Industrial Copper and Concrete Lamp

This lamp is a mix of industrial materials and is a very simple DIY project.

You'll need:

Copper pipe, elbows and t-joins

A bag of concrete

Plywood

Melamine

Epoxy and/or silicone caulk

A lamp fixture with wire

The first step is to create the box. This is made out of melamine and is 250mm x 150mm x 35mm. Drill pilot holes when screwing to the box together to ensure the melamine doesn't swell or split. The box should be as tight as possible.

On one of the walls drill a hole just big enough to fit some copper pipe through. I used a spade bit to drill this out.

Next you'll cut the copper pipe using a pipe cutter and glue it together using 5 minute epoxy. The idea is to create at least a T shape inside the concrete because this helps lock the pipe in and stops it from rocking side to side or back and forth. Make sure not to add too much pipe or the concrete will not be substantial enough. Use just enough t joints or elbows to hold the lamp steady.

Once the glue has dried mix up some concrete. Place the pipe assembly into the box and fill to the top with concrete. Tap the sides and bottom of the mould to remove as many bubbles as possible. After an hour the concrete will be in a state that the top can be troweled smooth. The top surface will be the top of the lamp so spend some time getting it to the finish you want.

After a day or two you can remove the mould, by unscrewing it. and let the concrete finish drying.

The base is made of plywood. Once the concrete has dried place it onto the plywood and trace it's shape. Now cut the plywood to that shape and sand any rough edges.

The concrete can be glued to the plywood using silicone caulk. Once that dries apply a finish to the concrete. This step is optional but it does help to make the finished product look more professional. I used a lacquer based sealant as it builds up to a thick finish.

Once the sealant is dry you can build the top assembly of the copper, out of 2 elbows and a straight length. Aim to get the last elbow roughly centred between the front of the concrete and the main upright. Again, this is all glued together using epoxy.

Before gluing the copper pipe together feed the lamp wire through. In my case I used a pre-made socket/wire kit but you could wire it up yourself if you were comfortable doing that. I used some silicone spray and a wire coat hanger to help pull the wire through.

Then finish it all off with a spray coat of clean varnish. This will ensure the copper doesn't tarnish, unless you want it to look aged.