I had several solar light fixtures in front of my
house that quit working within six months to a year. Some had to be thrown out
last fall because fire ants moved into the globes and ruined them. I don’t know
what happened to the others. I opened up the battery compartments, made sure
all connections were dirt and rust free, then put in new batteries. It didn’t
make a difference. I guess one shouldn’t expect longevity for an item that
costs $5.
Still, they had nice, crackle glass globes that deserved
a second life. At first, I planned to dismantle the fixtures and use the globes
to cover tea lights, but that seemed like a lot of hassle. (Lift the globes;
light the candles or turn on the LEDs; do the reverse.) Instead, I decided to
make glow-in-the-dark mini gazing globes. Other than removing the solar panel
and LED bulb from inside, it was a project that would use the majority of the
light fixture. Also, once everything was sealed back together, there would be
nothing to do except admire my colorful globes in my planted containers.
The following is a pictorial how-to.
