Mason Jar Lamp From an Old Window

I'm currently renovating an old house. The last room I've finished was the living room and I needed a nice lamp for the dinette. I did the nursery before and had replaced the old wooden windows with new ones. But I like the look of the old windows, so I kept them for upcycling. I used one of the them to make a vintage looking lamp. The lights are made of mason jars and tube'ish formed LED light bulbs.

I hope you like the idea and will enjoy the instructions. Have fun :)

Step 1: Remove the Glass Panes and Add Some Hooks

So let's get started. I remove the glass panes from the window. Be careful with this step and always use protecting goggles and gloves. The glass may be fixed with different methods (putty, nails, wooden strip). In my case, the window maker used small wooden strips and nails. I use a chisel to remove the strips. Unfortunately I had to crack one glass pane.

All glass panes are removed and I can add the hooks for the chains. I use a small drill to pre-drill the wooden frame. Now I can install the hooks. I use eight hooks in total.

Step 2: Cut the Chain and Mount the Window to the Ceiling

I cut four chains. Each chain will go from one hook to the ceiling and back to the opposing hook (like a triangle). The ceiling in the living room is made of straw surfaced with grout and it cannot bear much weight. Therefor I cut four small pieces of wood. I screw in small hooks into the wood pieces and then I use long screws to fixate the pieces to the floor boards/beams of the room above the living room. I use carabiner to connect the chains to the hooks in the ceiling.

Step 3: Wiring

I want to use cables, which are coated with fabric. Therefor I use a cord set from IKEA. It's called GOTHEM (can be found here: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90354087/). The advantage of this set is, that it has a bulb holder and a cover for the ceiling included. The mason jars can be easily mounted like lampshade. I need four cord sets.

I have two circuits for each two lightbulbs. I wrap the cord around the window frame and use a simple knot for the end. It's a bit tricky to get all four bulbs on the same height. I had to re-wire twice. I use "chocolate block" joints to clamp the cores together.

Step 4: Adding the Mason Jars and Bulbs - Done

The lamp is almost finished. The last step is to install the mason jars and to add the lightbulbs. I had some trouble finding the right lightbulbs. The ones I had in mind are 1mm too thick in diameter to fit into the jars I have. Therefor I did a quick research and found these tube'ish looking lightbulbs. They add a nice industrial look to the room.

Well that's it. Congratulations you are done :D I hope you will enjoy building this. Please let me know your experiences and improvements. Please put photos in the comments. :)