Weekly Roundup: Ten 3D Printable Things — Even More Awesome Lights and Lamps

I have a lamp problem. I like lighting, there is no other way to say it. I have more extraneous lamps in my home than I’m comfortable admitting, and it actually takes effort to not buy more lamps even while having too many now. It may be a sickness; in fact I’m pretty sure that it is, but it isn’t my fault that there are so many cool lamps out there that need homes.

3D printable lighting isn’t really helping me with my sickness either. The last time I wrote my Weekly Roundup about lighting I tried to get the desire to share all of the great designs that I found out of my system, but there were just too many. It almost seemed unfair to not share them with you. So I found ten more of the coolest 3D printable lights and lamps that are available for free.

Here are Ten Even More Awesome 3D Printable Lights and Lamps:

HAND LAMP

Light Me Up Lamp by MyMiniFactory

Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free

I figured that I would start out with a great, simple lamp design that was incredibly versatile. This hand lamp could be made to sit on a desk, a bedside table, or it could even be hung on the wall as featuring lighting or sconces. 3D print it or paint it in any color that you want and make it your own. However you use it, it is going to make a statement.

NUKE MUSHROOM CLOUD LAMP & MINI NUKE LAMP

Nuke Lamp Stand, Mini Nuke Lamp by krosstoph, Protonik

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

Okay, I’ll admit that this may be a bit dark. It isn’t as if a nuclear mushroom cloud is especially cheery or fun, but it is certainly dramatic. This great lamp base was made to provide sturdy support for the mushroom cloud lampshade, and turn it into proper lighting. I would avoid using this as a night light for your kids though, or you may wind up making a new generation of goths. And do you want goths? Because that’s how you get goths.

There is even a small mini base that can be used to create a tiny LED powered version of the lamp made for a 50% scale version of the same mushroom cloud lampshade.

HEARTH FLAMES LAMPSHADE

Hearth 3 – Lampshade with Base by gianfranco

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

This flaming hearth light is probably a better choice for a child’s night light, or it can be used for that camping-themed party that you’re throwing. As usual I think filament choice here is critical; personally I would use either a metallic filament for the base, or at least a black. Then I would use a yellow or an orange translucent filament, which will really make it glow like realistic flames. Another option is to print the flames in a green material and use it as a spooky decoration around Halloween.

MUSHROOM LAMP

Voronoi Mushroom Lamp by Markellov

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

Voronoi is the pattern on the cap of this mushroom lamp, and it is generated using a mathematical formula that I’m not nearly smart enough to properly explain. But however it is generated, it’s a cool way to make a pattern and this little mushroom light is kind of adorable. Plus, there is nothing like a mushroom-shaped lamp to tell the world that you’re a real fungi.

Sorry.

RADIOACTIVE WASTE LAMP

Radioactive Waste Night Light by ClassyGoat

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

Again, probably not appropriate as a child’s night light, but spilled toxic waste makes a pretty great lamp. The base and the spilled barrel can be printed in any colors that you want, or even nicely finished and painted, but the radioactive waste spill should probably be printed in a translucent material for the full effect. While the instructions for this project use a simple battery operated light, it shouldn’t be too hard to get an LED light with a plug inside of the base so it can be used as a proper lamp.

SPILLED BOTTLE LAMP

SplashLIGHT by Avooq Creations.

Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free

What I like about this lamp is the fact that you can easily change it as often as you empty bottles of alcohol. A wine lamp can be turned into a vodka lamp and then turned into a rum lamp. The only real limitations are your liver, your sobriety and your willingness to share the state of both of them with your friends and family.

PILL LAMP

Capsule Light by Michele Badia

Found on: MyMiniFactory
Cost: Free

So personally I think this design is pretty funny, but depending on your sense of humor having large pills hanging from your ceiling may not be your thing. But the pill shape is still a simple enough design that would go with almost any style that you have in your home. It can easily be 3D printed in a single color, so no one will ever know that it’s supposed to be a pill. But you’ll know.

And hey, if you actually are a drug dealer, cool, why not advertise?

TORTOISE-SHAPED LAMP

Tortoise Lamp by toolmoon

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

Not everyone is going to like tortoises, but it’s pretty hard to look at a lamp shaped like a tortoise and not think that it’s adorable. The designer has a ton of great lamp designs, and a very cool way of printing the base that holds the small USB-powered lighting fixture used to light up the little guy’s shell. The shell itself has a great pattern printed on it, but it would be easy enough to paint it. Or if you’re pretty good with CAD software, maybe you could break up the shell into smaller parts and print them separately using different color filaments to give it a stained glass effect.

Here is some video of how the light fits together:

CRYSTAL-SHAPED WALL LIGHT FIXTURE

Crystal Lamp by JediFix

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

This is another design that is going to look wildly different depending on what type of filament is used to print it out. A standard, light colored filament will be fine and provide a nice glow, but if it is printed out in translucent materials it is going to look completely different. The design is also pretty easy to adapt to different types of lighting as well. It could be printed to sit on a base as a table lamp, or made to hang from the ceiling.

VORONOI-PATTERNED SKULL LAMP

Skull Lamp – Voronoi Style by shiuan

Found on: Thingiverse
Cost: Free

Here is another great voronoi patterned lamp, but this time it is the entire skull that has the pattern. No, skulls around the home aren’t for everyone, but if you did accidentally make a goth, this is an obvious choice for mood lighting when they get older. Again, material selection here is going to give you a ton of options. Because the skull isn’t solid it can be printed in any material. While a translucent material would look great, a heavy and dark metallic material would look just as cool. Or make it a little less gothy and print it in a bright color like red or pink.

Okay, that’s my list for the week. I tried to pick designs that would be pretty easy to make, and allow for a lot of personalization. The best part of 3D printing is being able to make something that suits your tastes perfectly. By making a clever filament selection, you can really turn these lamps into something that is unique and just for you.

As always please feel free to show me the results of any of the projects that you find here. You can tweet me @SJGrunewald or just email me.