Shades of Blue Interiors

How to Make a Bottle Lamp

16 Comments

This is the first in a 2 part series on how to make a vintage decal glass jug lamp. Here you will learn how to turn a plain glass jug into a lamp.

To learn how to apply a vintage-style decal to the glass jug, GO HERE.

VMD191

Awhile back after acquiring several vintage gallon cider bottles, I decided to make a lamp out of one. But I didn’t want it to be just a plain jug lamp. I wanted a vintage-inspired label on it. Why? Because I like to make my life difficult. 🙂

But really, there are all kinds of bottle lamps out there and I wanted something unique, one-of-a-kind that paid tribute to where these jugs came from. Here is what they looked like before I cleaned them out (a pain-staking process):

Ok first things first. Here’s a list of things you need to make any large bottle into a lamp with the lamp kit you get at HD or Lowe’s. I got mine at Lowe’s.

 

1. Cordless scewdriver/drill with a fully charged battery
2. Glass/Ceramic drill bit (Similar to this)
3. Lamp kit (Similar to this)
4. Lamp shade (I got mine here)
5. Light bulb

I chose to go with a method of drilling a hole in the glass because 1) I plan on making more than one bottle-lamp in the future, and 2) I’m impatient and didn’t want to order the lamp kit where the cord doesn’t need to go down into the neck of the bottle. They are out there, but harder to find and usually are ordered online. The basic lamp kit found at HD or Lowe’s is also cheaper than ordering one online and it would be even cheaper if you up-cycled lamp parts from an old lamp you have lying around or one you find at the thrift store! All these options  will require the cord to go inside the bottle, hence needing a way out!

Okay, on to the instructions.

1) First, attach the glass/ceramic drill bit. Use a marker to make a dot at the place you will drill your hole.

2) Then, in your sink or bathtub or even outside with water running over where you are drilling, start drilling your hole. This process will take 5-7 minutes of steady pressure, but not too much. I wasn’t pushing because I didn’t want to force it and break the glass. I only added a little more pressure than the weight of the drill provided.

3)It will take awhile before you start to notice a tiny pin-prick of a hole. It will slowly get bigger and then when the tip of the bit gets through the glass, the hole quickly gets a lot bigger, so be careful, and go slowly!

To install the lamp electrical parts, there are instructions on the package, but I am a visual person, so for those of you out there like me, here is pictorial instructions on putting that lamp kit together with your bottle! (You can click the picture to make it even larger in a separate window)

1. Run your wires through the hole you made in the bottle, up through the neck of the bottle.
2. Find the rubber stopper that fits the neck of your bottle and put the threaded nipple (little metal tube) in the hole. Fortunately the largest size just barely fit mine. If you have a larger bottle, you will need to buy a custom cork and make a hole in it.
3. Run the wires through the threaded nipple.
4. Run wires through harp bottom (this step is optional, but gives you options for the type of lamp shade you will use).
5. Loosen the screw on the outside of the base of the neck extender.
6. Make sure screw is completely out of the way but not removed.
7. Run the wire through the neck extender, and tighten that little screw to be secure against the threaded nipple.
8. Grab the top part of your 3-way socket.
9. Remove the cardboard and metal shell of the socket.
10. Identify where the 2 screws at the bottom of the socket are.
(rest of instructions below)
11. Loosen screws but do not remove them (notice there is a gold screw and a silver screw).
12. Make sure you have enough room now to fit the tips of the exposed metal on the wires, so that when you tighten the screws, it will hold the wires in place.
13. Pull the wires apart a little and notice that one of them is ribbed and one of them is more smooth.
14-18. Make an underwriter’s knot (a necessary step).
19-20. Position the ribbed wire so that the metal tip is secured by the silver screw. This is important and mixing it up can electric shock when turned on. The ribbed wire is neutral. The smooth wire is the hot. Take the smooth wire, and secure it by the gold screw. Make sure they are nice and snug, which may take a little patience, since making them too tight will cause them to slip out.
21. Slide back on the cardboard and metal shell and VOILA! You are ready to add your choice of bulb and lampshade!
Here is what the finished product can look like!
Such a transformation from the before, right?
I added a vintage-inspired decal, and the full tutorial on how to apply a waterslide decal with magic coating (eliminates the use of a spray clear-coat) is found here!

Comments

  7. Michelle says

    Love this!!! I always wanted to try drilling into a glass bottle but little shards of glass going all over the place put me off. Thank you for sharing and giving a link to the drill bit. You are my hero 🙂

    Reply

  10. Karen says

    I did some etching on the ones I have. But I have one that has like a hard water coating on the inside. I have tried everything to get it cleaned properly, but to no avail. Did any of yours have that or any ideas?

    Reply

    • Dianne Hopkirk says

      I had some similar bottles that were really dirty and put a couple of handfuls of gravel/smallish stones in them, added a bit of water and swirled them around for a while and, presto – when I tipped them out and rinsed the bottles they were super clean.

      Reply

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