How to Hollow a G40 Lightbulb (photograph tutorial)

Greetings, ladies and gentlemen.  Today we explore the mechanics of hollowing out a G40 lightbulb.  First you get your tools.  My favorite three are a small screwdriver, pliers, and a pocket knife. You will need sandpaper or steel wool for the last steps.
It is also advised you use gloves.  I forgot to use them for most of the pictures.  Don't follow my bad example.

 Since I do this all the time, I have used a plastic bin for all the lightbulb guts and broken glass.  The towel is to help decrease the spread of glass, should it spill onto the floor.

The first thing you do is peel that copper plating off with the pliers.  Simple enough.

I forgot to take a picture of the black glass underneath the plating being broken, but it's quite all right.  This is what the lightbulb looks like minus the copper plating and black glass (it is actually kind of purple...)

I use my pliers to bend the metal edge on the inside back against the inside of the base so it will not cut anyone (especially if this is to be used for a fish!)

This is the part where I break the glass tube you saw two pictures ago with the wire.  It releases the pressure and argon gas (harmless, no worries) and makes the lightbulb a lot less likely to break from here on out.  After the tube is broken, I disconnect the two wires on the inside and poke the glass where the tube was.  Eventually I have broken most of the glass and it looks something like this:

Looks pretty rough, eh?

 Poke it some more, then start smoothing it with the knife.  Can't have any sharp edges!

 Maybe you shouldn't do this part... But I have to be positive that the inside is not going to cut a fish or you, so I feel around the inside where I just smoothed the glass to make sure it's all good.

Looks pretty good!

Introducing... lightbulb guts!  These are shaken out of the lightbulb into my plastic bin.

 See that?  That's solder.  Someone did a terrible looking job, too.  Well, this has the chance of having lead in it, so it's gotta go.

I remembered my gloves at this point.. 
Basically, pry the solder off.  Be careful with that knife, though.  If it slips, you might not have a finger anymore.  USE GLOVES.

 Time for the steel wool!  It looks nasty where the solder was if you don't use it.  Kind of a burnt look.

 This has got to go too.  Use the steel wool, but gently.  Don't be scared of a few hardly visible scratches.  It looks better than this stamp, I think.

 You should be done now!  Congratulations!  A hollow lightbulb.  Great for a number of uses.

 Yeah, sometimes they break.  It's all right.  It happens.  (this was the second lightbulb I hollowed that day)

I often turn these into fishbowls.  They're a perfect size for a female betta (a small male betta works too!)  If it becomes one of my fish's homes, I usually will stick a bit of bamboo or rooted plant in there as well.  The fishes like to swim about in the root systems, and it keeps the lightbulb clean so I don't have to change the water as often.  Plants love ammonia, interestingly, and will thrive on the waste of the fish, including any uneaten food.  Works out great!  Kind of like a mini ecosystem...

If you are interested in seeing this fishbowl actually being used as such, I have some for sale here.

Of Fish and Hippies

Well, about a fortnight ago, my Lightbulb Fishbowl was featured on Etsy Finds. This resulted in a torrent of sales and quite a few convos.
Several of the convos were pleas for me to take the fishbowls off Etsy and reconsider what I was promoting.

And after a lot of thought (and I mean a LOT), I have decided that I'm going to keep the fishbowls on Etsy (I did take them off for a while).
I have had fish for years. I love fish. Betta fish are one of my favorites because they are so versatile and live in such a variety of containers happily. I have kept them in old lanterns, antique soda bottles, jars, vases, and other such neat glassware. They've lived as long as the average betta should. They seem happy.

My newest idea was a lightbulb. And I haven't put them in the standard size lightbulb. That seems a bit small. But the vanity type lightbulbs... And the G40 kind (they hold about a quart of water) seem to do nicely. My fish are happy in there. And contrary to popular belief, they are quite easy to care for in a lightbulb.

Example:
Water changing. Simply pour out the desired amount (you can strain it through a fork if you're worried your fish may try swimming out (I've never had any trouble with it, though)) and fill it back up. With filtered water, of course. I read someone used a funnel for this.

Getting the fish in the lightbulb is not hard either. It is so easy if you put the fish in a bag (or if he/she came in a bag) and simply pour it in the opening. I always advise doing this over the sink or bathtub as a precaution. The person who used a funnel for pouring in water also used it to pour in their fish. I've never tried it myself, but it sounds like a nice easy alternative to the bag!

Oh, and if you are worried about an ammonia build-up, change the water more often! I'm lazy, though, and use carbon rocks which soak up the ammonia wonderfully (electric filters in most aquariums use carbon gravel stuff for this very purpose). Of course I do still change the water. But the rocks really do help!

