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Been making Straw Lite Poles for the layout. These have the flexible top for bending for your drink. I use all kinds of junk for hoods on the top of the straws. Straws are 3/16th outside diameter. Use 3mm or 5mm LED's w/resistors attached. I solder a set of longer wires to the LED wires & I offset the splice so the wires don't touch each other. Then I pull out the accordian part on the straw & bend it down.
After I do the wiring in the straws & bend them I paint them w/a spray can. Before the paint I mask off the lights & hoods. next one's will be painted before I do all the wiring & add the hoods.
I've also started on another set of pole lights using plastic Wire Nuts for hoods. I lift up the end of the wire in the nut w/a small screwdriver & then use a needle nose pliers to hold onto the spring while I unscrew it.
Then I use a 3/16th bit to drill out the end of the nut to hold the glued in straw. Then will add the LED & the wires.
The straws I buy at Dollar Tree. I think there's 500 in a bag. You can cut the top part of the straw off at whatever heighth you prefer. When you drill the table top on your layout use a 3/16th drill bit & then you just shove the straw in as far as needed for the heighth.
I use 12v. LEDs & use a small 12v DC transformer. The LED has a pos. & neg. side & I use dark wires for pos. & lite colored wires for the neg.
Thanks everyone for the comments. I try a lot of diff. items for a lot of diff. projects & some work & some don't. I hate to spend the large bucks for an item that can be made from found objects & since my layout is modern I try to make modern items.
Anyway, it's a challenge & I need a challenge everyday to keep from getting bored.
I've got so many idea's in my head I have a terrible time going to sleep at nite.
The next thing for me is a manual under the table switch control using plexiglass & metal construction angles from Home Depot. This one is to be controlled by thin cables from the edge of the table. I have to finish all of these spot lites first & then the switch control will be next. I figure about 2 weeks to get all of these made & installed.
Ran out of LED's w/resistors attached. So, I soldered on a resistor at the end of the straw & am using 5mm LED's this time in the wire nuts on the straw.
After I solder the wires on the LED I add a small pc. of plastic stir stick to one of the wires after I coat them w/liquid tape. Then after I put the straw into the nut I coat the resistor w/the liquid tape at the end of the straw, so, nothing can short out.
