3D Printed “Fishing Lights” Provide Bright Solution for Crammed NYC Dwelling

If you’ve ever had the opportunity to live in New York City, you are lucky.  Once you’ve exhausted yourself from the day’s work, as you face off the crowds in the street, or you’ve entertained yourself in any number of restaurants, parks, bookstores, shops, or museums — your apartment becomes your oasis from all the city’s hustle and bustle.  But, if you live in NYC, like in the several apartments I inhabited in my time in the Big Apple, you’ll notice the apartments’ sizes, lay-outs, and electrical outlet placements can leave much to be desired.  We may not be there for the real estate opportunities, but things can be done to make improvements!

3D printing comes to the rescue, to shine more customized light on your urban retreat from the city’s overstimulating environment.  New York resident and 3D printing enthusiast Anthony Koithra had an apartment overhead lighting problem, made very complicated by high ceilings, that he solved by 3D printing his own “fishing lights” system.

He got a bright idea: he decided to run twisted cables over some pulleys and then hang the lights on a spar out over the living area from  upper level loft railings. When aluminum channel failed him, he custom printed his pulleys and brackets and bolted them to long wooden spars.  These are called “fishing lights” because they can be conveniently raised and lowered, and they look like fishing poles!

It looks like a MakerBot 3D printer was his technology of choice for creating his pieces. It only took a few hours for him to measure, model, and test his new handy lighting system, and he eventually ended up with pulleys and three types of brackets. One bracket was for the railing end, one was for the middle load bearing pulley, and one was for the end clamp. He purchased his wooden L cross section spars at a local art supplies shop.  He also purchased his steel washers, bolts, and nuts at a local hardware store. Not only was he making his own lighting system, but he was supporting local mom-and-pop retailers. That seems like a win-win situation for all involved!

Once he designed the system, and printed and acquired the right parts, Koithra reports that it was easy to mount. Some simple double-sided tape holds the cable behind the railing as it runs up to the upper level electrical outlet. Problem solved: a new, modular, and interesting lighting system uses established electrical outlets in his New York City loft-style apartment.

Now, Koithra’s New York abode is well-lit and, you have to admit, funky and artsy, too. Not to mention, he just designed a great conversation piece for new visitors to his place!

Today’s new design style features functional, and even rustic, themes — and what says “rustic fishing village” more than an apartment strung with a fishing rod style lighting system?  Functional, rustic, and yet, with the application of basic 3D printing technology — very, very modern at the same time. Let us know what you think of this design over at the 3D Printed Fishing Lights forum thread at 3DPB.com.