Making Electric Lamps – Old – Online Course

Description

What is the course about?

You’re a maker in your favoured medium – ceramics, wood, metal, glass, upcycling or whatever and you want to make electric lamps.

This course will tell you everything you need to know beyond using your existing skills in making the lamp base – design considerations; bulbs, bulb holders and lampshades; wiring; testing; and all the standards and regulations that you need to conform to (covering UK and EU requirements).

The course does not cover US lighting standards or requirements, or the differences from running off 110V supplies. Whilst much of the course is relevant to all lamp design and making, you will need to check these issues out for yourself.

Note that although I am a potter, the course is not centered round the use of ceramics (or any other material) in making your lamp base.

How is it Delivered?

The course is structured into four modules (nominally weekly but you can decide on your own pace). Each module consists of a video presentation, a PDF of the presentation for you to download, and links to additional material (both on and off my tech website) that you may wish to explore if you want more detailed information on any aspects of the course.

You’re also encouraged to ask me questions about the course content and your practices during the course. This may be by email, or by participating in the monthly “Ask me Anything” video conferences for all my current students and Patreon supporters.

You have access to the course material for 8 weeks from your booking date. After that, you can have access whenever you want by supporting me on Patreon for the cost of buying me a cup of coffee each month.

What will we cover?

Lamp proportions and design considerations; basics of lighting; bulbs and bulb holders, switches and lampshades; electrical considerations and wiring up your lamp; testing your lamp; standards and regulations (for the EU and UK)

What will I achieve?

By the end of this course you should be able to…

• Be familiar with the design proportions and considerations for different types of lamp, e.g. bedside, desktop, floor standing, wall or ceiling
• Be familiar with the various options for light bulbs, bulb holders and switches
• Understand the pros and cons of making a lamp that runs directly off the mains, or that uses a transformer
• Be able to select the necessary components, and wire up, a lamp
• Know how to test your lamps, what instrumentation is needed, and how manufacturing tests differ from PAT testing
• Understand the standards and requirements and how they affect the design of your lamp
• Be able to produce the necessary documentation to accompany your lamp, and know how to make it eligible to use the required CE / UKCA mark
• Understand the principles behind WEEE, and the requirements this imposes on the maker and the retailer

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

Intermediate. You should have the skills to make the lamp base in your preferred material, as that is not covered in the course though obviously necessary to make a lamp.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

The course is primarily run through video lectures.

Additional material that you may wish to explore is on the course website. This will help you go deeper into the subject matter, should you wish to do so.

There will be suggestions for you to consider specific aspects of your lamp design, and how to test your lamp.

For those with an imperfect knowledge of English, all session recordings now have subtitles in the languages of all attendees. This uses computer translation, so isn’t guaranteed to be perfect, but should help you in following the sessions.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

If you wish to do electrical tests on your lamps, you will need a basic multimeter and a mains powered PAT tester (suitable models are discussed in the course). Other tests may require weights, and a torque wrench/screwdriver.

What do I get?

• Four lectures, each lasting about 90 minutes
• Recordings of all lectures for later viewing during the course, with subtitles in all attendees’ languages
• Additional optional online course material, giving background info and greater depth
• Optional participation in monthly “Ask me Anything” live online discussion sessions
• Downloadable PDFs of all presentations
• Premium level access to the Tech part of my web site, containing much more information, references etc.
• Course attendance certificate

Note that the session recordings and premium level site access are included at no cost until 8 weeks after you sign up to the course. After that, continued access is available for the cost of buying me a coffee every month.