Lamp Makeover

Some time ago, we found we needed a bit of light at our fireplace. My significant the other went to Goodwill and bought a cute little metal lamp base. He stuck a light bulb and a yogurt plastic cup as lamp shade. He marveled at his creation and it became the focal point of our house. I mean I haven't seen a guest who hasn't been stunned by it, completely being rendered speechless by it.

I knew I wanted something better than the yogurt cup. After a few rounds of I -take-the-yogurt-cup-off-but-he-put-another-one-on game, another thing from Goodwill became the game changer. I used it for flower arrangement and the flower arrangement became old. And it is metal, perfect as lamp shade for the metal base.

Below are a few simple steps to show you how I made over the lamp. The must things for this project are step drill bit for metal and light bulb with candelabra base. Hope it give you some ideas for similar project.

Note: This article may contain affiliate links as references for the same or similar products used in this project. If you click on the links and make purchases I could receive a small percentage of commission from the advertising company with no extra cost to you.

First , trace the bottom of the metal tube on paper.

Second, fold the circle in half twice to find the center.

Third, poke the bulb base through the center of the paper circle to determine the size of the hole to drill and mark it on the metal bottom.

Drill the hole to the marked size using step drill bit set for metal. However, I'm severely power tool challenged, I was scared to death to take a picture at the same time when I'm using power tools. My tip is that metal dust can fly in your eyes or be inhaled, so please wear protective gear, at least wear safety goggles and mask.

Because both the lamp base and lamp shade are old things, their surface isn't perfect smooth and the fact that they are metal, when put together they wobble slightly. A rubbery washer can make them sit quietly, and I was able to find one in my house. If I didn't, I think I wound use a firm form or a piece of stiff felt.

Now , put the bulb in and let there be some light, not too bright, not too dark. The only improvement is to buy extra long tubular candelabra light bulb that fills in the whole shade instead of just the bottom part as shown in picture.

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