How to Make Lamps With Solar Lights

Repurpose solar garden stakes into household lamps.

Solar lamps save energy and lower your electricity costs through sun-powered batteries. These lights absorb sunlight during the day and turn on when placed in darkened areas. If you have a couple of old solar garden stake lights, don't throw them away. Create your own solar lamps for use indoors on early winter nights or outdoors during summer evening barbecues.

Things You'll Need

• Old kerosene lamp
• Screwdriver
• Soap and water
• Frosted glass paint
• Garden stake solar lights
• Sticky poster tack
• Chinese paper lanterns
• Hook and loop fastener dots

Instructions

Vintage Style Solar Lanterns

1. Gently remove the hurricane chimney from your kerosene lamp. Unscrew the metal casing where the wick sits as well as the mesh mantle under the casing. When you remove them, the wick should come up, too. If there is any kerosene on the wick, be careful not to drip.

2. Empty the glass bottom of your lamp of kerosene and wash it out thoroughly with soap and water. Wash the hurricane lantern, too. This removes dust and grime that may prevent paint from sticking to the glass and any lingering kerosene smell.

3. Spray-paint the hurricane chimney with frosted glass spray paint. Allow the paint to dry overnight. The frosting hides the solar bulb and helps diffuse the light.

4. Take your garden stake lights apart. The plastic housing usually just snaps into place; unsnap the housing and the stake from the solar bulb and battery assembly. The battery assembly should be square; press a marble-sized ball of poster tack into each corner of the assembly.

5. Press the assembly down over the hole in the kerosene lamp base. Set the hurricane chimney over the bulb and place the lamp in a shady place. The lamp should glow just like it has a flame inside.

Chinese Solar Lantern

1. Gently remove the plastic casing from the outside of your garden stake light. The housing should pop right off. Gently clean and dust off the solar light. The cleaner the bulb, the brighter the light.

2. Examine your Chinese lantern. You can choose from cylindrical, square or spherical lanterns. Just make sure the lantern has enough space inside for the bulb. You should see a wire or wooden plus sign at the top of the lantern where the hanger attaches to the frame.

3. Remove the adhesive backing from your hook and loop fastener dots (similar to Velcro dots). Press four hook dots into the corners of the solar bulb's battery assembly and the corresponding four dots to the underside of the wire or wooden plus sign in your lantern.

4. Press the solar bulb into the wire plus sign, pushing firmly to make sure the hook and loop dots connect. This way, you can replace the batteries in the lights when necessary. Hang your new solar lanterns from trees, porch eaves and in sunrooms.

References

• Not Martha: Homemade Sun Jar
• DIY Solar Lights: Homemade Solar Jar