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Whichever way you intend to mount it, you basically need a box divided into ten equal rectangular sections. Each division must be large enough to house the light bulb without the bulb touching the partitions. The front of the case is covered with translucent acrylic sheet (Perspex) to defuse the light and protect the bulbs.

The Perspex should be at least 40mm away from the bulbs for this to be effective. Buy the Perspex first, and hold it near a bulb to establish the best distance. Translucent Perspex is not the easiest product to find locally - try looking in your Yellow Pages under "Plastics - Suppliers" or "Plastics - Film and Sheet". If you want to save some money, try to get an off-cut and trim it to size yourself or make the box to suit. If you want to put your name on the front, try the "Sign Makers" section of the Yellow Pages. You can probably get something professionally printed for about twice the cost of the plain sheet.

Perspex can be cut with a normal woodworking saw if you are VERY careful, but it is prone to cracking if you are too heavy-handed. An electric jig-saw works well, if it is fitted with a fine blade. In any case, get a second person to help you hold it steady - and progress slowly and gently.

The box itself should be made of solid chipboard, or even blockboard if you want it to be really substantial (and heavy). The corner joints should be made by gluing and screwing the chipboard onto batterns. The dividers can be made with plywood, about 6mm thick. This is thick enough to fix into place with glue and small nails. The corner joint batterns and the dividers should be recessed about 15mm from the front of the case to allow room for the perspex to sit in. Some strips of 12mm quarter-round timber or similar can be fixed to the case in front of the Perspex to hold it in place. Use screws from the outside of the case for this, and no glue - you will need to remove the perspex to change the light bulbs. The back of the box should be wide enough to hold the lamp holders (bayonet cap battern holders), but about 30mm narrower than the box. This allows about 15mm each side for ventilation.

If the dividers stop about 10mm from the back, this will allow room for the wiring between the lamp holders. The sockets should be fitted through the back panel wherever there is room, and the rear connections covered with a generous quality of insulation tape. This prevents an electric shock should someone poke their fingers through the ventilation gap.

The finished box can be painted matt black on the outside, or covered with black vinyl sheet if you prefer. A few corner protectors will prevent the chipboard from chipping, and a handle or two in the right place can be very useful. The inside should ideally be painted gloss white - radiator paint would be better able to withstand the heat without blistering or becoming discoloured.

The light bulbs should be normal coloured round bulbs, like those used on the larger outdoor Christmas lights. A rating of 25W will generally be suitable, and won't get too hot. Larger bulbs such as 40W or 60W could be used if you want more light - but you'll get more heat too! You could use colours that give the impression of a VU meter - 5 green, 2 yellow and 3 red for example - or you could just use 10 randomly coloured bulbs.

Other suggestions
Of course you imagination is the only limit. How about a twenty lamp box, with the light effect coming in from the ends or out from the middle - this could look good with a name sign. How about a rectangular box with ten triangular sections each having a corner meeting at the bottom middle. Or you could just have a row of R60 coloured spot bulbs on an overhead gantry. Do something individual and get noticed!

One final suggestion - on a safety matter again. Buy yourself one or two residual current (earth leakage) circuit breakers - the type intended for power tools - and plug them into the wall sockets where you connect the inevitable multitude of 4-way trailing extension leads. These could save an electric shock if some pillock smashes a light bulb or spills a pint of lager into the equipment. It does happen!

Legal acknowledgement
The word "Perspex" is a trade mark of ICI.