DIY Vintage Pendant Light

I think this has to be one of my favorite projects I have completed to date. It turns out you really can learn how to do almost anything on the internet. Don’t know how to do something? Well, you ask the Google and the Google points you to how to YouTube Videos.

A while back ago I bought this vintage wash  plunger at an antique store, but it is has just been sitting collecting dust. I always saw it as a light fixture of some sort, but just never did anything with it. At one point I had an old jack and thought about trying to attach the wash plunger to the jack in order to make a lamp of some sort, but that idea never really did anything for me. It sat lonely collecting dust for so long, but this weekend I finally gave some new life to it.

Now I will not lie that I had to put on my thinking cap for this project. How would I wire the light fixture? How would I hang the light? Would I attach it to the bed? Would I install a hook in the ceiling? So many questions, so little time, but fortunately I had the time! lol. Through a lot of browsing on Pinterest and favorite online stores I found that a popular trend right now is hanging pendant lights from a bracket attached to the wall. BINGO! I finally had one question answered and thankfully I had saved some scrap wood from my bed project to make a bracket in which the light would hang. I would still have to screw two holes in the wall, but this way I would not ruin the bed by attaching it to the bed or trying to hang from a ceiling hook. The bracket was the way to go.

Now that I had figured out how and where I was going to hang the light I was ready to wire the light. Thankfully from a previous project I knew how to wire the actual light, but just to make sure I also read the back of the package, you know so I would make sure I would not electrocute myself. I mean who wants to accidentally electrocute themselves? Not me. After I finished wiring the socket I said a little prayer and then plugged it it. Probably the worst that would have happened would that it just would not turn on, but you know it’s a little scary when you go to plug in the light for the first time. My thoughts were this is where it ends. lol. Fortunately for me everything was wired correctly and it turned on when I plugged it in.

This project was almost complete. I just wanted to add one final touch. I wanted to add a switch so that you did not have to plug and unplug the light every time you wanted to turn it on or off. This I was a little hesitant on doing mainly because I had never done it before. I really did not want to have to plug and unplug the light every time though and plus the outlet is kind of behind the bed and that would make it a little bit hard to plug up every time I wanted to turn the light on. It just was not practical so I really needed to put a switch on the light fixture. What does one do when one does not know how to do something? Well, I do not know about you, but I ask the Google. The Google sent me to a some what helpful YouTube video that helped me figure out how to wire a switch. I say some what because the instructor in the video did not do a great job of clarifying which cord was to be cut and how the wire should be placed in the switch, but thankfully several individuals had left very helpful comments in the comment thread. Just to clarify for future reference you cut the smooth wire, not the ribbed wire. The back of the switch package did not have the wire instructions,, but it did include a small graphic on how to place the wire back into the switch once you cut the smooth wire which was helpful.

Once I finished wiring the switch I screwed the top to the switch back on, plugged the light back on and turned the fixture on, but it did not work. I thought crap! I cut the wrong wire. This was my first thought, but I went over all of the comments again and searched more about switches and it seemed I had cut the correct wire, the smooth wire so I unplugged the fixture from the wall to try and work on it some more. I first started with the socket itself and made sure all of the wires were correctly hooked up to the right screws and wire was not exposed. I knew it had to be though because the light had worked before I started working on the switch, but I thought I would check the socket connections anyways. It looked all good to me. The next thing I did was take apart the switch and try to re-align the wire within the switch. I needed to make sure the wires were aligned just right within the switch, but the cut wire ends were not touching, which they were not. Well, I must have re-aligned the wire correctly because once I put it back together and plugged it back in to test the light it worked. I do not think I have ever felt more proud of myself and Hey! Now I know how to wire both a light and a switch. I’m not an electrician, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express! haha. Does anyone remember those old Holiday Inn commercials. Those were classic. I will shamelessly admit that I use that line maybe a little too often.

I mentioned that I think this is one of my most favorite projects I have worked on to date, mainly because I’m just really proud of it. I think it turned out freaking AMAZING! Honestly, I wish I could find another wash plunger end just like this one so I could make one for the other side of the bed. I may have to keep my eyes out for one when I go junking next.

Below is one more shot of the light next to the bed. Forgive the unfinished look of the room for I am still working on decorating my guest room, but I wanted you guys to have a fuller effect of the light project. Also, that wall hanging to the right of the light is probably not staying as I think it might be too cluttered in that corner, but we shall see. Lots more to do, but I am just so excited over this finished project!