DIY LED Work Light (much better than halogen!)

Happy to help :)

Be sure to pick up some rubber washers or even metal washers to help increase clamping load on the lights as the bulbs are quite heavy and the bulb holder will struggle to hold them after a while without some help!

As others have mentioned, if you wish for a more sturdy base, a small sandbag or 5lb weight also helps tremendously on the bottom of the stand.
 
I have been meaning to do this for some time now. I bought the bulbs over a year ago and they have just been sitting. :wall
 
zmcgovern45 said:
Happy to help :)

As others have mentioned, if you wish for a more sturdy base, a small sandbag or 5lb weight also helps tremendously on the bottom of the stand.
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I found some ankle weights at a thrift store that worked great. It has removal-able weights, and I took out 2, so I am at about 4 lbs.
 
And BTW, thanks Zach for putting this together! I built one several months ago, but did pick up 4 of the Lowe's bulb before they completely disappeared. Now need to get a 2nd stand that goes lower and a 'peg' for the lower sections.
 
Thanks again Zach! I got my light stand together following your guide and it came out GREAT. I polished this car with the lights off in the showroom, and only using the lights from this LED stand.

I ordered the stand and dual sockets from Amazon like Zach.

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Then purchased the bulbs at Home Depot.

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But even with the lights on in the showroom, the size of the area these bulbs light up to show EVERY imperfection is amazing. The light source on the left is my Flex Swirl Finder light, while the two lights on the right are the LED Light Stand. I still carry the FLEX light in my pocket, but leave the big lights on behind me.

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Light stand + dual socket swivel head: $26.18 on amazon
Bulbs: $29.97 x 2 = $59.94 at HD
Used 2.5lb ankle weights = $5

Total cost = $91.12
 
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Got a steal on some new light stands.... took these lights to a whole new level.


These Studio Titan Sidekick stands were being sold by a local studio on craigslist for $150 for a set of 3... they retail for ~$200 each. These things are monsters... 7' tall, 3' base with locking casters. The easily adjustable light mount is awesome and can hold a ton of weight... no doubt a HUGE upgrade, but certainly at a premium price.


I will likely do an updated thread with some other upgrades that I have made to these lights over time.


Glad to see this type of setup being used in so many shops throughout the world though :)


-Zach
 
zmcgovern45 said:
Glad to see this type of setup being used in so many shops throughout the world though :)
-Zach
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Ya I see your stand in a lot of pictures. The new stand looks a lot nicer. Especially not having to turn a few knobs to adjust the height. Nice catch!
 
Are those new HD bulbs single diode? Hardly see the old ones are Lowes, so great to see the affordable bulb alternative back on shelves! Packaging is different. Seriously the CFL/LED Bulb light works so well, but they do show factory flaws the sun would NEVER show.
 
anyone have an estimated weight of the head (bulbs and light stand sockets) of the DIY unit? cant be more then maybe 2-3 pounds?
 
Don -

Whoa - that is a beautiful, functional, combination !!!
Where did you find those stands ???

Love what what you did here - and the house is muy bueno too !! :)

Thanks for all your help -
Dan F
 
dan, its actually a mic boom stand. i wanted the boom for over head on trunks and hoods but every other boom was a bit expensive. it is a bit wobbly when you have it really high but i plan on weighing it down or might even strap it down on a moving dolly.

Amazon.com: On Stage Stands MS7701B Tripod Boom Microphone Stand: Musical Instruments

Amazon.com: On-Stage MA-125 1/4-Inch Male to 5/8-Inch Female Mic Screw Adapter: Musical Instruments

Amazon.com : Fotasy SPKit 1/4" 3/8" Tripod Screw Mount Convert Adapter Flash Light Stand Camera Spigot (Silver) : Camera & Photo

here are the 3 pieces to make the mic boom hold the lighting head. on the last adapter, you can purchase it on ebay also for $1 but all the ones i found was slow boat from china shipping.

shout out to this youtube video for showing me how to make this stand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mE_DtP7bdug

shout out to zach for the whole idea and shout out to larry@ammonyc and richard lin@black wow for the lighting technique video on larry's youtube channel
 
also, i purchased the "used" stand on amazon. saved a few bucks that way plus it came in practically brand new in the original box still
 
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