Pulley Me Up Some Lantern Planters
A few months ago we were given a whole box full of old rusty lanterns by a friend of ours. We managed to repurpose a few of them into bedside table lights but I had visions of turning some of the others into pretty planters for our patio.
It was much easier than I expected. The first thing we did was remove the chimney, wick and cap on the reservoir.
If there’s still some oil inside dispose of it safely. Please don't pour it down the drain or toilet. Once all the bits have been removed use some tin snips to open up the hole where the wick portion normally goes.
It doesn't have to be neat as long as it's wide enough to get some sand inside and plant something. I wasn't sure if the lanterns had been used before and didn't want any oily residue infiltrating the soil. I mixed some dish washing liquid with some really hot water and poured it into the reservoir and used a bottle brush to scrub the inside to get rid of any tough deposits. And just in case I did it again and left them soaking overnight.
The lanterns had quite a few rust spots and to prevent those little drainage stones from falling out at a later stage I added bits of shade cloth on the inside first.
The lanterns were sprayed painted a lovely bronze color.
And then we added a few succulents and hung them from a homemade antique pulley.
I'm so happy with how they turned out. But more importantly I would love to know what you think of the lantern planters. Is it something you would hang on your patio?
Comments
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Wow, awesome idea. I’m going to try this but I’m going to add a small solar light to it. Thx for sharing
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If a person is handy, and owns an angle grinder you could cut off the top of the reservoir to allow more room for soil and plants.
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Unique and really a great idea. I would have no problem at all receiving a box of old lanterns! Just curious... how old are they?
I am curious as to where you bought or found the pulley. Every time I start a really neat project, I often find that I can't continue the project because something's are really hard to find.
How can enough soil fit into the oil tank to accommodate the number of succulents added?