reclaimed cardboard tube DIY chandelier

randomly walked by 48 of these cardboard tubes waiting to be recycled on way to a meeting. On the way home couldnt bring myself to walk by them. So lil ol me , dragged these cumbersome things back to my apt. My apt was in dire need of a chandelier but i was too cheap / broke to spring $300+ for all the ones i liked. And POOF, the idea was born. I got the light sockets from ikea for $5 a pc , bought about $20 worht of apoxy , and went to town. I mapped out the design in photoshop , and got to work . I had a blast, and am thrilled at how it came out, and on the cheap , no less!

Step 1 Gather your materials

gorilla glue
cardbaord tubes
clamps
marker
seam ripper / something to poke small holes with
metal wire
light sockets { i got mine from ikea for abotu $5 a pc}
serge protector
light bulbs { i got large clear edison bulbs from home depot for about $1.50 a pc }

Comments

[Funky Junkers]

Love it...very funky junk indeed.....:)

[sgt_pinky]

I hate to be a hater, but potential fire hazard?

[www.microbike.ie]

incineration temperature of paper is like 300-600 degrees celsius bulbs never get so hot unless you cover them with something and i guess the bulb would probably burned down before it would lit up...from the accumulated heat

[diznee4me]

Great idea. I see a lot of fire and wire concerns. You can leave yours alone, since it is what you wanted anyways. Nothing wrong with that at all. But for those who want to hide the wires and not have to have them professionally installed inside the ceiling/wall, DIY stores sell wire covers that attach to the wall/ceiling. That way, it's not quite so noticeable. For the fire hazard worry, perhaps a coating of some kind of fireproof spray paint or clear coat? Not really sure what it would be called, but I'm sure there's something out there that is heat resistant. And if you don't like the cardboard look, these can EASILY be painted over or covered in some way. The look can be changed multiple times even, depending on your mood/season! :D I love this idea in general and ALWAYS feel guilty about throwing out those amazingly sturdy tubes. Great job!

[Z..]

I was thinking about those wires.... Why not put small nails or some such going up the wall:_-_-_- vertical of course. Sorry with my comp knowledge that's the best illustration I could come up with :( Then run the wires zig-zag from nail to nail-it would make them an attractive wall feature?

[loricollins]

I love the look of your chandelier. It would have been even better if you had wired it into your house electrical system. All the wires are distracting.

[Doofus McFancypants]

You could switch to CFL's much less heat. But overall i like the re-purpose of the tubes

[wvillrachel]

thanx for all the comments. As far as burning the house down , they are only 25 watt bulbs, and an industrial serge protector, so the heat should be under control, hopefully :] Of course i don't leave it on when i'm not in the room , just to be safe. As far as not liking the wires, that's obv a personal preferance , and was part of my design , not a mistake { which is why i bought different colored wires}. Thanx again for checking out my project :]

[pudi.dk]

Not crazy about the looks of it (especially not the visible wires on the wall), but nice idea nonetheless.

[porcupinemamma]

very pretty, but I am concerned about a fire hazard too

[Mikey D]

Nice design but I dare say thoes incandesents are generating a BUNCH of heat! Put your hand up there and make sure you're not going to have to use yoru rental insurance. Good idea though!

[jessyratfink]

Pretty! I like it!