TOMMY DYKES LEAD LAMP
by Sarah Rich, 06/07/06
Following on yesterday’s Electric Spaghetti Princess post, we’ve got a little theme going: designs formed from their mechanical parts. The Lead Lamp, by designer Tommy Dykes, is made from an old electrical cord which runs from outlet to bulb, with the body molded around a used wine bottle. The eco-lamp comes with a super-efficient bulb that provides up to 50,000 hours of light (which they calculate at 27 years at a rate of 5hrs/day).
The coolest part about the Lead Lamp is that the website essentially offers DIY instructions for making your own lamp with a cord from an old household appliance, with diagrams and step-by-step details — plus lots of information about the recycling and reuse of PVC power cords.
Appliance cords found in the home are made from the Thermoplastic, PVC [polyvinyl chloride]. The term thermoplastic means simply a plastic that when heated softens and hardens again when cooled. This allows it to be moulded into shapes. (Can’t help but wonder about the off-gassing from heating old electrical cords, which is part of the process of making these.)
We love the crafy DIY element of these lamps, and the variety of options you have in selecting the color and thickness of the cord, and the style of used lampshade. You could go basic white like this one, or choose a crazy tassled thing and a bold colored body.
i love your lamp. can you please tell me more about the off-gassing from the cable and how to buy one.
i think they are great!