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DR4296
2010-04-10, 7:07am
Greetings All!

I was looking for "how-to's" regarding taking an old glass ceiling shade... the kind that has three small holes in it where chain and some sort of end-caps used to be.... and recycling it by turning it into a decorative planter.

I'm very unfamiliar with the chain-related parts for doing this sort of thing. And, of course, finding such a shade that still has the chain and other parts with it is a very rare thing.

The only tutorial I could find online isn't a particularly good one:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4554223_recycle-glass-antique-light-shade.html

I really don't like the idea of using BOLT HEADS. That's not very decorative. And, to be honest, I would prefer to use ball chain and not the link chain.

Now, I stopped by my local Ace Hardware, looking for parts. They have #6 and #10 sized ball chain. They have connectors, including the ones that end in a little ring that, in theory, I think I could put over an S-hook (not quite sure if that's a good way to go).

I've done some googling and have found a few sites that sell "end bells" that I could use to "cap-off" the ends of the chain, but the sites do not give any size information about those bells. I'm concerned that they'd just slip right through the holes in the shade.

The thought crossed my mind that I could purchase those decorative ceiling fan pulls...and use three matching ones to "end" or support my shade. But that'd be an extra $15, I suppose, so I'd prefer a cheaper option.

And I swear I've seen similar planter ideas in the past where a swivel was involved, but I'm not sure if that's really necessary.

So, I guess I'm looking for guides or ideas as to how I can create these things. I'm not a lamp-maker (though I have fixed a few and have quite a few parts in my basement)....and I've certainly never played around with ball-chain before.


Thanks!

-= Dave =-

Three Muses Glass
2010-04-10, 11:03am
Hi Dave. We're not lamp makers either. Well most of us aren't. Generally we melt glass in a flame and it's called lampworking, an outdated term as far as I'm concerned. But anywho....I had an old glass lampshade almost identical to the one in the link you posted. I used some heavy gauge wire to go through the hole and suspended those crystal chandelier things from that. A little frou-frou but I thought it looked cool. A little girly though. I didn't use chain but wired crystals to suspend it from. The chandelier crystals I bought at an auction or a garage sale and the wired crystals from a craft store. They weren't real crystal of course.
Mine wasn't made for a planter, just a hanging candle holder BUT I was thinking those rubber grommets might be able to plug the holes so if you do use dirt and plants it wouldn't leak.
Good luck in your search! I love it when things gets repurposed.:waving:

playswithfire104
2010-04-10, 2:55pm
Dave check out this website http://www.instructables.com/ they may have something that can help you. It is a VERY cool website.