Making this lamp saved a vodka bottle and a spice tin from the recycling bin.
1 - First, I drilled a hole in the bottle to create a passage for the wiring. (Check out my "Drilling a Hole in a Bottle" Spark board for instructions.
2 - Drill a 3/8-inch hole through the bottle cap. (The easiest way to do this is to clamp the cap into a vise.) Make sure the hole is big enough to accommodate the lamp rod.
3 - The bottle seemed a little plain, so I added nail polish stripes and a few extra polka dots.
4 - Drill a 3/8-inch hole at the center of the lid of the food tin. Make sure the threaded rod fits; file the edges if necessary.
5 - Slip the bottle cap onto one end of the threaded rod and add a nut to hold it in position. Slide the rod through the bottle. Beneath the bottle, add the painted lid, a washer, and a nut. Tighten the nut to hold the assembly in place.
6 - Thread the lamp cord through the hole in the side of the food tin, and then up through the threaded rod and out the top. It’s a tight fit, so keep the cord flat and make sure it doesn’t twist as you push.
7 - Thread the socket cap onto the rod. Tighten the setscrew to hold the cap in place. Push the cord through the socket cap and tie an underwriter’s knot to hold it in place.
8 - Loosen the screw terminals on the lamp socket. Bend the ends of the wires into hooks. Check the cord manufacturer's instructions to regarding the hot and neutral wire. (The neutral wire usually has ribbing.) Hook the neutral wire over the silver screw on the lamp socket and the hot wire over the gold screw; tighten the screws.
9 - Twist the socket shell until the notch fits down over the switch, and settle it in place. Fold the wires into the socket cap, and then push down on the socket until it clicks into place. Insert a light bulb and test the lamp. If it doesn’t light, unplug it, pull up the socket shell, and make sure the wire hooks are tight against the screws. Slide a strain relief clip onto the cord, fold down the tab, and slip the entire clip into the hole in the side of the lamp base.
10 - Here's the finished lamp.
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