Introduction: Concrete Tiki-Torch Lamp
In this Instructable I made a concrete Tiki-Torch style lamp with an LED flame effect bulb.
Attachments
Supplies
- Bottle of your choice
- Bottle Cutter or some way to cut bottles
In this Instructable I made a bottle cutter.
You can also buy one or use a diamond cutting wheel to cut the bottle
- A piece glass and silicon carbide grit or sandpaper
- A bamboo stick
- Threaded steel rod
- PVC pipe and end cup
- Light bulb socket with a cable gland (not the same I used)
- Electrical cable, plug and a switch
- Wire puller (optional)
- 1 x screw anchor
- Large plastic bowl
- 1 x Cork
- Concrete/Cement
- Soldering iron
- Hot glue and Alcohol to remove it
- Furniture pads
- String/Cooking Twine
- White glue
- 3d printed sleeve (optional)
- LED flame effect bulb
Step 1: Cut the Bottle
I used a homemade bottle cutter to score the bottle.
We need to heat and cool the bottle a few times so it splits in half.
I like to use candle and ice method.
Rotate the bottle above the candle a few times and then cool it with ice.
Repeat the procedure until bottle splits in half.
If the bottle does not split on its own, you can gently pull it and see if that does the trick.
Forcing the split can result in imperfections, but in this case it does not matter since we'll be sanding it anyway.
Step 2: Sand It
I used silicon carbide grit to sand the bottle.
Pour some silicon carbide on a piece of glass and add some water.
Step 3: Drilling the Bamboo
You'll need a bamboo stick.
We need to drill/hollow the stick so we could pull through the cable.
If you don't have a very long drill bit, you can use a threaded rod to do it.
Sharpen one end of the rod and make a few cuts in it.
Now you can drill out the core.
Step 4: Split One End of the Bamboo Into 8 Pieces
Step 5: Light Bulb Socket
I attached a PVC pipe with an end cup to the light bulbs socket.
Then I slid on the bottle
Step 6: Pulling the Cable
I used a cable puller to pull through the cable.
For a smoother pull, I like to attach the cable to the wire puller with a heat-shrink tubing
Step 7: Wiring the Cable to the Socket
After wiring the socket, I temporary attached the bottle to the bamboo stick.
Step 8: Making the Base/Leg
I used a large plastic bowl for the mold.
I drilled 2 holes, one for the stick and the other for the cable.
I cut off the end of the plastic screw anchor and put it into the hole.
Then I glued it with hot glue.
Step 9: Making the Base/Leg
I cut the center hole bigger and pulled through the cable.
Then I glued the stick to the bowl with generous amount of hot glue
Step 10: Making the Base/Leg
I cut a slot for the cable, added 2 screws for a better grip and closed the hole with a cork.
Step 11: Making the Base/Leg
I used the table, trestle legs, boxes and other stuff to raise the lamp so I could pour the concrete.
I also made sure the bamboo stick is hanging straight. I secured it with a PVC pipe and a zip tie.
Step 12: Pouring the Concrete
I mixed some concrete and poured it into the bowl.
After leveling it, I let it set for 2 days
Step 13: Removing the Bowl
I used 96% alcohol to remove the hot glue from the bowl.
I used a soldering iron to cut the bowl
Step 14: Finishing the Base
After sanding the corners, I glued some furniture pads on the bottom
Step 15: Securing the Bottle
I wrapped the bamboo with a string to hold the bottle. Then I covered it with some white glue.
Step 16: Wiring the Plug and a Switch
Step 17: Final Touches
I used an LED flame effect bulb. I also added a 3D printed sleeve
Step 18: Done!
Here you can also see another lamp I made, but without a sleeve.