On Friday, June 10, 2016 at 8:43:02 PM UTC-5, SBH wrote:
I have a fluorescent desk light which houses a small transformer with
the prongs and plugs into the wall. The original plastic shell/cover
broke and rendered the light unusable. I believe it broke due to the
brittleness caused by the heat from years of use. Anyway, I like this
light and decided to make another cover out of wood which came out
pretty good. My only concern is that heat again. I drilled little holes
to help vent it but it's still a concern. I used a small piece of black
walnut I had laying around to make the shell. I used my thermal imaging
device (Flir adapter for phone) to read the temp of the unit which
reached over 100 degrees. Therefore, I'm wondering if this would be too
hot for the wood and can it cause a fire?

If I had a fluorescent desk lamp such as the one you are attached to, I'd get and electronic ballast, put it into a plastic or metal project box and use a one or two foot power cord run into one end of the box then run the cord from the lamp into the other end of the project box then hook everything up. I've used diecast project boxes for things like that. Rubber feet are a good touch. ^_^

http://www.ebay.com/sch/items/?_nkw=...tronic+ballast

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...=project+boxes

http://tinyurl.com/z9otdv7

[8~{} Uncle Project Monster