How to Make a Lamp Out of Deer Antlers
Spend a weekend in a rustic cabin resort and you are sure to find antler lamps. Though the popularity of antler lamps has risen, most antler lamps you will discover are faux plastic antler replicas, and not made of authentic harvested deer antlers. Creating your own authentic deep antler lamp is much more thrifty than shelling out the cash for this alluring novelty lamp. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Two or more antler sheds Lamp wiring kit Hot glue gun Hot glue sticks Light bulb Lampshade Spray can of polyurethane Wet rag Rubber bands
Instructions
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Harvest two ore more antler sheds. The most time consuming and perhaps the most expensive step in creating a deer antler lamp is finding the antlers you will use. If you don't already have a few extra sheds lying around, you may decide to go shed scouting in the early parts of the year, go hunting in season, or visit a local flea market. Be sure to pick only antlers in good condition for use as lamp shafts. You don't want to use antlers that have broken tips or have been chewed up by a dog or wild animal.
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Wipe down and remove dust and dirt from the antlers you choose for your lamp, and then spray all surfaces of the antlers with polyurethane. Spray on two or more layers of polyurethane to protect the antlers from weathering.
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Choose a lamp wiring kit that includes the on and off switch as a box on the cord; this will make your project a lot less complicated, as you will not have to worry about assembling the switch parts.
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Figure out how to position the antlers so that they produce a balanced stand capable of supporting two to three pounds. For this step you may have to utilize the rubber bands to hold the antlers together in different positions to test the stability of each possible setup. Once you have determined a layout that is functional and appealing to the eye, use the hot glue gun and sticks to glue the antlers into position. Don't use too much hot glue; you want the antlers to stick together without having large, unattractive gobs of glue hanging out here and there.
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Glue the lamp socket fixture to the top of the antlers and assemble the lamp wiring kit according to the directions enclosed in the kit's packaging. If you are handy with electrical wiring, you may buy a socket, cord, plug, and other lamp wiring essentials and wire the lamp yourself.
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Screw the light bulb into the lamp socket, with the lamp still unplugged, and then attach the lampshade to the bulb. If the lampshade does not come with a lamp harp (the frame used to hold the shade away from the light bulb) you may also need to purchase and attach the harp piece.
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Tips & Warnings
Choose a lampshade in neutral colors to fit with the outdoorsy motif of the lamp. Instead of constructing a lamp shaft from the antlers, you could choose to use a skinny lamp shaft and surround it with the antlers.
