Have you ever visited Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground and admired those wonderful lamp posts with the Mickey Mouse ears?  Me too!  Many of the campers at Fort Wilderness proudly display them at their campsites.

When I fist saw one I was so taken with it that I asked the camper, “Where do you buy them?”  I was disappointed when he replied, “You can’t buy them; you have to make them.” 

But my wife Carol was determined to have one so she did a bit of online exploring and soon found some rudimentary instructions.  I assembled the parts and started to build one.  I was surprised at how easy it was!

It turned out quite well, so well in fact that several friends wanted me to make them one too.  I have now made about eight lamps and in the process I have refined my technique.  Here are some instructions which you can use to make your own.

After all, no true Disney fan should be without one!  All of your friends and neighbors already think that you’re a crazy Disney nut . . . why not prove it to them by building one of these beauties!

All the parts you need are available at Home Depot.  If your local store doesn’t carry all the parts you can easily order them online.

The key parts are:

 Step 1:  Build Mickey’s head

To do this you simply drill two 3 ¼ inch holes in the 12 inch globe and glue the 6 inch globes into these holes.   Begin with the 12 inch globe.  Apply masking tape across the top of the globe along the center line in order to mark the centers for the holes needed to mount the smaller globes.  Draw a line at the “top dead center” of the lamp and then measure down 4 inches on each side and make another mark.  This will mark the centers for each ear hole; the centers should be 8 inches apart.

Drill a small lead hole for each ear and then use your electric drill and a 3 ¼ inch hole saw to cut the ear holes.  (If you don’t have a 3 ¼” hole saw you can buy one ($15.97 at Home Depot) and the arbor needed to attach it to your electric drill.  Any employee at Home Depot can find these tools for you.)

Remove the tape and glue the smaller globes into these holes, clamp until the glue is set.

I use LePage’s Flexible Plastic adhesive which is sold in Home Depot in Canada.  In the USA look for Loctite, it’s the same product.

The Globe Fitter attaches to the bottom of the 12” globe and holds the light bulb.  It is designed to clamp onto a standard 3 inch metal lamp post also sold at Home Depot. 

Step 2:  Illuminate the Ears

On my last few lamps I have added smaller bulbs to illuminate the ears as well as the larger globe.  

Begin with a piece of metal strapping, about 4 inches long.  Bend about ¼ inch on each end so that the ends will create a “friction grip” on the flange of the 6” globe which is now visible inside the 12” globe.

Make 2 of these pieces, one for each of Mickey’s ears.  

Cut a length of outdoor Christmas lights so that you have 2 socket and enough cord on one end to attach a plug.  Use pop-rivets to attach each socket to one of the metal straps you just made.  Attach a plug which will plug into the new white socket (pictured at right) inside the globe.

Your assembly should look like this.

Here is a detailed look at the light socket riveted to the strap.  Note the 90 degree bends in the ends of the strap which provide a “friction grip” on the flanges of Mickey’s ears, inside the larger globe.   Bend them to provide a snug fit and just press them on. 

Inside the 12: globe - the strap just slides onto the flange of the 6" globe.

Plug the smaller lights into the globe fitter.

Step 3:  Attach Mickey’s head to a lamp post

You can order a 3 inch lamp post online from Home Depot (search #501817) for $44.97 but your local store probably carries them, along with the mounting bracket (search #502211) for $12.97.  If you are going to permanently mount your lamp on a patio or deck, these items are what you need.  Just wire it up, install it on your patio or deck and you are all done!

Congratulations, you have just built a Mickey Lamp – don’t you feel proud?

Step 4:  Need a portable lamp?

If you are like me, and prefer to have your lamp more portable, the rest of these instructions are for you!

I need to have one that comes apart easily to store in the hatches under our RV.  I use standard 2 inch ABS pipe for the post.  This is the pipe used by plumbers for household drains and it’s available in any building products store.  It’s light, easy to work with and it doesn’t rattle in the RV.  You need one piece of 2” ABS pipe about 5 feet long and one connector (that is the piece plumbers us to glue two pieces of ABS pipe together).  NOTE: You do not need any glue!

Let’s start by getting the globe fitter ready to attach to the ABS pipe.  First step:  Attach a standard plug to the globe fitter.

Now you need to attach the ABS connector to the globe fitter.  Remove the three clamp screws from the fitter:

Insert the ABS connector in the hole on the bottom of the globe fitter (it’s a very loose fit) and drill small lead holes through the holes where you removed the clamp screws. 

Use 1 inch screws to attach the connector to the globe fitter.  You have simply swapped the small retaining screws for 1 inch screws which hold the ABS connector tightly in place. 

This piece will now slide on and off the ABS drain pipe which will be your post.  This makes it easy to take the lamp apart and move it.   Do not use glue!

Now drill a ½ inch hole about a foot from the bottom of the ABS pipe and feed a length of power cord up through the pole.  Add a female receptacle to the top end of the cord and a male plug to the bottom.

Plug the fitter into the female receptacle you just added to the top; slide the globe fitter onto your post and install a 25 watt frosted light bulb.  Place the globe on the fitter and enjoy your lamp.

You will need to devise a base for the lamp.  I used a cast metal base for a patio umbrella (WalMart – about $20.00).  You simply use a chisel or hacksaw to knock off the nut which holds the retaining bolt and the ABS post slides over the post on the umbrella base.  I paint it black to match the post and secure it with two long bolts and wing nuts.  Be sure that your base is heavy enough to prevent your lamp from blowing over.  The umbrella base has worked very well for me. Christmas tree bases are not very reliable. 

Some ingenious folks have used unique things to make a heavy base for their lamp.  My favorite so far is an old farmer’s milk can painted in Mickey’s colors, red, black and yellow.  It looks great!

If you are ordering online from Home Depot, here are some numbers and descriptions which will help you locate what you need:

12" acrylic globe

Online order – Item #100671507

Newport Coastal 12” Opal Acrylic Globe $15.96

6" acrylic globe

Online order – Item #203066058

Westinghouse 6 in. Handblown Opal Globe with neck $7.97

Globe Fitter

Online order – Item #100671529

Newport Coastal White Post Top Globe Fitter $9.97

3” Steel Lamp Post

Online order – Item #202636904

Design House Black Lamp Post with Cross Arm $44.97

Base for Lamp Post

Online order – Item # 202636907

Design House Black Outdoor Lantern Pier Base $12.97

Shipping is usually free if your order exceeds $45.00

Here is a picture of my finished lamp.

ENJOY MAKING YOURS!

Gary Cruise