Hey guys, I wanted to hit up the DIY section and help out everyone on roll it up by sharing my DIY project experience with all of you! I grow with CFL's so I have spent countless hours pondering how to make cfls more effective for focused lighting rather than 360 degree spreads.
Below are two guides to make not only Single Bulb Reflectors but also a Multi-Bulb large reflector out of mostly very cheap or recycled material.
Things you will need for both projects. 1 Roll Mylar sheeting, 1 roll Aluminum Tape OR Strong Duct Tape (Gorilla Tape works perfectly, dollar store tape WONT WORK) and last but not least a small tube of gorilla glue or another heat resistant adhesive.
Single bulb reflector:
Step 1: Get a cheap roll of Mylar at your local dollar store OR home depot if your a baller.
Step 2: Find an intact aluminum can (empty of course) and use a can opener on the top end.
**Be very careful, the can will be extremely sharp and these next steps can be very dangerous if you fiddle a lot or have problems keeping a steady hand - use caution and wear gloves when needed**
Step 3. Flip the can over, and use the can opener on the BOTTOM of the can. By the bottom i mean the INSIDE of the "can stand" loop, the bottom hole will NOT be as big as the top of the can.
Step 4: Slice the can from top to bottom directly in half using a straight razor or a pair of sharp strong scissors. Do not cut all the way through on EITHER SIDE - leave about a half inch to work with!
Step 5: Apply the mylar to the inside of the can with spray glue adhesive, make sure the glue you use can withstand heat when dry. Press the mylar firmly in place so there are no ripples and uneven spots. Trip the mylar to the edge of the can and place a tiny strip of electrical tape on the lip of the can/mylar to cover the sharp edge and hold the mylar down on the sides.
Step 6, With a hole puncher or knife or whatever u poke with, punch 4-8 holes towards the BOTTOM ( picture the can upright ) on the half pipe shell. You should have something that looks similar to this:
Anyway guys its taken me a while to document doing all of that, uplaod the pics and organize this little post.
The entire thing should cost you about 2 bucks per light and thats ONLY if you use monster cans lol you can easily do this with cheaper coke or pepsi cans and save a bunch of money.
This method of CFL lighting allows you to place the light within 2-5" of the plant and still be able to effectively produce massive buds.
If anybody has any questions or comments feel free to ask. My entire setup has these on them I removed the to show you guys the diff in the pic. My babies are only a couple weeks old and are over 3 feet tall flowering.
Whoever says you CANT grow big healthy stinky nuggets with CFLs is a retard and probably trying to misinform you. There are ways to go about certain things and just because one is too lazy to think of them doesnt mean they dont exist.
PS: As a side note this is what the comparison pic looks like, check my baby in the back - 5" away CFL healthy as a fucking horse.
*EDITT* I was asked via PM by multiple people to explain the actual purposes of what this is for and what everything does so here goes...
The aluminum can is nothing but the structure for which you will make the CFL reflector. The hole cut in the top of the can is nearly a perfect fit for a regular sized 100w equiv. cfl. When you cut the can into a half pipe you create the "reflector base" where you then will apply the reflective Mylar strips (on the inside of course). After the mylar is applied you want to secure the edges with gorrilla tape or somethign that can withstand heat. Turn it over (so you are looking at the inside where the bulb will go) and at the base of the reflector poke 4-8 holes for HEAT VENTILATION... I was specifically asked why the holes are necessary and its for dispersing heat, if you dont do it your bulb will get so hot it will probably just fry. After that you want to clip the edges to create a { looking curve to broaden the reflection of the light as you please.
Seperate question : How did you get the socket to hold the light without tape. Okay this is going to be complicated to explain but I will try. You place the bulb base into the hole and from the bottom up ** HOLDING EVERYTHING VERY SECURELY AS TO NOT SLICE UR SHIT OPEN** push up the aluminum from the bottom up on bothsides so it points at the front, you then fold one end of the "point" in and press it shut. This will create more of a hold. You then take a piece of tape and wrap it around the rough area to #1 get rid of the shit that cuts you #2 thicken the ridge so the bulb base fits tighter.
