Wine Bottle Lamp
Inspired by bumpus' Light Bulb Lamp, I decided to set out and make a lamp out of a wine bottle, perfect for a fancy candle-lit dinner.
(Did I mention that it only cost me $1.74 to make?)
*I should note that I started writing this instructable nearly a year ago, and am only finally publishing it now. If anyone would like to make their own Wine Bottle Lamp and submit pictures of it alight for me to use in the last step, that would be delightful.
(Did I mention that it only cost me $1.74 to make?)
*I should note that I started writing this instructable nearly a year ago, and am only finally publishing it now. If anyone would like to make their own Wine Bottle Lamp and submit pictures of it alight for me to use in the last step, that would be delightful.
Materials
You will need the following ingredients and tools:
- Wine Bottle (and cork!)
- Lamp wick
- Fuel - I used torch fuel; kerosene and citronella oil should be fine too
- Toothpick
- Drill and 1/4" bit
- Dremel
Cut & Dremel
Grab your cork and cut it about 3/5 of the way. Trash the smaller part, give it to a younger sibling for entertainment, et cetera; it doesn't really matter, all we need is the larger one.
Now grab your Dremel, slap on a sanding bit with a nice surface area, and Dremel away. It's mainly just aesthetics; I used the Dremel to clean up the area we cut and rounded the edges a bit.
DON'T FORGET SAFETY GOGGLES WHEN USING THE DREMEL!
Now grab your Dremel, slap on a sanding bit with a nice surface area, and Dremel away. It's mainly just aesthetics; I used the Dremel to clean up the area we cut and rounded the edges a bit.
DON'T FORGET SAFETY GOGGLES WHEN USING THE DREMEL!
Drill a Hole
Basically, all you're doing is drilling a hole for the wick to go through.
I found that it helped to fold the wick in half in order to guess the size bit I would need. I decided on a 1/4-inch, which turned out to be perfect.
I gripped the cork with some pliers and drove the drill straight through the cork, going back and forth to get it as smooth as possible.
I found that it helped to fold the wick in half in order to guess the size bit I would need. I decided on a 1/4-inch, which turned out to be perfect.
I gripped the cork with some pliers and drove the drill straight through the cork, going back and forth to get it as smooth as possible.
Thread the Wick
You're gonna need a toothpick.
A few toothpicks.
Break off one of the ends of a toothpick and fold it over so that you have a blunt end. You're going to push the blunt end into the tip of the wick, and then, using the toothpick, force the wick through the cork. It takes some patience and monkeyin' with, but it's not impossible.
A few toothpicks.
Break off one of the ends of a toothpick and fold it over so that you have a blunt end. You're going to push the blunt end into the tip of the wick, and then, using the toothpick, force the wick through the cork. It takes some patience and monkeyin' with, but it's not impossible.
Add the Oil
I used lamp oil, but in theory, I suppose you could use kerosene or citronella oil if you wanted to.
Well, I decided that I didn't want to waste a bunch of lamp oil just to fill the wine bottle. So I thought, "Hey! Oil floats on water, right?" You see where this is going.
Put your cork and wick into the bottle to get a feel for how far down the wick is going. You can make a mark with a sharpie if you'd like, but I opted out on this. Now that you have a basic idea of where your wick reaches, fill the bottle up with water to about 3/4-inch below the point that the wick reaches. Now pour oil on top of that, and put in your wick!
Well, I decided that I didn't want to waste a bunch of lamp oil just to fill the wine bottle. So I thought, "Hey! Oil floats on water, right?" You see where this is going.
Put your cork and wick into the bottle to get a feel for how far down the wick is going. You can make a mark with a sharpie if you'd like, but I opted out on this. Now that you have a basic idea of where your wick reaches, fill the bottle up with water to about 3/4-inch below the point that the wick reaches. Now pour oil on top of that, and put in your wick!
Light 'er Up!
Let your lamp sit for a few minutes so that the wick can soak up some fuel.
Once it's sat for long enough, use a lighter or match to light the wick.
If it's not lighting, blow it out (just in case there's an "invisible" flame) and press it with your fingers to see if it's damp. You may need to wait a few more seconds for it to completely soak up fuel.
If it did light, congratulations! Make sure the guests at your next fancy dinner party know that this is ChardonNAY, as in don't drink this, please.
Once it's sat for long enough, use a lighter or match to light the wick.
If it's not lighting, blow it out (just in case there's an "invisible" flame) and press it with your fingers to see if it's damp. You may need to wait a few more seconds for it to completely soak up fuel.
If it did light, congratulations! Make sure the guests at your next fancy dinner party know that this is ChardonNAY, as in don't drink this, please.