If you have a cool looking whiskey bottle that you just don’t want to throw away, try turning into a unique bottle lamp! This is a great way to still display your favorite bottle, while also turning it into something useful. In this episode of Red Hot Building, Amanda Mertz goes through the steps you’ll need to take to repurpose your empty whiskey bottle.
To get started, gather your supplies. You’ll need an empty whiskey bottle, a drill and glass drill bit, a cloth, a vice, a hot glue gun, a bottle of water, lamp electrical wiring, a wooden base, stain and polyurethane, glue, rubber grommet, gloves, a lightbulb, and a lampshade. Once you have all of your supplies, you’re ready to get started!
Step One:
Take your clean whiskey bottle and draw a circle near the bottom where you will run the wires through the lamp. Wrap the bottle in cloth to protect it and place it in the vice.
Step Two:
Next, put hot glue around the spot that you marked and let it dry. It should be thick enough that it forms a mound around the circle you drew.
Step Three:
Now, take the bottle of water and pour a little water into the hot glue mound and start drilling. Make sure to keep the area wet and add more water if it starts to dry up. This process may take some time, so don’t rush! Once you’ve drilled completely through, clean off the glue and any debris on the bottle before moving on.
Step Four:
Next, insert the rubber grommet to protect the wires from the glass’s sharp edges. Once that’s done, you can thread the wire and do the electrical work.
Step Five:
Now, put on your gloves so you can stain and poly your base. Once the stain has dried, you’re ready to attach it. Use glue to secure the bottle to the base.
Step Six:
Almost done! For the finishing touches, add your lampshade and lightbulb. Go ahead and turn it on and make sure everything works. If all is good, you now have a brand new lamp for your home!
Thanks to Amanda, your favorite whiskey bottle can easily be repurposed into something both decorative and practical. It’ll be sure to get you lots of compliments, especially once people find out you made the lamp yourself. So finish up your whiskey so you can get started on this great DIY project!