That single bulb reflector is just a copy of my original post in a different section of the forums, i figured its best added to the DIY section lol.
Now I will explain, verbally because I am unable to post pics at the moment, how to build a reflector a similar way but to attach multi bulbs to it.
Your best friend in this project will be the dollar store. Everything you need you can get there.
Things you will need: Same supplies as the single bulb reflector + 1 exacto knife or carpet knife. Go to the dollar store and purchase 2 posterboards, and as many deep dish lasagna trays as you need to fit the demensinos of your desired reflector.
Cut the lips of the tins and connect them using the aluminum tape or duct tape until you form the reflector shape you want. Make sure the tape is secure on the back and inside to hold everything together. Cut out poster board to match the exact size of the BACK of your reflector. Paint the poster board with glue, heat resistant, and carefully lay the back of the reflector over it. This gives the reflector stability. If you have left over posterboards do this 1 more time to create a thicker layered backing. Now, flip the reflector over after all is dry - now we need to line the inside with the mylar sheeting. - we dont want to have to cut through glue - so before we lay the sheeting down we need to fabricate and cut the holes that the light houses will go into. Measure and cut these holes and duct tape the inside of them to create a barrier between the aluminum and the light housing. Now, paint the inside of the tin with glue and lay down the mylar sheeting. Before the glue steps, slightly bend the entire thing into a "straight" shape as working with it for so long could have warped the side walls.
After all is done and you have the full reflector set up and ready to go you need to think about dispersing the heat - if you are doing a smaller reflector and have decent fans in-room then you can skip this next step.
Find two small cpu fans that will fit the lip of the tins - cut a hole and secure these in the left and right sides of the reflector and run the wires up above the top. One intake, on exhaust - this will put a cool breeze through the bulbs and help to keep heat down.
Now, insert your light houses and you're good to go!
You can now A: Secure the fixture to the houses and add hooks to hang or B: Leave it as a seperate object to be able to remove it at any time.
I have done this with a FIVE socket setup - instead of having 5 plugs for 1 lamp, i splices 2 together, and 3 together and have 2 plugs for grow room lamp with 5 diff light houses.
Idk if this helps, i hope i can get pics up shortly for this one!
Below are two guides to make not only Single Bulb Reflectors but also a Multi-Bulb large reflector out of mostly very cheap or recycled material.
Things you will need for both projects. 1 Roll Mylar sheeting, 1 roll Aluminum Tape OR Strong Duct Tape (Gorilla Tape works perfectly, dollar store tape WONT WORK) and last but not least a small tube of gorilla glue or another heat resistant adhesive.
Single bulb reflector:
Step 1: Get a cheap roll of Mylar at your local dollar store OR home depot if your a baller.
Step 2: Find an intact aluminum can (empty of course) and use a can opener on the top end.
**Be very careful, the can will be extremely sharp and these next steps can be very dangerous if you fiddle a lot or have problems keeping a steady hand - use caution and wear gloves when needed**
Step 3. Flip the can over, and use the can opener on the BOTTOM of the can. By the bottom i mean the INSIDE of the "can stand" loop, the bottom hole will NOT be as big as the top of the can.
Step 4: Slice the can from top to bottom directly in half using a straight razor or a pair of sharp strong scissors. Do not cut all the way through on EITHER SIDE - leave about a half inch to work with!
Step 5: Apply the mylar to the inside of the can with spray glue adhesive, make sure the glue you use can withstand heat when dry. Press the mylar firmly in place so there are no ripples and uneven spots. Trip the mylar to the edge of the can and place a tiny strip of electrical tape on the lip of the can/mylar to cover the sharp edge and hold the mylar down on the sides.
Step 6, With a hole puncher or knife or whatever u poke with, punch 4-8 holes towards the BOTTOM ( picture the can upright ) on the half pipe shell. You should have something that looks similar to this:
Anyway guys its taken me a while to document doing all of that, uplaod the pics and organize this little post.
The entire thing should cost you about 2 bucks per light and thats ONLY if you use monster cans lol you can easily do this with cheaper coke or pepsi cans and save a bunch of money.
