Table lamp idea

[tbs1983]

Hi guys, hope all had a good christmas.
After seeing a piece of driftwood made into a very nice table lamp as a christmas gift it has given me the idea to make a few myself as a hobby and maybe sell them locally.
I live very close to the sea and am sure to be able to source plenty of driftwood, I've found a supplier online where I can purchase some nice chrome or brass lampholders and inline switches for flex.

Now my only concern is the safety aspect, if the switch is turned on and a lamp not in lampholder and a child / dumb adult decides to poke fingers where they shouldn't clearly there is serious danger of a shock.

Where would I stand ???

any help would be greatly appreciated

(Obviously most lamps sold on the mass market present this problem, but just wondering as effectively a diy one man band how I could cover myself)

 

[Welchyboy1]

You would have to get CE registration, this would allow you to ensure your product meets the required standards if yourgoing to sell them to the public

I would think pretty much a table lamp would have to be pat tested and be electrically constructed from BS compliant parts and obviously be compliant with the wiring regs

also product liability insurance would likely be needed

i have thought about doing something similiar myself a little way back

 

[tbs1983]

Thanks for the reply.
I've just found a very helpful government website, basically says as long as you manufacture your goods to meet the electrical equipment (safety) requirements 1994, then you are able to put a CE sticker on them.
Also need to provide technical documentation with each lamp.

A bit more research first and i may find myself heading down the beach.

This time next year Rodney, we'll be millionaires !!!

 

[graeme210375]

My wife makes driftwood pictures. Tried sourcing our own driftwood from local beaches on the dorset coast. Many hours searching for very little gain.
On top of that, the wood then needs to be dried over a 6 to 9 month period.
Loads of driftwood on ebay, but much of it is imported.
I looked into it, but gave up when I attended a few craft fairs with my wife and pretty much every second stand sells driftwood lamps and sculptures.
Most of the items remain unsold. Average prices range from £25 to £50 depending on size so margins are slim.
Not sure about CE approval though as it's likely the flex, switches, lamp holder and plug are already approved.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but you won't make your millions from it.
Galleries and gift shops generally take a 50% commission from each sale, so selling direct is the only real option.

 

[ifindoubtdont]

Doing the same thing myself. I treat it as a curious hobby, it's fun, it's creative and if you manage to flog anything, it's a free meal out for the family. A millionaire I won't be.

 

[tbs1983]

Thanks for the replies guys, no I didn't expect it would be a viable source of income but I do fancy giving it a go, more for the enjoyment, might make a couple for friends / family and take it from there.
I live right on the west coast of Wales and there are loads of beaches nearby littered with driftwood especially after the recent storms.

 

[Marvo]

With bayonet cap and edison screw lamp holders they're usually live on the pins when no lamp is inserted, the best you could do is attach a safety sticker informing the user of this fact. They used to make a bayonet BC lamp holder where the pins only became live when they were half way through their travel so you'd really need to push the pins in to get a shock but I haven't seen these particular lamp holders for well over a decade and maybe longer. Other option would be to use a gu10 fitting with an LED lamp.

 

[peterb]

you can get lamp holders with a built in switch so that the pins are only live when there is a lamp in the holder. They have a small plunger under the lamp base which operates the switch. Not fool proof as you can still press the plunger but better than nothing

 

[GMES]

Hi guys, hope all had a good christmas.
After seeing a piece of driftwood made into a very nice table lamp as a christmas gift it has given me the idea to make a few myself as a hobby and maybe sell them locally.
I live very close to the sea and am sure to be able to source plenty of driftwood, I've found a supplier online where I can purchase some nice chrome or brass lampholders and inline switches for flex.

Now my only concern is the safety aspect, if the switch is turned on and a lamp not in lampholder and a child / dumb adult decides to poke fingers where they shouldn't clearly there is serious danger of a shock.

Where would I stand ???

any help would be greatly appreciated

(Obviously most lamps sold on the mass market present this problem, but just wondering as effectively a diy one man band how I could cover myself)

Go for it mate if you want to do it, as others have already covered all the safety and legal side all I will say is have a go and see what comes of it, if nothing else it sounds like a nice hobby and we all need ways to relax. Looking forward to viewing you 1st masterpiece.