Glass bottle lights part two: wiring.

This lamp is for my craft shed, but when I finished this project I was excited to make more and better ones. I found Vintage Wire and Supply which is like a little candy store for doing these bottle and jar lights.However, for this project I went to Home Depot and got some simple candelabra sockets (normal size bulbs don't fit in these bottles), some threaded nipples and hex nuts as well as a candelabra set foe the plug and switch since this one is going to be a lamp. Although I can still easier turn it into a fixture in the future. I had some lamp cord already, I used probably only two feet for these three IBC root beer glass bottle lights.

For tools, all you need is a wire cutter, wire stripper, and a drill with a bit the size of the threaded nipple. You will also need two wire nuts and a little bit of paint of your choosing.

First I put the lamp cord through the threaded nipple, then split and stripped the two ends. On mine, the ribbed goes to the silver screw on the socket and the one with the writing goes to the gold. Most lamp cords the writing strand is the hot which goes to the gold. First I threaded the nipple into the candelabra socket.  Now, you can skip the threaded nipple all together and just do wire with an underwriters knot and a strain relief at the top instead of a hex nut. I didn't want mine swinging around though.

I made a U shape with the stripped wire end and stuck it around the screw and tightened it. Once I saw what my wire length needed to be to reach the middle of my wood base with some room to spare, I cut it. Now the cut end can go through the bottle. The candelabra socket is the right size that the root beer bottles sit on it just right. I though the cardboard socket cover was horrible so I just put some brown Rustoleum on it before installing it back on.

I drilled holes the size of my threaded nipples in my finished reclaimed wood board I am using for the top of my light where the bottles will be. Mine was snug which was perfect. The hex nut goes on top here. Do this for all of them. Now separate and strip all the wire ends on top. You will need one more length of wire as well that will either be to attach to the one coming out of the ceiling for a fixture or like mine, to a switch and plug.

Since I have three glass bottle lights, I have four wires. Once separated and stripped, the hot (writing side) all go together with a wire nut. Then the other side (ribbed side on mine) all go together in another wiring nut.

Now if I was thinking, I would have turned my wood board into an open wood box because I can't flush mount mine. That is okay on mine since it will be high enough no one will see the top of it, but next time or if I do turn mine into a fixture, I will make sides for it of 1x1 inch strips of wood to hide the wires coming out of the top of it but still be able to mount it easily.

Make a lamp out of anything

A long time ago I made a hanging milk can lamp out of an antique milk can that the bottom rusted out. Just recently I turned an antique kerosene lamp into a modern light fixture.

A lamp is easy. Just get a socket, plug, switch and lamp wire long enough to go from your lamp to a wall outlet. Lamp wire is two strands stuck together. Does not matter what kind for a lamp. My hanging milk can got 10 feet which was a little much. Put your wire through whatever you want to put it through. It might need to go through lamp pipe that threads to the socket depending on what you are doing. Then strip the wire ends. You should have four stripped wires, about half an inch showing bare. Put the socket on one end and the plug on the other. Home Depot's had instructions in the bags for which end goes on what. The switch I got just snapped onto the wire, no cutting or stripping. Put in a bulb and bam! you have a lamp. Don't hang a lamp just by the wire, you can attach a chain and loop it through a plant hanging hook to take the weight off.

For a fixture you just need a socket, and some 16 gauge lamp wire.  Any home improvement store should have it. Get enough to go from the bottom of your fixture plus at least 6 inches above. I used two feet for my hanging kerosene light.  I also used a socket that had a threaded switch hole on the bottom to stay upright in my specific light.

The strand with the words on it is the hot side. This goes to the gold screw on the socket. The other goes to the silver. You will need to split the wires. I used a diagonal cutter to start then pulled with all my might. Now strip about a 3/4 of an inch off the ends. With my socket I had to make U shapes with the exposed wire and wrap it around the screw shafts. Face the U shape so when screwed, the screw will pull the wire tighter.

I put the bottom switch through an existing hole at the bottom and used the provided nut to screw it tight.

Now I had to drill holes for the wire to go through in the base and top. I used a chainsaw (rat tail) file to deburr the holes. That is very important so you don't tear the coating off the wires. I also used zip ties to keep the wire flush against the fixture to hide the wire. Once fished through everything split the wires at the top just like the bottom and strip the ends.

Now kill the power to the circuit you will be working on. My circuit breaker isn't labeled well so it took a few flips and running inside to flip the light switch and back out to get the right one.

I had a "boob" light where the decorative "nipple" unscrews and then the glass drops to reveal the screws holding it to the box. Drop the light and unscrew the wire nuts on the wires to fully remove it. If it is black and white wires then the black is the hot and goes to your hot lamp wire with the writing on it. The green or bare copper wire is the ground.

Use new wire nuts to place the bare end of your lamp wire to the bare end of the wall wire. Just put them together and twist the wire nut until you can see the wires twist around at least twice. Tuck the wires back up into the box.

My fixture also had existing holes in the top piece to screw the fixture into the electrical box so I used the old screws to install it. Now I put the bulb in and turned the circuit back on.

Flipped the switch a few times to make sure it worked so now I have a rustic modern light fixture.