DIY Milk Bottle Lamp
I’m told that three like objects make a collection. My husband tells me that when your collection goes beyond 3, or four or 20 – you’re a hoarder.
Point taken.
I ‘collect’ glass bottles, jugs and jars. I love BIG jugs (did I just say that?), beer or cider growlers, vintage Ball & Crown mason jars and bottles of all sizes, colours and shapes. When I come across any of these at an antique shop, flea market or thrift store, I feel it incredibly satisfying finding that rare glass piece to add to my growing assortment. The fact that a piece of GLASS survived through the years and is still here to grace us with its presence means it deserves to be given a new purpose.
Enter DIY Milk Bottle Lamps!
Turning these beautiful glass wonders into functional pieces for your home is the perfect way to showcase their raw beauty. And let’s be real – you’d never find a lamp this unique and with this much character in the typical home décor stores. I hate being typical.
So why would I start off my first blog tutorial with such a difficult and scary project? I mean – electrical AND potentially broken glass everywhere?
Because it is WAY easier than you would think. OK, I’ll admit – when I went to the hardware store to buy the lamp parts I did have a minor panic attack. But after all, it’s about being fearless and just giving it a go, right? So here we go!
Disclaimer: I am by no means an electrician, and likely you aren’t either (or otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading this post). This post has not been endorsed by the Registered Electricians Board of Canada (I just made this up). Proceed at your own risk.
How to Make
a
DIY Milk Bottle Lamp
Materials:
Vintage Milk Bottle
Lampshade with Slip UNO Fitter (you'll find out what this means soon!)
Push-through Light Socket with Slip UNO Fitter attachment
8' Lamp Cord with Plug
Steel Threaded Nipple Connector
Tapered Cork Stopper (sized to fit bottle mouth)
Cut-Resistant Gloves (ie. Kevlar)
Safety Glasses
Patience :)
Tools:
Drill
1/4" Glass & Tile Drill Bit
1/2" Drill Bit (or diameter to match your nipple connector size)
Screw Driver
Hammer or Rubber Mallet
Instructions:
1. Find an old vintage milk bottle (or any old bottle or jug would work too). The bottle should stand sturdy (ie. no wobble) and be between about 1/8" - 1/4" thick.
2. Insert 1/4" glass & tile drill bit into drill.
3. Wearing cut-resistant gloves and safety goggles, begin to slowly etch a mark in the bottle near the base. Ensure the bottle is in a sturdy place where it won't slip. I often put the bottle in the sink and occasionally run lukewarm water over the hole to decrease the friction and prevent the glass from getting too hot around the hole. Once a small indent has been made in the glass, slowly increase the drill speed.
4. Continue to drill into the glass with minimal pressure. How long this takes depends on the thickness of the glass. Do your best to drill at a 90 degree angle to the glass. The key is to be patient and let the drill do the work - I'm busy & tired and try not to overexert myself if I don't have too!
5. Voila! You have a hole through glass! Not as hard as you thought right? Clean the bottle and wash away any glass dust. If the bottle has any staining, try using CLR or glass cleaner to shine it up. I personally think a little dried milk is charming ;). Let the bottle dry completely before beginning the next steps. DJ's mix. Electricity and water do not (ba-da-bum).
6. Time to put a cork in it. Use a tapered cork that tightly fits into the mouth of the milk bottle. If it is not a snug fit, the light socket will wobble and your lampshade will be crooked!
7. Using a 1/2" drill bit (or whatever diameter of your nipple connector), drill a hole into the centre of the tapered cork.
8. Choose a threaded nipple connector that is about 1/2" taller than the cork. Using a hammer, gently hammer the nipple into the cork, leaving about 1/2" of the nipple remaining visible at the top.
9. Time to put it all together! Prepare you electrical materials for installation. Remove the screw top from the light socket and disassemble socket.
10. Gently feed the wired end of the electrical plug through the hole drilled into the base of the milk bottle. Gently!
11. Pull the electrical wire up through the bottle mouth. Feed through your cork & nipple (have you snickered at this word yet?). Push the cork in the bottle mouth as tight as possible. Hammer with a rubber mallet to ensure the fit is snug as a bug.
12. Pull enough wire through the nipple for attachment to the socket. I'd say roughly 4". Attach the plastic socket base and tighten screw to nipple.
13. Tie a small knot in the electrical wire to prevent the cord from slipping back into the bottle. This will also prevent the wires from disassembling from the socket when the plug is moved around.
14. So here it is - the part of this project that is likely giving you the most anxiety. Wiring the lamp. The socket has a silver and a gold terminal (ie. screws) where the wire will attach. The cord has a smooth wire and a wire that has a line or bumps running along it. Wrap the 'bumpy' wire around the silver terminal, and the smooth wire around the gold. Tighten the screws and pull the cord gently to place the socket down into the plastic base. Panic. Attack. Over.
15. Attach your lampshade with the Slip UNO Fitter (fancy name for an 'O-ring' attachment) to the socket base.
16. Attach the screw top of the socket over the O-ring of the lampshade. This should tightly hold everything in place. Add your bulb, plug-er-in and cross your fingers you see the light!
And that is IT! Now was that really that difficult? The first time I made one of these, I ended up making 3 more because it was seriously THAT easy! My husband of course was thrilled with this because that was 4 more bottles/jugs out of my 'collection'. Unfortunately for him, I now have a pretty decent bottle lamp collection instead!
Now when you see that bottle or jar with character you will know exactly what to do with it. Check out these other unique lamps I have made following this same method....
A vintage beer growler....
A vintage Italian wine bottle...
A old triangular Italian spaghetti jar...
And another beer growler (can you tell these are my favourite ones?)...
Thanks for following along and good luck transforming that old bottle or jug into a unique, one-of-a-kind (and FUNCTIONAL) piece of art!
Ciao for now,
Mandy
