Small Desk Lamp Supported by Paper Weight
Those who wish a small desk light that may be pushed back out of the way in the daytime, will find the accompanying sketch of interest. When in use on a roll-top desk, the lamp is placed on top near the edge, so that the bulb overhangs. A 25-watt lamp will light the bed of the desk, and the small metal shade is so placed that no part of the bulb is visible to the eye of the worker. By providing a suitable base, the lamp may be adapted to other uses. A stock paper weight, about 2 in. in diameter and covered with green felt, was used as a base. An ordinary drop-cord socket is provided, and to one side of the top cap a strip of brass, ¹⁄₁₆ by ¹⁄₂ in., is soldered. A hole is drilled near the end of this strip so that the screw which holds the knob will also hold the socket. Connect the flexible cord in the usual manner.
The shade is made of sheet metal, bent in the form of a cone, having the front shorter than the opposite edge. Make a sketch of the bulb, and determine the lengths of the two sides A and B, and then draw two concentric circles of corresponding radii on paper, as indicated in the small diagram. The proper curve for the shade will then lie between these two circles. Cut a paper pattern, and form it into a cone. After the proper shape is determined, mark it on the metal, cut it to shape, and solder it. A small spring clip, C, engages the tip of the bulb; the back of the shade is held by a piece of spring wire, D. It is easy to spring the shade off in replacing the bulb. The outside of the shade should be enameled an olive-green.—John D. Adams, Phoenix, Arizona.