DIY Zip Tie Lamp: Modern Art on the Cheap

If you set your mind to it, you can make a lamp out of just about any material you can think of. While I was perusing the pages of Instructables, I came across this unique and eye-catching modern ceiling lamp, made almost entirely out of zip ties.

Instructables Community Manager Audrey Obscura created this wild hanging lamp from roughly 1200 red 8″ zip ties. In order to put together the giant mesh of nylon, she would connect groups of 8, 12, and 16 zip ties at a time into a ring shape, then gradually assembled each of those to form the larger structure of the lamp. It’s kind of like doing crochet, but with zip ties.

The light fixture itself consists of a laser-cut mounting plate at the top, with some holes cut into it for hanging wires and candelabra bulbs. If you make your own, you can arrange the inner lamps any way you’d like, though I’d recommend using cool-burning LED bulbs to reduce the risk of melting your zip ties.

If you’re interested in building your own zip tie lamp, check out the full build details over on Instructables. Amazon has some great deals on color zip ties, and it looks like you could do this entire project for under $50.

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3D printing gets more flexible with Nylon extrusion

3D printing gets more flexible with Nylon extrusion

3D printing with ABS and other plastics that have a low-melting point are old hat. And, with the price of entry dropping below the $500 mark, soon enough anyone will be able print their own pirated 45s. Instructables user [taulman] has has taken it upon himself to push the DIY polymer extruder scene in a new direction -- Nylon. The slick and bendable Nylon 6 melts at 320 degrees celsius, roughly 100 degrees higher than the more common and brittle ABS. The flexible nature of nylon has some obvious advantages, particularly when printing tubing or even an iPhone case. What's more, gears and bearings created from the synthetic don't need to be lubricated. But, this isn't the end game for [taulman]. The resourceful DIYer plans to keep working on his high-temperature system until he can build custom creations from Delrin and Polycarbonate. The obvious downside here, is that higher temperatures require more power and more rugged components that could drive up cost. But, we'd say it's a small price to pay for being able to print your own Otterbox. Check out the video demos after the break.

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3D printing gets more flexible with Nylon extrusion originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 17:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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