Making Your Own Light Bulb Using a Jar, a Pencil, and Two Bolts

This Short from [ProShorts 101] shows us how to make an incandescent light bulb from a jar, a pencil lead, two bolts, and a candle.

Prepare the lid of the jar by melting in two holes to contain the bolts, you can do this with your soldering iron, but make sure your workspace is well ventilated and don’t breathe the fumes. Install the two bolts into the lid. Take a pencil lead and secure it between the two bolts. Chop off the tip of a candle and glue it inside the lid. Light the candle and while it’s burning cover it with the jar and screw on the lid. Apply power and your light bulb will glow.

The incandescent light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison and patented in patent US223898 in 1879. It’s important to remove the oxygen from the bulb so that the filament doesn’t burn up when it gets hot. That’s what the candle is for, to burn out all the oxygen in the jar before it’s sealed.

Of course if you want something that is energy efficient you’re going to want an LED light bulb.