Homemade Cool Fill Fixture at DVinfo.net

Gabe Spangler · October 14th, 2009, 07:12 PM

Hello, lighting freaks. I recently designed and built a 3-bulb CFL fixture meant for fill purposes and I thought I'd share it with you all.

It's pretty simple. It's a 20"x7" (1/2" thick) board with three 1 3/8" holes to fit the clamp lights, which I bought from Home Depot. They are the smaller ones, rated at 75 watts max per light. The mounting board is 6"x8" (1/2" thick). I used an adjustable tension hinge to connect the two boards and to provide tilt adjustment. I have the hardware coming in the mail that will allow the whole fixture to be mounted on a baby light stud.

The three bulbs are daylight balanced (55K) CFL bulb rated at 27 watts each (100 watt incandescent equivalent) for a total of 300 watts equivalent of light. The sockets are rated to 75 watts each, so I could put up to 65 watt CFL bulbs in each, which would be equivalent to about 750 watts total incandescent!

I built it to use as a cool fill light in daylight interior scenes. I could also use tungsten balanced bulbs (32K) for a variety of situations.

The beauty is that each fixture can be turned on and off individually for as much or as little light needed. And the bulbs can be replaced with higher or lower wattages.

I was going to build a upper barn door to at least provide cutting ability for the top part of the light, but it made it too bulky and I decided to skip it this time around. For now I will have to shape the light, if needed, with c-stands and flags, etc.

Parts cost:
Clamp lights - $6 each - $18 total
1/2" plyboard - $1.50 (The Home Depot guy was nice and used scrap board and cut for free. Most people have plyboard lying around and can find a means to cut it).
1 3/8" diameter drill bit - $5
Adjustable hinge - $5
27 watt daylight CFL bulbs (4) - $10 (pack of 2 is $5)
Mounting hardware for baby spud - $25
------------------------------
TOTAL - $64.50
------------------------------

This cost could be cheaper, perhaps $50 or $45 if you are more resourceful than I.

If anyone decides to build one, I recommend making the main board smaller. 20"x7" is too big and weighs a little too much, stressing the limits of the adjustable hinge. Perhaps 17"x5" is better and gives enough room to mount everything. The board has to be 1/2" though, or the lamps will rattle around loose once screwed in.

I can't wait to use it. I am shooting a short in about a month, and it will involve some HMI's and the opportunity to use this fill.

Obviously, this light would do nothing in exterior daylight situations. It's meant for darker areas. It's meant for those pesky situations where you need a little more fill.

Gabe Spangler · October 14th, 2009, 07:30 PM

The first is just a picture of the fixture with all three bulbs on.

The second is a picture of me, standing about 9 feet away from the fixture. Sorry for the gloomy look. That's just how I look, I guess. I have no excuse.

The third is a picture of the room, which is about 15 x 20 feet, to show how much throw the light provides with all three 27 watt bulbs on.

There is no other light source on in my apartment.

Brian Brown · October 14th, 2009, 11:33 PM

Nice DIY project, Gabe. Can't beat the price.

Thanks for sharing all the details of your creation.

October 14th, 2009, 07:12 PM	#1
Gabe Spangler Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 44	Homemade Cool Fill Fixture Hello, lighting freaks. I recently designed and built a 3-bulb CFL fixture meant for fill purposes and I thought I'd share it with you all. It's pretty simple. It's a 20"x7" (1/2" thick) board with three 1 3/8" holes to fit the clamp lights, which I bought from Home Depot. They are the smaller ones, rated at 75 watts max per light. The mounting board is 6"x8" (1/2" thick). I used an adjustable tension hinge to connect the two boards and to provide tilt adjustment. I have the hardware coming in the mail that will allow the whole fixture to be mounted on a baby light stud. The three bulbs are daylight balanced (55K) CFL bulb rated at 27 watts each (100 watt incandescent equivalent) for a total of 300 watts equivalent of light. The sockets are rated to 75 watts each, so I could put up to 65 watt CFL bulbs in each, which would be equivalent to about 750 watts total incandescent! I built it to use as a cool fill light in daylight interior scenes. I could also use tungsten balanced bulbs (32K) for a variety of situations. The beauty is that each fixture can be turned on and off individually for as much or as little light needed. And the bulbs can be replaced with higher or lower wattages. I was going to build a upper barn door to at least provide cutting ability for the top part of the light, but it made it too bulky and I decided to skip it this time around. For now I will have to shape the light, if needed, with c-stands and flags, etc. Parts cost: Clamp lights - $6 each - $18 total 1/2" plyboard - $1.50 (The Home Depot guy was nice and used scrap board and cut for free. Most people have plyboard lying around and can find a means to cut it). 1 3/8" diameter drill bit - $5 Adjustable hinge - $5 27 watt daylight CFL bulbs (4) - $10 (pack of 2 is $5) Mounting hardware for baby spud - $25 ------------------------------ TOTAL - $64.50 ------------------------------ This cost could be cheaper, perhaps $50 or $45 if you are more resourceful than I. If anyone decides to build one, I recommend making the main board smaller. 20"x7" is too big and weighs a little too much, stressing the limits of the adjustable hinge. Perhaps 17"x5" is better and gives enough room to mount everything. The board has to be 1/2" though, or the lamps will rattle around loose once screwed in. I can't wait to use it. I am shooting a short in about a month, and it will involve some HMI's and the opportunity to use this fill. Obviously, this light would do nothing in exterior daylight situations. It's meant for darker areas. It's meant for those pesky situations where you need a little more fill. Attached Thumbnails

October 14th, 2009, 07:30 PM	#2
Gabe Spangler Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Milwaukee, WI Posts: 44	More Pictures of the Cool Fill The first is just a picture of the fixture with all three bulbs on. The second is a picture of me, standing about 9 feet away from the fixture. Sorry for the gloomy look. That's just how I look, I guess. I have no excuse. The third is a picture of the room, which is about 15 x 20 feet, to show how much throw the light provides with all three 27 watt bulbs on. There is no other light source on in my apartment. Attached Thumbnails

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

October 14th, 2009, 11:33 PM	#3
Brian Brown Major Player Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Longmont, CO USA Posts: 224	Nice DIY project, Gabe. Can't beat the price. Thanks for sharing all the details of your creation.