Make your own worklight from spare plumbing and electrical parts. It’s fun to assemble, and I think you get a more versatile light than the low-end store-bought models. For example, the knuckled support legs on my version will accommodate unlevel or uneven surfaces.
Start with a 500w quartz security-light-fixture head. These things have been around long enough to turn up at yard sales. I got mine secondhand for a few bucks. The rest of the stuff I needed was salvage from previous jobs or awaiting use in current parts inventory. The fittings and pipes are all 1/2-in. dia. If you use Y-connectors instead of 45° elbows, be sure to cap their ends with threaded plugs.
It’s also important to have a long cord on the light. Here again, a recycled 25-ft., 18/2 cord from a defunct blue Hoover saved cash and is adequate for a 500w load. By the way, I haven’t fuse-protected this lamp yet, but the manufacturer recommends it to save the filament during an electrical fault.
To adjust the legs for uneven ground, loosen the lock ring with some pliers and move the leg assembly off its vertical axis. Then retighten the lock ring.
One of these crab lights (see drawing) bounced off a concrete driveway is usually enough to make an after-hours oil change no visual challenge at all. You might want to make two, though, while you’re at it.
Jim Duncan, Whitefish, MT
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