Are you confused by the different types of Lamp Kits available?
So was one of our readers recently, she asked us the following question:
“When making a lamp with shade, the kit you show for the top part does not have a harp. I am confused as to wether I need a harp or not. Can you please advise. Love your site, can’t wait to make my first one. Thank you, Liz”
There are different kinds of lamp shades as well as lamp shade kits available. The kit with the harp needs a lamp shade with a small hole on top to attach to the harp. I think this one is used mostly for bigger lamps like floor lamps or larger table lamps. The lamp kit we usually use, the one we have on our Resources page, uses a lamp shade that sits under the light bulb. It is available on Amazon for only $9.95.
We have purchased several inexpensive lamp shades that accommodate this lamp kit by GE at Walmart.
You can add your own style to these some times very plain looking lamp shades by adding trim, beads, fringes, etc. Start out with a lamp shade that matches your recycled bottle and go from there. You can also find several other different types of lamp kits online, all with a specific purpose in mind.
Here is a list of Lamp Kits and the best uses for them:
The Angelo Brothers Make A Lamp Kit has a brass plated 10″ detachable harp and push through on and off switch. Like I mentioned above, the harp lamp kit is used for lamp shades that have a small hole in the frame.
The lamp shade sits on top of the harp and is secured with a decorated screw on top. This kit is very easy to install and has an eight foot brown cord. Keep in mind that some harps can be a bit wobbly. You might want to re-enforce the harp, especially if the lamp shade is heavy. Lamp kits with harps are available with 7, 8, 9, and 10 inch harps.
The Candlestick Adapter from B & P comes with a 3/4″ base. This kit is also very easy to install, comes with a white cord and has a sliding on and off switch on the cord. For this particular bottle lamp kit you will not need a lamp shade. You can simply place a cut bottle (remove the base of a wine bottle with a bottle cutter) over the candlestick and insert a flickering light bulb.
This lamp kit is perfect for turning vintage wine bottles into lamps if you’re apprehensive about drilling a hole and running the risk of breaking the bottle. The cork stopper lamps conversion kit has the 6 foot cord attached to the light socket and sits outside of the bottle. It has a one inch cork that will fit most wine bottle openings.
Just like the name says, this lamp kit is used for mason jars or any type of jar that has an opening of 2 3/4 inches in diameter and a height of about 7/8 inch. This push thru style lamp socket is pre-wired and comes with a 8 foot silver cord. There is no drilling needed for this lamp kit, the wire is attached to the socket on top of the lid. All you have to do is attach the socket to the lid and then screw the lid to your jar. It doesn’t get any easier than that.
Turn your empty wine or liquor bottles into a hanging pendant light with this single light mini pendant kit from Westinghouse Lighting. The white colored cord works well with most walls plus the 50 inch adjustable cord also allows you to set the height of the lamp.
We used this hanging lamp kit in Bronze for our Bailey’s Irish Cream Bottle Pendant Lamp, read our article to learn how to turn your own recycled bottle into a pendant light.
As you can see there are different Bottle Lamp Kits to choose from.
The one that is right for you depends on which lamp shade you’re planning on using, what type base your lamp has and if you are comfortable drilling a hole in glass.
Still not sure which lamp kit to use or where to find it? Leave us a comment below.
