Calamity Needs Lighting Help

[Heisler]

I'm thinking of doing some interior lighting for my town of Calamity. Since I haven't started the boards yet and none of the buildings are mounted its a good time to think about it. I'm encountering a couple of difficulties with this. I think I can overcome the electrical part of this fairly easily I'll just fall back on some model railroad techniques. What I'm having problems with is trying to make the lamps. In the interest of simplicity they will all be wall mounted or possibly in chandeliers but I can't find any commercial products that will work. Has anyone out there tried something like this?

[Skyven]

I used some of the wife's E-Textile bits and pieces. They are small, have battery holders and LED lights and switches, and circuits don't need to be soldered because they are made to be used with conductive thread, tied off (very tightly) around connections.

The bits came from http://www.kitronik.co.uk/products/textiles/textiles-kits.

Explanation of how they work http://www.kitronik.co.uk/resources/e-textiles-tutorials-and-resources/how-make-basic-e-textile-led-circuit/.

Made a simple circuit that was closed when the building's roof was put on.

A single LED powered by a 3V 200mA coin cell should last for around 10 hours.

I would imagine there is something similar in the US.

[FifteensAway]

Heisler, check out Langley out of England:

http://www.langley-models.co.uk/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_OO_Scale_Illuminated_Accessories_20.html

That is just the link to one page, admittedly mostly exterior style lamps, but perhaps workable.  Are you going with oil lamp styles or gas lamps?  Will make a difference in the effect you want.

Which brings up an interesting question - just how sooty were the interiors of buildings prior to electrical lighting?  I have a ceramic candle that uses "smokeless" oil and it can generate some soot.

[Heisler]

Thanks for the link, I'll take a look. Exterior lamps definitely won't work they are just to large. I imagine that there was a fair amount of soot along the walls of most homes. Cleaning that was not a fun job I imagine.

[Cory]

I have restored some period buildings that had cloth wall coverings and have been surprised at the lack of obvious soot stains except around gas wall lamps (unusual) or fireplaces. Instead the colors seem to have yellowed, very similar to a place where people smoke cigarettes inside. Most of these rooms would have used kerosene lamps with glass "hurricane" lids.

Of course cleanliness was next to godliness and such and part of the reason for cloth was that it could be taken down and washed along with the walls underneath. Indeed spring cleaning once included giving the walls a good scrubbing at least once a year.

Wall paper is harder to tell as it kept getting new paper and even when the time is taken to peel layers off you can't tell what is dirt or sun yellowing and what was from the next layer's glue.