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One of the final steps in our ongoing kitchen renovation was to replace a ceiling fan whose blades hit a cabinet door when opened so we decided to make use of an old milk can funnel to create a homemade kitchen light. The vintage milk can funnel is shaped quite perfectly to serve as a rustic shade for a ceiling light, and its tin-plated mild-steel self is easy to modify as needed. Plus you can find antique milk can funnels for very little money at junk shops, farm auctions and even antique shops that offer a decent line of rustic country collectibles. Since I was already working on the ceiling and needed to upgrade the wiring a bit, I also built a mount for the main kitchen lights — a pair of reproduction drop-pedestal school lights — and hung them. We didn’t mount those lights directly to the ceiling because there was only a single box that served the cloud-like fluorescent fixture and I didn’t want to tear up the old ceiling tiles to install new electrical boxes. Both projects turned out nicely, but the milk can funnel light tickles me the most since I built it from parts. </p>
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<p>Here you can see the ceiling sans light fixtures and fan. The fluorescent fixture was in the freshly foamed-in box on the left, while the ceiling fan was connected to the box on the right. Both electrical boxes are fed from the same hot wire but only that on the left is controlled with a wall switch. </p>
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<p>I chose a gray powder coated, adjustable lamp head for the bulb base. This base has a 1/2-inch NPT thread at the end opposite the bulb socket. I used the supplied locknut to support a large galvanized fender washer I found in my parts box. The washer keeps the funnel in place and helps keep its soft perforated steel from deforming under the funnel’s weight. </p>
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<p>I threaded the end of the lamp head directly into a 1/2-inch galvanized pipe coupling. I used tin snips to open the end of the funnel enough to make room. My snipping was sufficiently close that I didn’t need a fender washer directly beneath the coupling. Tightening up the coupling holds the funnel securely in place. To the other end of the coupling, I attached a 12-inch long piece of 1/2 inch galvanized pipe, threaded on both ends. The end opposite the funnel threads into the lamp base that goes with the lamp head I used inside the funnel. That base is screwed to the ceiling box. </p>
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<p>Since we wanted this light to be operable separately from the wall-switched main kitchen light, as was the case with the old fan, I left this side circuit wired hot and installed a pull-chain switch inside the lamp base. Since the lamp base is quite angular and modern looking we decided to cover it with a canopy, which you can see here. We couldn’t find any canopies at the local electrical supply place that suited perfectly so we just bought an inexpensive one and modified it. First I used a large twist bit in my drill and some filing to open up the hole in the center to accommodate the 1/2-inch galvanized pipe. Second, I drilled and filed out a hole to allow the pull switch to see the light of day and finally. I noticed that the canopy required a couple of screws to be threaded into the fixture to which it was designed to be attached. To work around this problem, I drilled and tapped the lamp mounting base for screws that would fasten the canopy in place. Those screws are beneath the two acorn nuts you see in the photo above. </p>
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<p>We installed an Edison-style low watt incandescent bulb in the homemade fixture for that certain ambiance. I was prepared not to like it, but I really do. As with any electrical work, don’t take on more than you are knowledgeable enough to handle. Simple wiring and lamp installation is easy for the average person if you understand the fundamentals and have excellent resources at hand. Study the appropriate sections in home improvement books and online to ensure that your work is up to code and most importantly safe. </p>
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<p>For the over-island lights, I took the old fluorescent fixture’s frame, gutted it except for it’s mounting bar, and installed a couple of light-mounting electrical boxes to support the lamps. Next I wired up the new boxes and connected them to the original ceiling box, cut some galvanized steel to enclose the works and installed the lights. I lightly sanded a swirl pattern into the galvanized steel to make it look less stark. Now all that’s left of the kitchen renovation is to finish the island, paint the ceiling and widen the door opening to the dining room. Stay tuned. </p>
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<a href=”http://www.grit.com/biographies/oscar-h-will” target=_self>Hank Will</a>
<em> raises hair sheep, heritage cattle and many varieties of open-pollinated corn with his wife, Karen, on their rural Osage County, Kansas farm. His home life is a perfect complement to his professional life as editor in chief at GRIT and Capper’s Farmer magazines. Connect with him on </em>
<a title=Google+ href=”https://plus.google.com/u/0/117459637128204205101/posts” target=_blank rel=author>Google+</a>.</p>