How to Make a Wire Chandelier

Make your own wire chandelier with heavy-gauge craft wire, craft rings and crystal prisms. These step-by-step directions will guide you in making a beautiful wire chandelier that you can create from copper, aluminum or brass. Find the supplies you need to make this project at your local hardware store and from online resources. Hang the chandelier over a single light bulb or in your garden to catch and throw the sun's rays.

Things You'll Need

• 10-gauge craft wire, half round
• 14-gauge craft wire
• Wire cutters
• Medium pliers
• 1 6-inch metal craft ring
• 1 8-inch metal craft ring
• Level
• Drill and small drill bit
• Spray paint or polishing cloth
• 16 Crystal prisms
• 8 3-foot-long crystal strands

Instructions

1. Cut four 10-inch sections of 14-gauge wire. Cut one length of wire measuring 8 inches long. Hold each wire 1 inch from the end with the pliers. Twist the pliers to make a hook. Bend the opposite end on each wire the same way.

2. Hold the 8-inch wire in the center with the pliers and bend it to make a tight "U." Hook the ends across the center of the 6-inch craft wire to make a ceiling hook for your chandelier. Press the wire closed at the ends to secure the hook to the ring.

3. Attach the two craft rings together with the four 10-inch sections. Hook one end of the wire to the 6-inch ring beside the ceiling hook wire. Attach the other two wires halfway between the first two. Attach the other end of the wires to the 8-inch ring. Press the ends together to secure the wire to the ring. Hang the chandelier frame in a doorway so you can work from all sides easily. Make sure both rings are level.

4. Cut eight 2-foot sections of 10-gauge wire. These are your hanging wires. Take one wire and measure 11 inches from one end and bend the wire in a large "U." One end of the "U" should be about 2 inches longer than the other. Drill a small hole at the end of the shortest side of the "U," 1/3 inch from the tip. Repeat this process with the remaining seven sections of wire.

5. Take one section and hold the shortest end of the wire, the one you just drilled (Step 4), 5 inches from the tip with the pliers. Bend the end over so that it forms an upside-down "U." Hold the opposite end of the wire 1 inch from the edge and twist it with the pliers to form a hook. Repeat this process with the remaining seven wires.

6. Hook four of the 10-gauge wires from the 6-inch craft hook with the 1-inch hook you just made (Step 5). Space them evenly around the ring, next to the ceiling hook wires and the connecting wires. Hang the remaining four wires evenly spaced on the 8-inch wire between the chandelier wires hanging from the 6-inch ring.

7. Spray paint the chandelier with any color of metal paint or polish it with a metal polishing cloth.

8. Hang crystal prisms from the holes you drilled close to the tip of each hanging wire. Hang crystal prisms from the large "U" in each chandelier hanging wire. Drape crystal prism strands between the tips of the hanging wires.

Tips & Warnings

• Hang your wire chandelier over a single light bulb that hangs from the ceiling.

• Wear gloves and safety glasses when cutting wire.

Resources

• Crystal Prisms