No Manor is complete without a few candelabra.
This year I wanted a couple of floor based candelabra to add a little more light to the manor. I purchased a few ceiling fan light kits and took them apart for the sockets and different parts. To make the arms to support the lights I started with some 1" PVC pipe. I cut this into 15" and 12" pieces.
To make the shapes I wanted for the arms I first made a fast mold. I drew the shape on a piece of wood and then lined the outline with nails. To bend the pipe I got a big pot of boiling water and dunked the pipe in for a few minutes and then pressed into the mold.
After I got all my arms made I put them together. To do this I made a kind of tinker toy for the center out of a block of wood. I cut the block into a hexagon and drilled holes to accept the arms. Using the sockets and socket holders from the light kits I wired each up and connected into a single line.
For the stand of the candelabra I started with a cardboard tube. I mounted these to a 12" square of thin plywood. For the legs I made a pattern out of cardboard and then traced it onto a sheet of insulation foam. I cut these out, and using a dremel tool I carved the decorative designs in the sides. I sanded the legs with 120 sandpaper to get a nice smooth and rounded edges. Using liquid nails I glued these to the cardboard tube.
Here you can see the candelabra put together. The final steps are to prime the whole thing with latex house paint and finish with a semi-gloss black spray paint.
A few flicker bulbs and some cob webs make the finishing touches on these floor based candelabras. The torches stand about 48" but can be made shorter or taller depending on your space. Other decorative touches can be added as well. I added a plastic float ball from a toilet to the cardboard tube to add a little more ornamentation to the stand. You could also hang beads or crystals from them too.
Original Author: Chris Silvia
Original URL: http://usersites.horrorfind.com/home/halloween/chrisscrypt/candleabra.html
