Claire here, and I’m so excited to bring you the results of my latest DIY. If you remember, two weeks ago I collected a few images of fabulous light fixtures to start my creative juices flowing. After much consideration, I felt inspired to create something that was 100% Claire — and if you know anything about me, you know that means something gold and unexpected. Hopefully you all love this brass pipe pendant as much as I do… follow the jump for the easy instructions!
- 1/2″ diameter x 36″ brass tubes (4)
- 90° copper elbows, size 3/8″ diameter (8)
- 3/8″ diameter copper T’s (8)
- Gorilla Glue
- cord set (I purchased a pre-made one from Ikea, or if you are more adventurous you can buy a kit at Home Depot and make it yourself)
- light bulb
- cross bar for ceiling mount fixture
- wire nut connectors (2)
- pliers
- screw driver
- drill with titanium bit
- permanent marker
- canopy
- Cut brass tubes into thirds, giving you three 12-inch pieces from each tube (for a total of 12)
- Set 4 12-inch pieces aside, and cut the remaining 8 in half (to 6-inch lengths). I had a store cut them for me with a metal saw.
- Create two groups with: 8 6-inch brass tubes, 4 copper T’s, 4 copper elbows.
- Create one group with: 4 12-inch brass tubes.
- Before you begin to connect the pieces, determine how you want your fixture to hang and drill a hole straight downward at the center of your top-most pipe (I made a mark with a Sharpie at a 45° angle on the ‘T’)
- On a flat surface, take one of the first two groups and connect the 6-inch pieces in pairs with a ‘T’.
- Use the 4 elbows to connect the open ends to create a square. Note:make sure the ‘T’s’ are positioned so that the unused hole is facing up.
- Put a small amount of Gorilla Glue in each copper connect to ensure that the brass tubing is snug and secure.
- Repeat steps 4-7 with the second group of 6-inch tubes, 4 copper elbows, and 4 copper T’s.
- Once the two squares are dry, take one of them and place the four 12-inch brass tubes into each of the open holes of the T so that they are sticking straight up. Add glue to secure.
- Place the second square you crafted on the other end of the 12-inch brass tubes using the T as connection points.
- Glue to secure your cube pendant.
- Take the cord set and clip off the plug with pliers and slide the cord up through the hole you’ve drilled. Secure the cord in place with a drop of Gorilla Glue at the hole.
- Determine the height at which you want your pendant to hang and snip the cord accordingly.
- To create a functioning light, wire directly into your existing j-box using the cross bar and cover the j-box using a canopy. For more information on DIYing the electrical process, refer to this video or this helpful blog post.
- Hang, turn on, and enjoy your neatly crafted and gloriously brassy new DIY pendant!
