Hello guys, Welcome back to Not Just Mecha, it s Marco here and today we talk about how
I built my new lamps! Every day I m receiving a ton of questions
about the lamps you see in the background so, since it s becoming difficult to reply
one by one, it s time to solve their mystery with a video.
You know from my previous videos that I m a huge fan of the humble Tertial work lamps
from Ikea. They are cheap, sturdy, easy to mount on any kind of table or workbench or
even on the walls and you can use the lightbulbs you prefer in the super common E27 format.
I had two of them in my old workspace in Italy and when I rebuilt my studio after moving
to Ireland I created the same setup because it was absolutely perfect for my painting
needs, adding also an extra Tertial to cover better my larger table.
The only complaint I had about them was from my wife. You probably don t know this, because
I kept it secret lol, but 99% of the times is my wife to take the pictures of my models;
when it comes to photography I m a super noob so when in the future I ll make my video on
how to take pictures of your models , I ll simply put her in front of the camera so she
can teach you all the tricks of a proper photography enthusiast.
The problem with this kind of lamps is that even if they can cover well the need for a
close light from above of a standard workbench they are a bit limited for photography and
its need for a proper free flowing three dimensional movement and sometime strange, steep angles.
But in general this was only a minor issue until I started making videos obviously filming
shares a lot with photography but for me, the critical, breaking point was the tricky
situation of recording while painting in my compact space and the combined needs of the
two activities happening at the same time; suddenly my favourite piece of equipment became
my worst enemy. Then an old video from three years ago popped
out from my inspiration folder with the answer. These lights are officially known as Adam
Savage lamps and they are all about mobility! This build didn t fit in my previous setup
but I started gathering components and materials anyway and as soon as I had the chance to
design a new workspace, I was ready to create my dream lights.
I don t want to copy or rip off Adam s video because for the most part I followed step
by step his super detailed walkthrough so I ll focus my video on what I have done differently
to make the lamps better suited for miniature painting, how to easily attach them to a more
standard table and how to find this stuff in Europe!
For the original build you can follow the link up here and in the description and immediately
start following Tested because it s simply the best channel on YouTube.
The construction is relatively simple and when you have all the parts ready on the table,
you can have a cool working lamp in half an hour!
The protagonist of the build and literal core of the lamps is the Loc-Line. It s technically
a hose because the tight connection between its segments makes a waterproof seal so it
s used in aquariums, irrigation, and for coolant fluids in machining tools but it found its
way in a ton of other applications like in photographic equipment, accessories for high
tech wheelchairs and even as flexible armature for dolls lol.
It s an American product, so quite easy to get in the US to the point where you can find
it also on Amazon, but you have to dig deep to find it in Europe!
Lucky for you I ve already made all the investigative work; for small quantities and Loc-line accessories
your best option is to check the websites of supplies for aquariums and terrariums in
your geographic area that usually store all the little attachments and short segments
of the basic hose, but if you need more material, in the description you can find the contact
of a wholesaler based in Germany where I was able to buy 5 meters of Loc-line with a single
order and for a good price. Here I m using a Loc-Line that s the largest
diameter in the range. This size is the best to hold up the weight of the extended lamps
but as I ll show you later you can create cool accessories even with the smaller sizes!
Again the Loc-Line is originally a piece of hydraulic equipment so it shares the standard
measurements and general features of that macro family of materials and you can find
an infinite number of accessories to fix it to any surface or any other kind of pipe with
a simple run to your local hardware store. To attach the lamps to the table I went for
a simple solution using a threaded Loc-line attachment with a cast iron flange for pipes.
This is a decorative flange used to create cool shelves and hangers and you probably
don t want to run water through it, but it s still a solid, heavy piece of metal perfect
to support the weight of the lamps. The flange has these 8 millimetres holes that
I use to fix the structure to the table with three little washers and M8 bolts and on the
other side of the table, washers to spread a bit the physical stress and lock nuts to
block everything in place. Despite the limits of the arms I still really
like the top part of the Tertial lamp. I like how I can move and direct the beam of light,
keep it focused where I need, and I love the fact that I can keep it close to my face when
I work on details without being blinded by the diffused light of a flat lamp. I tried
LED panels or lamps without this kind of rim, but they really don t work with my way of
staying at the table. The question now is, how can I fix this head
to the Loc-line? Following Adam s tutorial I bought this flat
nozzle but I didn t find the exact measurements of each of its parts, so this step started
as a leap of faith. Luckily the attachment of the Tertial s head
is made in a soft metal and I can easily fit the nozzle in the middle simply bending these
two wings with my hands. And for the same luck the original holes perfectly fit the
profile of the nozzle ending up where the plastic is thicker and its general structure
more resistant! Also, this part of the head s joint sits on the borders of the nozzle
giving even more stability to their relation. I make sure my holes are perfectly aligned
and I transfer their position on the plastic nozzle.
I mark the centre so the drill bit can t slide away from the mark and I drill the holes one
by one making sure they are still aligned. And I connect the two parts with these 4mm
threaded rods I salvaged from the Tertial lamps, securing everything with their original
nuts. I ll probably add some little washers in the future, but everything seems already
quite solid and self-supporting. Like in the original tertial lamp the cable
goes up, then inside the providential rectangular hole of the nozzle, then runs inside the Loc-line,
through the flange and the table, then down to the original switch that I kept down here
so I can turn on and off the single lights and to the socket.
And here you have the ultimate lights for painting, photography, and video recording!
I went so deeply into the rabbit hole of possibilities opened by the Loc- Line that I started also
building other accessories! Here I combined a hose with the clamp of another lamp, adding
at the end this threaded rod from my GoPro to make a movable stand that I can clamp everywhere
I need for my phone, or my webcam, or any other light photographic accessory because
they all share the same standard size! Again for extra building tips and a different
point of view on lights and table attachments check the original step by step on Tested!
At the end I simply love to constantly reorganise and perfect my workspace and I think it s
an integral part of the hobby, even only to fill the time when you don t feel like painting.
I hope this video gave you some interesting ideas to improve your painting station and
if you add these lamps to your table, please share the pictures because I love to see how
you adapt my strange ideas to
your needs!