I made these lights over the past month. How did I do it? I bought an 8 pack of 'solar path lights' not unlike those to the left. I tore them apart and stripped out the working parts. The lights run on two rechargeable "AA" batteries which are charged by the sun in the day & run the light for 6 to 8 hours during the night. Then I went to the recycler's and purchased a few sheets of copper plate. With my plasma cuter I cut out the "leafs" and shaped them by hand. For the "stems" I used recycled copper pipe & wire, also purchased at the recyclers. Using my torch I brazed everything together, making the construction quite solid. These aren't going to fall apart in a high wind, although the stems may be bent by a heavy snow. No worries, just bend them back when the snow melts.

I dis-assembled the working parts, attached the solar cell to one of the leaves and placed the light underneath. The electronics are in the base of the light, and contain 2 rechargeable AA batteries which are replaceable.

In the daytime while the batteries are charging, the path light looks like a plant. Over time, as the copper oxidizes it will develop a rich blue-green patina like on the weathervane to the right which will protect the copper & make the sculpture look even more like a plant.

At night the lights are positioned so they point down and light your path, wthout the light bulb itself being seen. It works in the same way as the walkways are lit in the theater. You see the path, but there's no direct light source to destroy your night vision. The LED bulbs in these lights are amber in color, by the way.

To install these lights you will have to do a little work- "Some assembely required." You'll have to install the batteries which I will include, wrap the threads of the base with teflon tape (included) and screw the base onto the top. Then you'll either have to dig a hole for the base, "plant" them in a pot, (making them easy to move) or drive a stake into the ground and zip-tie the base to the stake. All are your choice, but you'll have to secure the base to the ground somehow or the lights will fall over.

Being that I am in a wheelchair I had to make some sort of path lights for myself. Usually I'm outside getting the mail or somesuch in the dark, and carrying a flashlight in my mouth gets rather old... So I made myself some path lights like these so I wouldn't fall off the path. I wanted something that looked like a plant in the day & worked as a light at night. Ta-Da, here they are. So many people told me how much they liked them I decided to make more... Here's your oppertunity to have a set of your very own.

Lights like these retail online for:
$64.95 (for 2) at Plow & Hearth
$69.99 (4 Pack) at Overstock.com (if not sold out)
$34.95 (each) at Gardner's Supply Co
$64.99 (for 2) at Shop.com

You could buy those, set them up, and have a well lit path. At night you'd see the light, not the path and during the day it would be quite obvious you have path-lights. With my lights your path is lit at night and during the day people ask "What kind of plant is that?" Plus, you'll never see another set like these.

The stems are flexible so you get to arrange the leaves in the way that most pleases you. If, in a couple days you don't like the arrangement, simply rebend them into another shape. It's very easy.

Payment is accepted in the form of Paypal, Money Order, or Personal Check- But the check must clear before I'll ship.

Keywords:
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