How to make a desktop lamp out of copper pipes and plywood

I wanted to make a copper pipe lamp for a while. I came up with this idea. It’s a copper pipe guitarist. I also used a vintage Edison light bulb.

Before moving on with the build, I want to give my special thanks to Skil, who sent to me an awesome heat gun, which I used to solder all the copper parts of the lamp.

Don’t forget to check #skilhelps hashtag in social media.

Now let’s see the details of the build.

First of all I used a copper pipe cutter to cut my Φ18 pipes to size.

I then lightly sanded the edges of the pipes. The sanding gives a cleaner surface and as a result the soldered joints are really strong.

Then I applied a coat of flux. I assembled the joint and used the heat gun to heat the part. When the flux turns black I add the solder. The solder then melts and with the help of the gravity, flux and heat and it goes all around the joint.

The only copper part I could not find was a cross. I also think it does not exist. So I used a “T” shaped. I drilled a hole. I then used my No2 round file to open up the hole. I then used my rotary tool with a drum sanding bit to open up up the hole even more. I shaped another small part to shape with a file and soldered it on top of the “T”. 

I then applied a couple of coats of metal primer to the whole piece. I then finished it with a few coats of black satin spray paint.

I used a hole saw on my drill press to open up a hole on the bottom of the lamp’s socket. I then glued it in place with hot glue.

Now it was time to pass the cable through the pipes.

I created a vector template of a guitar and using spray adhesive I glued it on a piece of 10mm plywood.

I cut the shape out on the bandsaw. 

I used the heat gun again to lightly heat the template in order to remove it from the wood.

I then used files and sandpaper to clean the saw marks. For the inner curves of the guitar, I used my finger as a sanding block.

The guitar is mounted on the lamp with a small dowel and the cables. I drilled a hole and glued the dowel in place.

I then finished the guitar with 5 coats of clear glossy varnish while sanding between coats.

I assembled all the parts together with a screwdriver and a wire striper. I added a couple of zip ties to secure the guitar and the cable in place.

My lamp was now ready and I am very happy with the way it came out!