[TheForge] lighting

[Mike Spencer]

Chris wrote:

> I used to work for a custom lighting shop and one of my duties was
> to be "The UL Guy" UL is incredibly expensive - to send them a
> fixture to be evaluated would be in the range of $2000.00 to
> $3000.00....The testing tools alone would a few thousand. And have
> to be certified every year.  What fun.

And the quality of most light fixtures is so incredibly crappy that
they're either infuriating or embarrassing.  I think I knew this all
along but it was drawn to my attention when, some time in the 80s, I
visited a high-end furnishings shop -- you know, $8,000 leather sofas
and the like?  I scrutinized the light fixtures and was shocked to see
how flimsy and poorly made $500 lamps and sconces were.

The only lighting I've made, a chandelier and 8 sconces for a small
church, were installed by a neighborhood electrician without comment.
The only problem was that he put a big ol' junction box out in plain
sight on top of the ornamental moulding for each sconce.  The church
people put some pine boughs in front of the boxes when they happen to
remember it.  I made all the parts except the electrical sockets,
attaching nipples and nuts and the lamp cord wire.

There may be venues or circumstances in which, if the lighting fixture
connects to power by plugging its cord into a socket (rather than
being connected directly to the wiring) that the regs are more
forgiving.  Worth investigating.

Dick Quinnell made spectacular lighting but it was for, IIRC, the
Sultan of Abu Dhabi.  I don't think anybody tells the Sultan that he's
gotta have a certain sticker on the stuff in his palace or be in deep
trouble. :-)


- Mike

-- 
Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada       .~. 
                                                           /V\ 
mspencer at tallships.ca                                     /( )\
http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/                        ^^-^^