We love upcycled lamps! There are so many innovative ways to repurpose and create gorgeous lighting. This beer bottle lamp is a super cool example. The effort required to make it is minimal, and the results are awesome. Read on to find out how to make your own beer bottle lamp.

beer bottle lamp

This beer bottle lamp tutorial comes courtesy of Maurice Klapfish from Lamp Revival. Maurice makes wicked and whimsical upcycled lamps from all sorts of reused junk. He assures us that this upcycle is easier to make than it looks.

Here’s what you will need to make your own beer bottle lamp:

  • 9-10 beer or soda bottles
  • Top hoop from a lamp shade holder, but any sturdy metal or wood disk, lamp base or plate with a 7 to 10-inch diameter and drilled 3/8-inch centre hole would work.
  • Electric parts: socket, thin SPT1 lamp cord, cord switch and polarized quick connect plug (not thicker SPT2 parts) and bulb.
  • 4-6 inch hollow threaded 1/8 ips lamp pipe
  • 3 or 4 nuts and lock washers
  • Threaded loop, chain and ceiling hook.
  • Electric socket, thin SPT1 lamp cord, cord switch and polarized quick connect plug (not thicker SPT2 parts) and light bulb
  • 18 gauge wire for the bottle collars and hangers.

beer bottle lamp

To make your beer bottle lamp first assemble the materials. Many old broken lamps can be found for cheap or free from yard sales, flea markets or second hand shops.

The next thing to do is drill 1/16 inch hanger holes on the hoop. You’ll want to space the bottles out 1/8 to 1/4 inch, so measure the circumference of your hoop to determine how many bottles you can fit. Pro tip: mark holes on a strip of paper and wrap it around the hoop.

Make the Hangers and Collars

Now make hangers and collars for the bottles. To form the collar eyelets, wrap the wire around a big nail and use pliers to twist the loops 2 or 3 turns. Repeat so that your collars have 2 eyelets each.

Wrap the double eyelet collars around bottle necks and tightly twist the ends tightly. Use the same nail method to create eyelets for v-shaped hangers.

beer bottle lamp

Assemble the Lamp

You’re now ready to assemble the lamp. Cut the pipe to position the bulb halfway up the bottles and with 3 or 4 inches of threaded pipe above the hoop. If using a top disk, drill a slightly enlarged 3/8-inch center hole by filing or wiggling the drill. Assemble the socket cap, threaded pipe, loop, chain, nuts and lock washers as shown. Add flat washers on both sides of a wood disk. Firmly tighten the socket set screw, nuts and loop, Attach chain.

Wire the beer bottle lamp

To wire the lamp, thread the lamp cord through the chain, the loop and pipe to expose 8 or 10 inches of wire at the socket end. Split the cord, strip the insulation and firmly twist the strands. Attach the wire with a side rib to the silver terminal and the smooth-sided wire to the brass terminal. Pulling the wire back, reattach the socket to the cap.

Install a polarized quick connect plug by positioning the ribbed wire to the silver prong and the smooth wire to the brass prong. To install the cord switch at the desired cord position, cut only the smooth wire (NOT the ribbed wire) and split both ends from the other wire about 3/8 inches. Open the cord switch, lay the wire into the half without the wheel with the separator between the two unstripped wire ends. Firmly squeeze the halves together and fasten with the nut and bolt.

Test lamp by wiggling the wire at the switch and plug with no flickering. Hang the bottles and install lamp on a sturdy ceiling hook.

beer bottle lamp

Step back and admire your awesome, new upcycled beer bottle lamp!

Source: Maurice Klapfish from Lamp Revival.

3 Thoughts on Beer Bottle Lamp

  1. Beer lamp is a great idea for beer lovers, I’d try to make one for my boyfriend.

    Reply
  2. Pingback: ZAQ | DIY Projects to Celebrate the Planet
  3. What a great bottle project for the beer lover to have!

    Reply

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