World War II spotlights looked like and modeled this after one of those (even though it doesn't look all that similar). I saw them a lot as a kid at grand openings for car dealerships, restaurants, etc. They could be seen for miles and could be heard a hundred yards away. They were beautiful and had a cloud of moths and other bugs around them. Ah, childhood memories. And I guess they were used in WWII to spot enemy planes and such.

Use this for your model train set, a miniature scene, fun mancave (or she-shed) lighting, or to act out your favorite scenes from The Shawshank Redemption.

The light is actually pretty strong, especially in a dim room. It's an LED bulb from a glowstick I found at Walmart one day. They are only 99 cents, batteries included. They are located in the camping/hunting section and come in several colors (green, red, blue, orange, purple). Save the tube for something else if you like.

They burn for days (I've tested it). To remove the LED simply push in the on button and gently pull out the LED light with a pair of needle nose pliers (don't grab it by the bulb. Grab it by the chip--see attached photos). It slides out easily with a firm but gentle tug. Again, be mindful of the bulb. It's fragile and held on by two thin wires.

Assembly Instructions: Assemble the stand separately (using Superglue) before or after the main assembly.

Main assembly: be sure to insert the switch cylinder into the hole (from the inside of the barrel) BEFORE gluing in the LED fixture. Next, use superglue or hot glue to place the LED assembly into the barrel. Make sure the switch button is facing the hole and touching the switch cylinder (you won't need the little black rubber piece). Do all this before attaching the cover, of course. Then attach the switch support piece (again, superglue). Be careful not to get the switch stuck from the superglue. Take your time. Once the glue is dry and the spotlight can switch on and off easily, attach the cover.

The reason the switch support is a separate piece is so that the switch can be inserted from the inside of the barrel. Don't glue on the switch support until you get the switch inserted into the hole. If done carefully, you'll have a cool spotlight/searchlight for only a dollar (plus the cost of filament, which should also be much less than a dollar.

Please enjoy modifying the file to your needs. Share pics with me when you do. I'd love to see your creativity.

Enjoy. I spent a lot of time on this and am pretty proud of it for such a simple little thing. It wasn't difficult to design or assemble, but it's a lot of fun to play with for some reason. haha.

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