How to Make Lamps Made Out of Pipes

The pipe lamps that are the latest trend seem to be everywhere and while they certainly look cool they also come with a hefty price tag. So if you’re looking for something unique that will make your home stand out from the crowd but don’t want to spend a fortune, you can do what we did – make your own!

To start with you will need a few things. First off your pipes need to be cleaned before you can begin working on your lamp. The oil in the pvc will leave behind nasty marks on anything it comes in contact with and you don’t want your brand new lamp to be covered with fingerprints. Soak some paper towels in household cleaner and then wipe the pipe down – do it as often as you need to until it’s clean enough to work with. You should also get some mineral oil and use it to wipe down the inside of your pipe. This will help keep any electrical currents from passing through the pvc and into your house or worse still your body.

Once your pipes have been cleaned and dried you can start on the actual lamp construction. First you will need to build the base for your lamp. Start by attaching one of the 3″ flanges to the 9″ plywood circular base making sure that it is attached evenly. Then take your cleat light socket and position it in the flange (you won’t be attaching the socket right now but you will need to mark where you want it later on).

After determining where the socket should go drill a hole large enough for your rotary switch. Once the switch has been drilled you can mount it on top of the flange and then screw in the socket. When you’re done installing the socket make sure that it is snug and don’t forget to install a strain relief on the back of the flange so you can hang your lamp and not worry about any wires pulling loose.

Next you will need to install the threaded rods that will hold the wine bottle on the lamp. Cut your threaded rods so that you have 4 pieces that are all roughly 9″ long. Use a hack saw to do this if necessary. Once your threaded rods are cut install them in the flanges so that they are all lined up evenly with each other. You can now install your wine bottle onto the lamp and use PVC primer and cement to fix it in place.

To complete your lamp you will need to add a bulb and plug it in! We chose to use an Edison bulb and it really gives this simple pipe lamp a nice warm glow.

So there you have it a fun project that will add some real personality to your home. This is a great DIY project for Father’s day or any other special occasion or just because you need a cool functional piece of decor!