Ron Becker writes:
​
I am a member of Northern Colorado VMCCA, from Loveland CO, I own a 1997 BMW and I make lamps out of everything from car parts to colanders.
I grew up with my parents and two brothers on a farm located at the edge of Halstead, KS, a small town north of Wichita, KS. My favorite high school class was shop! I built my first two lamps of wood and they were shaped like water pumps and the second one, the handle turned the water on and off. After high school, I worked in Halstead KS at Legg Company, which produced rubber slated canvas products for hay swathers made in nearby Hesston KS. I met Carole, my high school sweetheart and we married at age 19 and 18. I farmed and worked for Mobile Components making mobile home trusses and counter tops. I was offered an opportunity to move to Colorado with Skyline Mobile Homes in 1971 and we moved with our 3 kids to Brighton CO. Then I returned to Mobile Components when I set up their second location in Berthoud in 1973. We moved to Loveland and retired in 2007.
When I buy old stuff gives him a thrill ... I have lots of collections from cameras to John Deere toys to model airplanes. I like car parts, colanders, strainers, funnels and tubs. And I like making things.
In 2018, Ray Maxfield of Windsor CO, member of Northern Colorado Chapter and President of Vintage Motor Car Club of America asked me if I could make lamps to support one of the club's motor car tours. It was the 80/40 Mountain and Plains Regional Tour in Loveland on July 18-21, 2018, which celebrated VMCCA's 80th anniversary and Northern Colorado's 40th membership. The lamps were a big hit.
I still make lamps since that day. I find items to make my lamps at ARC store, Restore, flea markets, garage sales, friends, Hobby Lobby, John Deere stores, Amazon, Timber Dan and years of saving "stuff" I might need some day! Here are a few lamps of my current collection of 92 lamps
The old truck was from Timber Dan, the base is a cheese board from ARC with green felt from Hobby Lobby, a lamp from ARC, plastic plant from Hobby Lobby and pine cones and rocks from my yard.
The two cars are die-cast and I have had them a long time, the base is plywood the Ford wrench is also something I have had for a long time, the lamp is from ARC and the magnets are from Hobby Lobby.
The John Deere tractors are on a plywood base are from the Greeley John Deere store and the base is plywood. I sometimes use stair tread to make my bases too.
The chunk of wood and John Deere tractor have been around a long time too. The baler is from Ray Maxfield, the farmer is from a John Deere store, the lamp is from ARC and the back scene is painted on plywood.
The 5 o'clock sign and the magnetic sewing machine lamp are from Amazon, the clock is from ARC, the car, trailer and gas pump are from Hobby Lobby. The background and tree are from old fence pickets.