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Discovered! 505
Odd Enterprises

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How to Make
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We tried pin up lamps but these were not satisfactory because they did not extend far enough from the wall for reading. What we really needed were adjustable lamps that would pull out from the wall for reading and could be shoved back into their original positions when not in use.

Finally we came up with what we call our free swinging lamp. It is attached to the wall and can be moved around in a complete half circle. We have one located directly over the center of our davenport. If you sit on either end, of the davenport, you can swing the lamp over toward that end to the position you desire. When the lamp isn't being used for reading, it can simply be shoved back out of the way. A real selling point is that anyone can make the lamp with a minimum number of tools and for a cost of not over $2.50, including the shade.

After making two of these lamps for our living room, we were so pleased with ourselves that we decided to make a gun lamp for our four-year-old "cowboy's" room. This lamp we made by mounting a cap pistol on a board with the shade attached to the bulb which is fastened securely to the barrel of the gun.

THE FREE swinging lamps intrigued all our friends who saw them and the gun lamp was an instant hit with children and parents alike. Before we realized it, we were making both types of lamps for several friends and still others wanted them. After we had made some half dozen lamps for close friends, it suddenly dawned on us that if so many persons were interested, why not try selling the lamps? Our method of advertising for the first several months was simply by word of mouth. We asked the friends to whom we had given lamps if they would tell anyone interested in the lamps to get in touch with us. And suddenly we were in business.

We found that we could make one lamp easily in an evening at a cost of approximately $2 for the free swinging lamp and $2.50 for the gun lamp. We sell the free swinging lamp for $5 and the gun lamp for $6, giving us a profit of $3 for the one and $3.50 for the other.

At the present time, we run a small advertisement once a month in our weekly newspaper which brings us all the part time business we want to undertake. During the last two years, we have averaged selling four lamps per week, making a monthly profit of approximately $50. Both my wife and I feel that by going all out we could make and sell many more lamps than we do, but we also feel that if we did, it would no longer be an enjoyable hobby.

MATERIALS NEEDED to make the free swinging lamps are: one twenty-eight-inch piece of ³/8-inch tubing, preferably copper, as it bends easily; white electric wiring; light socket; a four-inch piece of one-by-two-inch board, and a small piece of scored plywood, any thickness.

Using a ⁵/16-inch drill, drill a hole 3½ inches down through the length of the four-inch board. Turn the board over and drill a hole just large enough for your electric wire through the other end of the board so that the small hole runs into or meets the larger hole. Attach this board securely to the wall where you want the lamp located. Now thread one end of your copper tubing (you can have this done at the hardware store where you buy it). From the threaded end of your tubing, measure four inches and make a right angle bend. From the other end, measure six inches and make another right angle bend. To bend the tubing so it won't kink, fill with sand. When you are bending the tubing, lay it on a flat surface, being sure to keep it flat on the table so it will bend only the way you want it to.

You are now ready to force the unthreaded end of your tubing down into the board that you have attached to the wall, being sure that you force it down into the board as far as it will go. Thread your electric wiring up through the bottom of the board attached to the wall until it protrudes from your tubing far enough to hook into your light socket that you can now screw onto the other end. Cut the plywood any size and shape you wish, then nail it to the board attached to the wall. Paint the tubing and plywood any color you wish. You can obtain a shade to suit your fancy at any store.

FOR THE gun lamp for your young son's room you will need: one toy cap pistol eight inches in length, a six-inch square board ¾ inches thick, a two-inch piece of ³/8-inch copper tubing threaded on one end, light socket, white electric wiring, a forty-inch piece of ¾-inch rope, and two very small bolts about 1¼ inches in length with nuts. Sand the board and brush on one coat of clear lacquer. Drill three very small holes in the bottom of the gun handle, one in the center and one near each edge of the handle. The middle hole should be off center and large enough so that your electric wiring will slide through easily. Now remove the plastic parts on each side of the gun handle and place the base of the gun handle in the middle of the board two inches from the bottom. Mark the board where the three holes have been drilled in the gun handle. Drill the same size holes in your board. From the middle hole in your board, cut a trench straight down to the bottom of the board and large enough so that the electric wire will not protrude. This will allow your board to rest flush against the wall.