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Finishing the Chandelier

Freeform Furniture's unique wooden chandelier is completed.

From "Freeform Furniture"
episode DFFF-212

Host Amy Devers measures and cuts the nickel wire to the correct diameters, and next she folds the pleats, lines up the wire with the holes and wraps the shades around the wire to form the round, pleated shape. She brushes on flux and solders both the tiers, and then inserts the chandelier fixture through the frame and fastens on the flange. Lastly, Amy screws in a bulb and turns it on.

Room: Before

Room: After

Host Amy Devers creates this unique two-tier chandelier with thin strips of wood and ribbon.

Amy finishes the beautiful wooden chandelier.

Materials:

1/8" thick sheet of cedar veneer
push stick
plywood jig with toggle clamp
right angle cauls
standard wood clamps
oil-based polyurethane finish
respirator
vinyl gloves
cup
lint-free cotton rag
30-yard spool of synthetic ribbon
scissors
lighter
white glue
craft paint brush
10-gauge nickel wire
flux
soldering block
thumbtacks
synthetic steel wool
binder clips
chandelier fixture
light bulb

Tools:

table saw
miter gauge
ruler
clamp
drill press
random orbital sander
wire cutter
cordless power drill
soldering torch
solder
ball peen hammer
metal file

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

Finishing the Chandelier

The top of the chandelier is 16" in diameter and the bottom tier is 10" in diameter. Cut some lengths of nickel wire to those diameters.
Measure out the coil and then make the cuts.
Fold the pleats up, line up the wire with the holes (figure A), and wrap the shades around the wire to form the round, pleated shape you want.
Solder the ends together so that they form a solid hoop (figure B) and then put on the last bit of glue.
Carefully place the 16" piece of nickel wire for the first tier onto the soldering block, hold it down with some push pins and brush on some flux.
Clip a small piece of solder, fire the torch, heat the solder and nickel wire, then start fusing the nickel wire together.
While that dries, do the exact same thing on the smaller 10" tier.
Glue the last two strips together and then you are ready to assemble it.
After you seal off the shade, use two binder clips to hold it in place (figure C) until it cools.
The chandelier fixture was purchased which is a bulb socket connected to a wire with a pre-molded plug on the other end. This is made for hanging light fixtures. Insert the chandelier fixture through the frame and fasten on the flange and that is how it will hang.
Then drop it inside and hook it around the hoop. The hooks told the tiers onto the criss-cross frame.
Screw in a bulb.