Popular Mechanics (South Africa)
LIGHT-UP CANDY COLLECTOR
A project to build with your children.
AFTER AN INITIAL prototype that required quite a bit of cutting, we came up with this version, which requires only one real cut. The LED puck light in its end is bright, but stays cool, so you won’t end up with melted candy. And it can be decorated however you like, with paint, decals, or both.
Instructions kid only parent only parent and kid
1. Using a coping saw fitted with a 10 tpi (teeth per inch) blade, crosscut the 110-mm PVC pipe to 60 cm.
2. Drill a 5-mm hole with a twist drill bit 5 cm from each end of the pipe. The bit should go through only one side of the pipe.
3. Cut the nylon support strap to length with scissors and use a soldering iron or awl to make a small hole near each end.
4. To fasten the strap to the pipe, insert the aluminium post into the hole from inside the pipe. Put the hole in the strap over the post, then drive the screw into the post until the screw bears down firmly on the strap. Repeat on the other end of the pipe and strap.
5. Place the male stopend in the end of the pipe. There’s no need to glue it. It makes a firm fit. Trim off the cap’s excess flange using heavy-duty scissors or a utility knife. Peel off the backing strip and attach the self-stick puck light to the centre of the stopend.
6. Clamp a 75-mm reducer fitting to the workbench. Use a drill to make a series of four evenly spaced 6-mm holes around the circumference of the 75-mm-diameter end.
7. Glue the reducer to the end of the pipe with the puck light. Apply a thin band of glue to the 110-mm side of the fitting, press it on, and give it a slight twist. All that’s left to do is decorate – and fill it with candy.