This method of CFL lighting allows you to place the light within 2-5" of the plant and still be able to effectively produce massive buds.
If anybody has any questions or comments feel free to ask. My entire setup has these on them I removed the to show you guys the diff in the pic. My babies are only a couple weeks old and are over 3 feet tall flowering.
Whoever says you CANT grow big healthy stinky nuggets with CFLs is a retard and probably trying to misinform you. There are ways to go about certain things and just because one is too lazy to think of them doesnt mean they dont exist.
PS: As a side note this is what the comparison pic looks like, check my baby in the back - 5" away CFL healthy as a fucking horse.
*EDITT* I was asked via PM by multiple people to explain the actual purposes of what this is for and what everything does so here goes...
The aluminum can is nothing but the structure for which you will make the CFL reflector. The hole cut in the top of the can is nearly a perfect fit for a regular sized 100w equiv. cfl. When you cut the can into a half pipe you create the "reflector base" where you then will apply the reflective Mylar strips (on the inside of course). After the mylar is applied you want to secure the edges with gorrilla tape or somethign that can withstand heat. Turn it over (so you are looking at the inside where the bulb will go) and at the base of the reflector poke 4-8 holes for HEAT VENTILATION... I was specifically asked why the holes are necessary and its for dispersing heat, if you dont do it your bulb will get so hot it will probably just fry. After that you want to clip the edges to create a { looking curve to broaden the reflection of the light as you please.
Seperate question : How did you get the socket to hold the light without tape. Okay this is going to be complicated to explain but I will try. You place the bulb base into the hole and from the bottom up ** HOLDING EVERYTHING VERY SECURELY AS TO NOT SLICE UR SHIT OPEN** push up the aluminum from the bottom up on bothsides so it points at the front, you then fold one end of the "point" in and press it shut. This will create more of a hold. You then take a piece of tape and wrap it around the rough area to #1 get rid of the shit that cuts you #2 thicken the ridge so the bulb base fits tighter.
That single bulb reflector is just a copy of my original post in a different section of the forums, i figured its best added to the DIY section lol.
Now I will explain, verbally because I am unable to post pics at the moment, how to build a reflector a similar way but to attach multi bulbs to it.
Your best friend in this project will be the dollar store. Everything you need you can get there.
Things you will need: Same supplies as the single bulb reflector + 1 exacto knife or carpet knife. Go to the dollar store and purchase 2 posterboards, and as many deep dish lasagna trays as you need to fit the demensinos of your desired reflector.
Cut the lips of the tins and connect them using the aluminum tape or duct tape until you form the reflector shape you want. Make sure the tape is secure on the back and inside to hold everything together. Cut out poster board to match the exact size of the BACK of your reflector. Paint the poster board with glue, heat resistant, and carefully lay the back of the reflector over it. This gives the reflector stability. If you have left over posterboards do this 1 more time to create a thicker layered backing. Now, flip the reflector over after all is dry - now we need to line the inside with the mylar sheeting. - we dont want to have to cut through glue - so before we lay the sheeting down we need to fabricate and cut the holes that the light houses will go into. Measure and cut these holes and duct tape the inside of them to create a barrier between the aluminum and the light housing. Now, paint the inside of the tin with glue and lay down the mylar sheeting. Before the glue steps, slightly bend the entire thing into a "straight" shape as working with it for so long could have warped the side walls.
After all is done and you have the full reflector set up and ready to go you need to think about dispersing the heat - if you are doing a smaller reflector and have decent fans in-room then you can skip this next step.
Find two small cpu fans that will fit the lip of the tins - cut a hole and secure these in the left and right sides of the reflector and run the wires up above the top. One intake, on exhaust - this will put a cool breeze through the bulbs and help to keep heat down.
Now, insert your light houses and you're good to go!
You can now A: Secure the fixture to the houses and add hooks to hang or B: Leave it as a seperate object to be able to remove it at any time.
I have done this with a FIVE socket setup - instead of having 5 plugs for 1 lamp, i splices 2 together, and 3 together and have 2 plugs for grow room lamp with 5 diff light houses.
Idk if this helps, i hope i can get pics up shortly for this one!
