Post #642989 by kalenatiki on Fri, Jul 6, 2012 9:35 AM

Been thinking of this for awhile now and finaly got all the parts together to work.

This is the new solar float light I put together this 4th.

Now many of us with outdoor builds have bought or at least looked at the solar tiki torches that are avilable at the outdoor supply shops.

Mine have held up pretty good, and I have found two types. The first will flicker alot, much like a flame with a little breeze, the second type, not so much. I had one of the flicker types take a hard fall or two this winter and broke the top where the solar panel is. After fixing it the first time the second fall knocked most of the insides loose. I thought it was time for a better plan.

The ball was the hard part. I wanted to keep not only the water out, but the bugs and other wildlife. ( we get lots of bees here during the summer )
I found this ball at a thrift store for $2.00. It's a glass lab sphere. I have seen them somtimes at Scientific america. It has a rubber seal for a lid.
I took the parts from the light and clipped the two wires for the solar panel. I spliced in about 3ft of new wire so I could put the panel out of the way from the float. The battery pack was then mounted to the inside of the rubber seal and snapped onto the ball. After a few test, I sprayed the inside of the ball with a couple of coats of spray frosting. When it was dry it was net weaving time. The wire works it's way to the top of the new hoop where it comes out and can go up onto the roof, out of the way. After a full days charge, it lit up at dusk just like it was supose to and looked great. The color comes from the orange fake flame from the torch. I think with a little work, a colored one could work just as well.