Many of the naysayers who contacted me a fortnight ago would say something about cruelty... Either the fishbowl being cruel, or me.
Well, anyone who knows me, knows that I am not a cruel person... I love my animals SO much. Ask anyone who is even somewhat acquainted with me. I would never intentionally hurt any animal, and certainly not repeatedly over the course of many years.

I do not believe what I am doing is wrong or cruel.
Sorry if what I'm doing doesn't float your boat.
I have a vase version of the fishbowls still up for you who don't like it.

But anyhow...
Good day to you, and Happy Earth Day!

-Star

Consignment Opportunity!

I was contacted last week by a fellow who is starting a shop called MADE in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Jackson Hole is a ski/mountain town which is also the southern entrance to the Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone and sees as many as 3 million tourists just in the summer.
John, owner and artist behind Strapped Belts, asked if I would like to send some of my lightbulb vases and lightbulb fishbowls to him for his store, starting out on a consignment basis. He's asked several other artists from around the world and I am among the ones who have said yes.
The store officially opens on May 7th, but I will have all the items shipped to Wyoming by the 1st of May.
Once the store is on it's feet, all the consignment agreements will be switched to wholesale accounts (more of my cup of tea) and all I'll have to do is sell my items to the store!
This could be a wonderful opportunity!

Yet another Etsy Treasury Feature...

I don't know if I'll list Etsy Treasury features for my lightbulb vase anymore after this. Since it's so popular... I may mention it as a bit of news, but no more screenshots for you people!
For the vase, anyhow.

New stuff I'll still include.

Here's the link:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=91089

Blog Feature 3!

Say, this nice lady named Liz featured my lightbulb vase on her blog as well! I really like her post about it. :)
Here's the link:

http://agirlcallede.blogspot.com/2010/03/light-bulb-moment.html

I guess I'll start calling these posts "blog features"

Say! Another blog feature!! It's so exciting when people do this. :)

This one was by a woman in Brazil named Renata. She also featured my lightbulb vase along with two other nifty recycling ideas.

Here's the link:
http://dicasgreen.blogspot.com/2010/03/reutilize-e-decore.html

And here's a screenshot! :D

WARNING: It is written in Portuguese. I was able to more or less understand it from my knowledge of Spanish, but for anyone who can't, the description sentence reads (more or less)
"Some creative ideas for reusing that can give your house renewed decor."

WoW again!!

So I get home today and look at my email to see that a nice lady named Jodi Reeves has featured my lightbulb vase in her blog. She didn't write but a sentence about it, but hey, it's something!

Here's the link to it, if you're interested:

http://www.thecreativejar.com/2010/03/what-great-idea.html

And if you're not, here's a screenshot. ;)

WoW!!

Look! I've been featured in an Etsy Treasury!!

It's my Clear Thinking Lightbulb Vase!!

And in such a nice spot... I'm in the top lefthand corner!! :)

The Process of Creating: Lightbulb Vases

My favorite redesigning idea is my Lightbulb Vase from the Clear Thinking series I've started which is comprised of ideas for recycling lightbulbs.

I started with a burnt out lightbulb. It was the soft white type. I had found an article online that showed a detailed process of how to hollow and clean an incandescent lightbulb and used it to help me with my first lightbulb.

I carefully hollowed it out with my pliers and a small screwdriver, then cleaned it by swishing some sand around the inside of the bulb. After rinsing it thoroughly, I let it dry as I brain hurricaned a way to make it stand upside down freely. I did not really ever like the wire idea (though some look pretty neat-o), so I was thinking more along the lines of something glued on the bottom..
I used a nickel the first time. Hot glued it to the center of the top (now bottom) of the lightbulb.
After a little thought, I realized if I planned to make several of these, a nickel may not be the best idea...
So I went to my Dad's toolbox and found a washer when I made my second vase. It worked marvelously! When I showed him my creation, he said he had some larger washers at the shop that I could use, and those worked even more wonderfully!

So after critiquing my design, I made a listing on my Etsy and have sold three since January! My vase also has over 300 views and has been hearted over 20 times! It excites me that it has received so much attention.

I will experiment with different lightbulb sizes for different uses. I have a smaller lightbulb I made into an ink well of sorts (well, it's more of a pen rest, or pen home). I really like it and hope it becomes equally popular as the vase.
I recently chanced upon two burnt out frosted glass lightbulbs that are the same size as my standard lightbulb vases... I'll have to put up a listing for them.

Have any ideas, tips, or tricks for recycling or redesigning lightbulbs?

And incidentally... If you attempt to hollow out a lightbulb yourself, please, PLEASE wear eye protection and wrap the lightbulb in a towel while you're working with it to make sure you don't cut your hands (or make a huge mess) if the lightbulb breaks.