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Homemade chandelier made from waste plastic pipe or plastic bottles

German thrift is well-known! Here is a vivid example of this. After the overhaul of the sewer system, a certain Mr. Straubel had pieces of plastic pipes. Throwing away such «valuables» was not in the habits of Mr. Straubel, so he built a cozy, cute homemade chandelier from pipe scraps and hung it in his office.

Homemade chandelier from plastic pipe waste

The chandelier assembly took quite a bit of time. But I had to thoroughly prepare for work: get a strip and a tube made of aluminum alloy, cut the blanks of the chandelier frame parts, borrow a M10x1 die for temporary use from a familiar locksmith. I also had to compile a bill of materials consumption with the dimensions of the blanks of the parts needed for the chandelier (see the table). How can it be without such a statement?!

Bill of materials consumption

Naming Dimensions, mm Quantity, pcs Material
Side light Ø125x225 6 PVC pipe
Central ceiling light Ø125x300 1 PVC pipe
The bracket is large 175x25x1.5 3 Aluminum. alloy (AMG-6)
Bracket 100x25x1.5 6 Aluminum. alloy (AMG-6)
Coupling tube Ø10x2x25 6 Aluminum. alloy (AMG-6)
Mounting tube Ø10x2x30 6 Aluminum. alloy (AMG-6)
Central tube Ø10x2x70 1 Aluminum. alloy (AMG-6)
Hanging tube Ø10x2x500 1 Aluminum. alloy (AMG-6)
Small bracket 20x65x1.5 2 Aluminum. alloy (AMG-6)
Loop Ø1.5x60 1 OVC wire
Nut M10x1 28 Steel 20
Electropatron «minion» 7  
Insulated wire 1.5 square meters, 0.5 mm section² 1 Copper
Incandescent lamp «minion», 25 W 7  
Decorative glass   1  
Note. The dimensions of the workpieces for the manufacture of brackets and brackets used in the assembly of the chandelier are given for plastic pipes with an outer diameter of 125 mm. If the diameter of the existing pipes is larger, the dimensions of the parts are specified locally. It is not recommended to use plastic pipes of smaller diameter for chandeliers.

Features of manufacturing parts of a homemade chandelier

To facilitate the bending of brackets and brackets made of aluminum alloy, the workpieces for them are subjected to heat treatment — annealed. A strip is applied to the place of bending with household soap and the workpiece is heated in the flame of a gas burner. The desired temperature (550 °C) is reached when the soap trail is blackened. After that, by clamping the workpiece in a vice, using a hammer, they give it the desired shape. The metal retains the plasticity acquired as a result of annealing for up to 2 hours. 10 mm holes are drilled in ready-made brackets and brackets, the burrs are removed with a countersink.

Six holes with a diameter of 10 mm are drilled in the wall of the central ceiling at a distance of 20 mm from the edge and at the same distance from each other. In the wall of each side lampshade, one hole with a diameter of 10 mm is formed also at a distance of 20 mm from the edge.

Connect all the elements of the chandelier in the same way: using short tubes with an external thread M10x1 and nuts with washers that tighten the connected parts (Fig. 1).

Homemade chandelier from plastic pipe waste or plastic bottles
Fig. 1. Fragment of a homemade chandelier:
1 — bracket; 2 — large bracket; 3 — central tube.

The thread size M10x1 is chosen because the same mounting thread is available in cartridges for electric lamps with a «minion» base. Threading on the tubes is greatly facilitated and the thread turns out to be of better quality if the ends of the tubes are lubricated with household soap.

Chandelier assembly

Large brackets are strung on the central tube and tightened with nuts (Fig. 2), necessarily placing washers.

Fixing the central lampshade and the entire chandelier
Fig. 2. Fixing the central ceiling and the entire chandelier:
1 — central tube; 2 — large brackets; 3 — small bracket; 4 — nut; 5 — tube for hanging chandeliers; 6 — decorative glass; 7 — loop with hooks.

(Washers are not indicated in the figures for simplicity. — Editor's note.) Side lampshades are mounted on the through-pass tie tubes inserted into the holes in the bracket, as well as in the walls of the central and side lampshades. Nuts are screwed on both sides of the tubes, of course (Fig. 3).

Fixing the central lampshade with a side
Fig. 3. Mounting of the central ceiling with the side:
1 — bracket; 2 — side lampshade; 3 — central lampshade; 4 — nut; 5 — coupling tube; 6 — large bracket.

The terminals of the electrical wire, pre-tinned, are connected to the contacts of the electropatrons, tightening the screws tightly, after which the cartridge is assembled. Fixing tubes with nuts screwed on one side are inserted into the holes at the long ends of the brackets, a wire is passed into the tubes, and then cartridges are screwed onto the tubes (Fig. 4).

Mounting the electric cartridge
Fig. 4. Mounting of the electric chuck:
1 — cartridge; 2 — mounting tube; 3 — bracket.

Electrical wires from the side lampshades are passed through the coupling tubes into the central lampshade and the lamps are connected in parallel or in two groups: 4 lamps and 3 lamps. The connections of the electrical wires are soldered and carefully insulated with fabric insulation.

A tube for hanging a chandelier is attached to the central tube with the help of small (transitional) brackets and fixing nuts. Electrical wires connecting the chandelier to the room's power grid pass through this tube. In the walls of the upper part of the pipe for hanging, two holes are drilled into the passage, into which hooks are inserted, bent at the ends of the loop. The chandelier is suspended from the ceiling hook by a loop. The suspension unit is decorated with a plastic cup, which can be bought in the store.

Conclusion

To make such a homemade chandelier, it is not necessary to buy plastic plumbing pipes specifically. Similar results can be achieved by using suitable metal pipes from various household products or even plastic bottles for the lampshades.

The power of the electric lamps installed in the chandelier should not exceed 40 watts. To improve the temperature regime and lighting properties of the chandelier, the lamp's electropatron in the central lampshade is specially installed on a longer tube, that is, it is located below the lamps in the side lampshades. For the same purpose, it is recommended to cover the inner surface of the lampshades with reflective paint, for example, «silver». When using plafonds made of plastics (especially PCBs), be careful not to overdo it with the power of the electric lamps. In the design of the chandelier, you can also use conventional electric lamps (with a base with a diameter of 27 mm) with mounting fittings for them.

Do not forget also that the holes in the curved ends of the large brackets are drilled in place, focusing on the holes in the walls of the central ceiling.

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