[TheForge] lighting

[Chris Caswell]

We made very high quality fixtures, but they were not cheap.  Hard wired 
fixtures are called "Luminaires" and the plug in fixtures are called 
"portables" by UL, and each have their own strict requirements.

Chris in VT

On 12/29/2015 12:58 AM, Mike Spencer wrote:
> 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
>