80’s Glass Chandelier Reclassed

Gary Hardman
by Gary Hardman
4 Materials
$10
5 Hours
Easy
So this circa 1980’s chandelier was laying out for the trash. This caused an immediate bat turn and pick up. Free is good. With Christmas on its way I went into my secret treasure room (The garage) and also found a thrift store ceramic nativity.
Step one was to remove the internal light fixture and cord. I reached inside and twisted the light fixture to the left until it loosened. It was stubborn after 40 years in the same position. I then cut the cord and pulled it out the top and pulled the light parts out the side door.
Step two. I created a plywood six sided base from scrap plywood. Getting the measurements exactly right was the tricky part. I painted this off white on both sides and glued it in with trusty glue gun.
Step Three. I positioned and glued the nativity figures on the base, hung a star with wire and ran small battery powered lights through the top. To position the lights you need to do this in the dark.
And it looks even better in the dark.
This was a fun project that was done for under $10. Keep an eye out on trash day because everyone is replacing their old lights from the 70’s and 80’s. The possibilities are endless of what you can do with imagination and these vintage fixtures.
I just finished the second version. It is a Christmas Village under glass and thought I would share this.


Gary Hardman
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Here is the third example with a working Merry Go Round.
Suggested materials:
  • Lights and star ornament   (Dollar store/Amazon)
  • Ceramic nativity   (Thrift store/Amazon)
  • Scrap plywood and paint   (Amazon)
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Frequently asked questions
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  • Barbara Jo Louise Barbara Jo Louise on Oct 15, 2017

    aprox. how tall is this one? As I'm searching for one they seem to be 30 " tall!

  • Nyjiona Stephens Johnson Nyjiona Stephens Johnson on May 08, 2018

    I love these, thank you for the ideas. They are gorgeous. How tall are your lights, and what did you use to get them to stand?

  • Donna Sheppard Donna Sheppard on Nov 21, 2018

    I love the nativity. Where did you find the figurines?

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