How to make a steampunk sconce

All right, a ton of people have made their own industrial-type steampunk sconces, lamps, chandeliers, etc. I've been drooling over them for awhile, so I wanted to try to make my own simplified version. Given my limited experience in electrical work, I'm inordinately proud of this experiment, but mostly because I made a working lamp that didn't electrocute me. But if I could do it, then so could you!


Right now this style of lighting is pretty easy to find and buy, but where's the fun in that? Still, you can get a lot of inspiration from these stores, and even more from searching "industrial" or "steampunk" lighting on the internet. 


Materials
-1in black iron 90degree bend
-1in black iron floor flange
-Bottle lamp kit
-LED vintage-style bulb

Tools
-Pliers
-Hobby knife







1. Gather the materials
This demands a trip to the hardware store. In the plumbing section, you can find pieces for the pipework. I used a 1-inch diameter black iron 90-degree bend and a floor flange as the basic components, but you could certainly add more pipe components for more bends. I chose simpler and smaller diameter components to cut down on weight and cost. The floor flange in particular is costly, going for about $8. 


In the lighting section, look for a bottle lamp kit. This is essential for the 1-inch diameter pipe, since the plug cannot be fed through this diameter of pipe. The bottle lamp kit enables you to thread the cord through narrow places, and fix the light assembly into place. If you choose to use larger diameter pipe you can likely get away with buying a cheap lamp and harvesting its components, but the pipe is going to cost more and be heavier. The kit runs about $11, so it’s a tradeoff.
In the lighting or lightbulb sections, you should be able to find a suitable lightbulb. Most larger hardware stores now sell “vintage” lightbulbs which work very well for decorative lighting. These vintage bulbs mimic the loops of filament used in old-school incandescent bulbs, but have the energy efficiency of LEDs. Go for a lower wattage, that way you can appreciate the design of the filament, rather than burning your retinas.

2. Assemble pipework
This is pretty easy if you remember to buy the same diameter of components. Screw the floor flange to the 90 degree bend.



3. Assemble light
This part is pretty much explained in the instructions that come with the bottle lamp kit. Thread the cord through the pipe, and then follow the instructions to secure and attach the cord to the lightbulb socket. Be careful though, anything with electricity is problematic if you're just winging it. Pliers are useful for positioning and for manipulating the wires, and wire strippers or a hobby knife are needed to expose some of the wires to wrap around the screws in the socket.



4. Finish
Finally, there are some questions as how to mount it on a wall. I chose to have it as a hanging sconce rather than an upright one. I also went for a nail for now, but it would be more stable on the wall if it was held by multiple screws. Anyway, good luck and happy crafting!


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