You remember these beauties from last week’s post, right? I must have really stumped y’all because I only had one guess. Reader Corrie did correctly guess that they are funnels. Specifically, automotive oil funnels. My plan was to turn them in to industrial looking light fixtures. Unusual light fixtures are one of my favorite ways to bring character to my home. I think these turned out pretty awesome if I do say so myself! Keep reading to find out how to repurpose antique oil funnels to industrial light fixtures.
So how did I come up with this idea? Well, to give you a little context we already had this industrial beauty from a trip to Tucson in January 2013. It is a patina’ed copper on a counterweight pulley system. Ever since, I’ve been looking for ways to replace all the 90’s builder grade fixtures in our house with pieces of character and interest. We’re still only about half way there. Kindly ignore the popcorn ceilings. My plan is to beadboard over them one of these days.
So when I ran across these green beauties at the Nashville Flea Market with my sister, I knew what I had to do. I happened to pick them up for a song at $40.00 for the pair. My sister was skeptical, as were the dogs.
The husband thought I was going to paint them and cut the narrow ends off. Nope, I literally just bought two pendant light kits and threaded them through the funnel as is. This kit is very similar to what I purchased (but actually $4.99 cheaper than what I brought home): Single-Light Mini-Pendant Kit
All in I made these for $40.00 per light, plus dinner for my husband in exchange for the labor. Usually I do our lighting, but with the fractured shoulder, I needed to bribe the hubs. He removed the offending fixtures, checked the wiring and prepared the new fixture for hanging.
I’m pretty ecstatic about how they turned out. Especially after switching out the bulbs to natural light condensed fluorescent. Obviously, I still need to paint the ceiling where the previous fixtures were, but I couldn’t wait to show you! I love them.
So what do you think about my repurpose? Are you ready to go to the flea market and find something unusual to repurpose for yourself? Have you repurposed odd things in to lighting? Tell me about it in the comments below. I’ve still got a lot more light fixtures to replace!
I am searching for this solution from a while. Great and so many thanks to providing this.
What did you use to paint them, color??
I found them that color so I left them. Sorry Cyndee!
I love repurposed lighting! You’ve done a wonderful job! The patina on the funnels is fabulous!
Thanks Linda! Good ol’ Mother Nature is solely responsible for that patina, but I’ll take credit for the repurposing! Thanks for stopping by and especially for commenting!
Duh! I should have looked at the date on the other post. But they look good! How’s the 2nd radio coming along or have I missed it too. LOL
Hey Debi! Thanks. I really love how the lights turned out too! The 2nd radio is still in the process. We are having problems in getting the original speakers to work. But we want really badly to keep the inner workings as original as possible. Sometimes things just don’t always go according to plan. :( Stay tuned and hopefully it will be up and running soon!
I love how your diy came out! They look amazing. And it didn’t look like it was too hard to do.
Theresa @DearCreatives recently posted…Inspiration Spotlight Party #Linkup 109 Crafts DIY Decor Recipes
Thanks Theresa! I am not exagerrating when i say this was the easiest DIY repurpose EVAH!
Clever! I’m always afraid to mess with electrical stuff…..maybe I can rope my husband into helping! :)
Oh this was SO Easy. it is the most minimal electric involvement I’ve ever had to do. Like I said, i usually do our lights, but I have the fractured shoulder and cant lift my arm right now! Seriously they both went up in about 45 minutes!
What a cool way to reuse a funnel. Never would have thought of that!
Lysha @ Magnolia Mom recently posted…8 Things on My Cooking Wishlist
Thanks Lysha! I REALLY can’t wait to try your caramel apple recipe!
I think these are so cute Cajun! No judgement on the popcorn ceilings. We have those beauties too and I doubt they will ever get replaced since my kids always seem to be in need of stuff like food, clothes, lessons…ugh kids;) One day:)
Thanks Corrie! Oh gosh those ceilings! They make me cringe anytime I look at them. But I love the lights so much. I need another project like I need a whole in my head. Sheesh. Anywho thatnks for visiting and as usual for your great comments! You make me feel proudly accomplished!
Love it! Seeing old treasures like those re-purposed and used in the home is one of my favorite things!
Colleen @MommieDaze recently posted…Stay-at-home Mom Problems: First Day of School
Me too Colleen! I love looking at character filled items and thinking about it’s previous life and the hands that touched it. Thanks for visiting and especially for commenting!
Haha- Thanks Bev! Sometimes my mind doesn’t want to work that way either. I usually get better results when I go to the flea market with a few projects already in mind. This time, i went with light fixtures and fall decor in mind. Everything I looked at, I thought of what it would look like repurposed in that way. That tends to help me a lot. Thanks again for stopping by and for the comment love!
bloominginbedlam recently posted…Vintage Radio Revamp with a Bluetooth Boost
This is super cool! I love repurposing things in unexpected ways. Or rather, when other people do it since my brain doesn’t usually think this way ;-)
Bev recently posted…Wordless Wednesday: Three Years and Counting