Introduction: Anchorlier (Anchor-Chandelier)

I was gifted a fisherman's boat anchor without a clue with what to do with it. I'm not into boating so initially I figured I would place it in the yard as a sculpture, but eventually figured out a way to make it into a chandelier (anchorlier if you may) under my deck and over a sitting area.

Step 1: Anchorlier Materials

Anchor

10 feet of appropriately sized chain

plastic Tie-wraps

10 feet of indoor/outdoor string lighting with bulbs

three 3/8" anchor shackles

two 3/8" J-Hooks

Step 2: Prepping the Anchor

This type of anchor has a movable stock designed to be locked perpendicular to the curved arm on the opposite end. It allows the fluke or pointed end to be positioned for digging down into the sand. I found this setup to be problematic for positioning over my table top, so I chose to retract the stock and align it with the shank (center column) to minimize its intrusion over the sitting area. I used its own chain and lock pin to secure the stock parallel to the shank. The option to paint the anchor was considered but I liked the original markings as each, in unison, spoke louder than any fish story that I could ever apply. They also helped camouflage the other materials.

Step 3: Wiring the Anchorlier

Being as it's solid steel, drilling was out of the question so I selected an indoor/outdoor light string to wrap around it. The one I selected had a nostalgic look with Edison style bulbs that had their lower ends silver coated. Not only did this provide a vintage look, but the silver coating ensured that light reflected up onto the anchor while minimizing added glare and additional down-light which I did not need.

I evenly spaced each light socket for a neat and uniform appearance using tie-wraps; grabbing both wire-ends that extend out of each light socket, using the space between the shank and the stock. This allowed a uniform vertical pull and straight alignment of the socket.The excess wire between sockets was decoratively looped or pulled snug where appropriate, The tie-wraps were firmly secured only after I was happy with the final positioning of each light socket. Tie-wrap tails were trimmed off and an extension chord was run down through the chain to the light string.

Step 4: Hanging the Anchorlier

The anchor weighs about 50 pounds so I wanted it to be safely secured, weather resistant and to have hardware proportional to the anchor size. I chose 5/16 inch galvanized chain to hang the anchor. The chain was cut into 3 equal lengths and was attached to the anchor at 3 points. One chain attached at the anchor head using its existing shackle. Two 3/8 inch anchor shackles were purchased and secured near each fluke where they were used to attach to the other two chain sections (the shackle open end must allow for the thickness of the anchor arm). The opposite chain ends were then hung on a pair of J-hooks secured to ceiling joists above the sitting area. The J-hooks were placed at an angle mimicking the chain line angles for maximum fastening security and for cosmetic appeal. I looped excess chain around the top rather then cutting away the unused links to allow the option to vary the height if desired.

Step 5: Anchors Away! Enjoy!

Plug in, pour some drinks and sail into the sunset with some good friends.

Reclaimed Contest 2017

Participated in the
Reclaimed Contest 2017