Crutches Upcycled Into Tripod Lamp

Scott Valentine
by Scott Valentine
Medium
I was looking through one of the high end furniture web sites when a small picture of what looked like crutches caught my eye. On closer inspection it turned out to be a super cool vintage tripod lamp and I thought--hey, I could do that!
Check out my blog for more upcycles like this.
The crutch was disassembled, the rubber removed from the handles and feet, and a slight taper cut into the end.
I squared off the top of the arm rest at the top of the crutch, drilled some holes in the sides and inserted some hanger bolts.
I made a template making sure it was big enough to accept the top of the crutch, and used it to cut out the hub from some plywood.
Brackets attach to the bottom of the hub, the top of the crutch will fit in between them and wing nuts will hold it in place.
Everything was sanded, and painted in a faux dark wood grain. The tips of the feet and a few other spots painted sliver for a more authentic look.
The silver paint looked a little too shiny so I painted over it with some black paint and wiped it off to make it appear more vintage.
Everything was reassembled including some chain on the handles to keep the legs from sliding out.
All the electrical parts were added including restoration wire for the cord. The socket is a Lamp-In-A-Bottle kit I bought at Wal-mart.
Detail of the legs including the vintage look cord.
The finished lamp.
Scott Valentine
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Susan Susan on Apr 14, 2019

    Would love to try this myself! Thanks for the idea, looks great!

  • Wendy Young Dowrey Wendy Young Dowrey on Aug 27, 2021

    I love this! It is beautiful! Wonderful accent! Great conversation piece. People will be in awe that you made it! I may try this!! Thanks for the inspo!

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