Skypan

The team at VOUS Church in Miami, FL brings us these homemade skypan lights.

Check their blog post for more pics and assembly info.

Materials:

a pan
a light socket
a lamp
a cord
white spray primer
flat white spray paint (somethng of good quality)
2-inch tape (blue painters tape is great)
bolts, washers, and nuts (exact sizes listed later, under bolts)
something to give it rigidity (1×2 board is perfect)
some form of a saw for cutting the wood
a drill
a 3/8” drill bit
a philips screw driver
a couple of wrenches, spanners, ratchets – something to tighten the bolts

Assembly Process:

Turn the tub or bucket upside down, measure the 1×2 board, and cut it to length so it fits within the bottom rim. Align the board so it runs vertically like a spine down the back of your to-be-finished fixture. Drill the board and tub/bucket to prepare for the bolts.

Insert the bolt from the inside, with one washer inside, and have the long end of the bolt stick out the back through the board, then secure the back washer with the nut. Tighten enough so it doesn’t spin.

Determine which end will correspond to where your lamp base will be (top or bottom), and drill another 3/8” hold near the washer. This will be for the power cord to pass through.

In preparing the round junction box, use the included blank caps to close off all holes except for the one in the back. Use a romex clamp in this hole for later securing the power cord. Place the junction box where you want it (about halfway into the tub/bucket), drill for the ¼” bolts, then secure the box in place with the short bolts (put a washer on the outside of the tub/bucket). It doesn’t matter which end sticks through more – the nut can be inside the bucket or outside the bucket – as long as the washer is outside. Use a 3/8” wire protector to protect the cord from getting cut by the metal, and pull through the cord, wires in from the back, into the junction box, and leave enough to connect it to the lamp base. Tighten the wire clamp on the back of the junction box.

Attach the wires to the inside of the lamp socket, then secure the lamp socket to the junction box. Use shorter 10-32 panhead screws to easily attach this.

Mask the inside of the bucket so that the tape is about ¼” into the rim. This will give a nice finished edge and prevent any possible paint from chipping on the rim – because it won’t have paint there! Also stick a piece of tape inside the socket so paint doesn’t get inside.

With the tubs/buckets assembled and rims taped off, find a well-ventilated area and get ready to paint! Read the paint instructions for best results. Apply a decent coat of primer, allow them to dry, then apply a good coat of enamel.

After the tubs/buckets have dried, remove the tape. They are now ready for installation.