Modernist Candle Stick From Kitchen Towel Holder

The great thing about pine paper towel holders is that somebody has already done all the basic woodwork. They are structurally sound - something I couldn’t guarantee if I had to use a saw.

Come to think of it, all the wooden parts required in this project come ready-made including the wooden blocks and curtain rings. Other items required are coloured twine, glue gun, super glue such as Q-Bond, disposable gloves, chalk paint , matte varnish and something to serve as a tray for the candle. Note that the towel holder should be blunt at the end.

For my tray I used a PVC female drain pipe fitting that I bought at a plumbing store and had left over from a previous project. I sprayed it with plastic primer and then gold spray paint. You could use a plastic pot plant tray.

I sprayed the wooden blocks with Krylon Chalky Finish in Anvil Gray. I left one side unsprayed because I like the contrast of the gray with the raw wood. Check that they don't need a bit of sanding though.

The rings and towel holder were sprayed with Rustoleum Ultra Cover Clear Matte because otherwise the raw wood would attract touch dirt. When the blocks were dry the raw wood sides also got a coat of varnish.

Next, I knotted the string to the curtain ring , trimmed the knot and started wrapping the twine around the ring a couple of times. You can see above that I didn’t remove the hook initially because I thought that it may come in handy to prevent the twine from slipping off. You will see that I worked around the hook quite a bit. Finally I cut and knotted the end of the twine again.

I then stuck the twine in place with Q-Bond. My only gripe was that it darkened the green twine so that it looks permanently wet. But it generally worked well because unlike many other glues it is invisible. Do test to see if it discolors your twine though and remember to wear gloves. After this unscrew out the hooks.

Using the glue gun, I built a little composition of blocks and rings around the central rod of the towel holder. I found that it worked best to work horizontally as this prevented glue drips.

I also discovered that the rings could not be stuck by applying the glue both above and below the twine because the twine is thicker than the rest. In other words, it should only be stuck on one part of the ring, not two opposing sides. You could also balance parts on top of each other.

Finally I stuck the the center of the tray/cap to the flat end of the towel holder rod. You could probably screw it in too to make it more secure.

And my candle stick was ready to use - very satisfying for about an hour’s work.