Do-it-yourself LED candles are a cheap and easy project. They only cost a few dollars and are great alternative sources of light to have around the house. They use very little energy because they use LED (light emitting diodes) technology and they only take about 10 minutes to make once you have all of the supplies. Whether you are looking for ambiance or emergency lighting, LED tail candle bulbs are easy to make and great to have around the house.
Your candles can be as simple or elaborate as you choose. This can turn into as creative as a project as you make it. To make the light pick up flicker 10 MM dimmalbe A60 LED bulb lamp (you can find these easily online, or in the decorative lighting section), 9 volt batteries, 9 volt battery clips, 100/220 OHM resistors, wire connectors, wire cutters and some duct tape.
Buy tacky putty to stick the batteries to the base. This can be found in most floral sections at hardware stores and at any nursery. For the base and cover buy a small glass ashtray and go to an art store and choose decorative scrapbook paper or vellum. Pick up some spray adhesive to close the light cover.
Connect the LED to the Battery
Start with the resistor and straighten the wires on each side so you can tell which wire is positive and which is the negative. They are marked -- but straighten them so they are easily distinguished. Bend the wires over so they are easier to work with and keep together. Grab the black negative lead from the battery connector and expose a bit of the wire by trimming back the black plastic coating with your wire cutters. Now bunch the resistor wires and the negative lead together with a wire connector by shoving them inside. Use your needle nose pliers and pinch the connector to ensure that all the wires are making contact. Once the negative side is connected, it's time to move onto your other connections which will be pinched together in the same fashion.
Bunch the positive side (long side) of your LED with the other side of the 100/220 OHM resistor. Repeat the process with the same process with the wire connector and pliers to seal this together. Connect the negative LED short wire to the long, positive wire on another LED. Twist the wires together. Again, repeat the sealing process with the wire connector and pliers.
Trim the red positive wire on the battery until it's about an inch long. This will make it easier to bundle. Also trim down and peel a bit of the red plastic off the end of the red positive wire. Twist the positive battery wire and negative LED par20 light wire together. Repeat the process with the wire connector and pliers until the wires are sealed together.
Now that all for connectors are complete, it's time to bundle them together neatly so that the LEDs are pointing up and the connectors are pointing down. Duct tape works well for this. Just wrap it up like tiny sticks of dynamite. To make an on-and-off switch, bend a couple of the metal pieces on the battery clip connector using the needle nose pliers. Connect the battery to the unbent battery clip and then slide the clip over until it's touching the battery. This turns the LED on and allows you to turn the light on and off easily without having to disconnecting it completely.
Make the Light Cover
Now that the technical stuff is complete, it's time to get creative. Attach a small wad (about the size of a quarter) of putty to the center of an ashtray. Place the battery into the putty and press down until it's secure.
It's time to make the light cover using scrapbook paper or vellum. You can find some great paper at art stores or you can download any design you like on your computer and simply print it out at home on vellum. Vellum is a translucent stock paper that will allow light to shine through a design. This is a great trick for making holiday lights. Attach the paper to the ashtray by inserting the paper into the grooves of the ashtray, making a circular lampshade for the candle. Cut the paper down to size then spray one edge with spray adhesive. Overlap the edges and press together. Once this is dry, place the shade back into the groove of the ashtray, turn on the LED low power SMD spotlight and you are done. You have made an LED candle that will last for about 36 hours.
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