How to forge a ceiling chandelier with your own hands?

Chandeliers can be found in almost every private house and apartment. Sometimes hanging structures are replaced by individual small lighting points, but for many interior styles they are indispensable. In order not to spend money on buying finished products, you can forge a ceiling chandelier with your own hands. Before making a lighting device yourself, you need to study the specifics of the work.

Metal chandeliers

Varieties

Metal chandeliers are classified depending on different indicators. By form:

• rectangular;
• square;
• triangular; diamond-shaped;
• polygonal;
• spherical;
• oval;
• cylindrical.

To size:

1. Single-tier. Small lighting fixtures that are suitable for narrow corridors, bedrooms, kitchens, and children's rooms.
2. Multi-tiered. Suitable only for spacious rooms - halls, living rooms.

Small lamps are equipped with 1–3 light bulbs. Multi-tiered chandeliers can have dozens of lamps.

There are 3 types of light bulbs that are suitable for ceiling lamps - fluorescent, incandescent, LED. The first ones heat up slightly and are economical, the second ones are the simplest, give soft light, get very hot, and consume a large amount of electricity. LEDs are suitable for different types of lamps, are economical, and provide a normal amount of light.

Multi-tiered forged chandelier (Photo: Instagram / novosvet74)

Types of forged chandeliers

Currently, forged chandeliers are usually divided into several types:

• ceiling, having impressive dimensions. Such lamps can be used in rooms with low ceilings.

If the design is supposed to have many protruding elements, professionals do not recommend choosing it for small spaces.

• pendant lamps are designed to decorate spacious rooms. They give the room originality and sophistication; you can choose models made in the Baroque, Renaissance, or Provence styles.

If we analyze the basic geometric shapes of forged chandeliers, we can note square, round, flat, pyramidal options.

Such lamps meet all the requirements for a particular room.

Material

Forged chandeliers are made from different types of metal - low-carbon steel, pure iron, stainless steel. Forged structures combine well with different materials:

1. Tree. Natural material will add warmth to the structure and set off the metallic cold. Large chandeliers made of metal and wood can be installed in hallways, banquet halls, restaurants, etc.
2. Crystal. The combination of steel with this material adds elegance and nobility to the lighting fixture.
3. Glass. Can have any shade.

Metal frames go well with stained glass inserts.

Selection principles

When purchasing a finished forged chandelier, you need to consider:

• interior style;
• availability of additional functions;
• possibility of remote control;
• ceiling height;
• intensity of natural light in the room.

The choice of design depends on the interior style:

1. Baroque. For this style you need to choose a lamp with decorative elements. These can be branches, petals, bends, rings.
2. Provence. You should buy lighting fixtures that are decorated in an antique style. The designs can be supplemented with wooden parts and fabric. Multi-tiered chandeliers are more suitable.
3. Modern. This style is characterized by beautiful massive lamps. They should attract attention and delight.

For the loft style, it is better to choose simple, rough chandeliers that are similar to lighting fixtures installed inside industrial premises. Surface colors should be natural - gray, white, black.

Forged chandeliers in the interior (Photo: Instagram / domhome.kg)

Advantages and disadvantages

Positive sides:

1. Attractive view. Forged structures can be equated to works of art.
2. Reliability, wear resistance, high strength, durability.
3. Versatility. Forged elements combine well with different materials.

Negative sides:

1. Large weight of the structure. It is necessary to make more fasteners.
2. Without an anti-corrosion coating, the metal will begin to deteriorate from rust.

Forged chandeliers cannot be mounted on a ceiling made of plasterboard or plastic panels.

Manufacturers and cost

Manufacturers:

• F-Promo;
• FREYA;
• MW-Light;
• Velante;
• Crystal-LUX.

Price - from 20,000 rubles.

Hunting style

With the right selection of forged lamps, you can make changes to old interior details without losing the overall style. Such a product allows you to emphasize the impeccable taste of the owner of the room, create an atmosphere of antiquity, and add some additional color to the room.

Depending on the chosen version of the lamp, it can fit into the interior of the living room, bedroom, corridor, kitchen.

DIY making

Anyone who knows how to work with hand and power tools can make a lighting fixture.

Preparing and drawing up a diagram

To make a simple lamp, it is not necessary to draw up a drawing of the product. If the design has a complex shape with decorative elements, it is recommended to draw up a diagram.

It's better to make two drawings. One will show the structure from below, the other from the side. The dimensions should be indicated on the diagram.

Tools and materials

To make it you need to prepare:

• grinder with discs;
• welding machine;
• file, metal brush;
• fittings, metal strips;
• brushes, anti-corrosion compound;
• lampshades, light bulb sockets;
• wires for connecting the lamp.

To decorate lighting fixtures, you can use decorative inserts from other materials.

Files (Photo: Instagram / magazin_tokarnyy_instrument)

Manufacturing

Two forging technologies can be used in manufacturing:

1. Cold. Metal blanks are deformed using manual machines.
2. Hot. Metal blanks are first heated in a forge and then processed with hand tools. This technology requires practical experience.

Build process:

1. Using a grinder, cut the metal to the required dimensions.
2. Give the workpiece the required shape using hot or cold forging technology.
3. Connect individual elements into a solid structure using a welding machine.
4. Clean the seams and coat them with an anti-corrosion compound.

After manufacturing the metal structure, you can begin attaching light bulb sockets, lampshades, and decorative inserts.

Decoration

Using special metal paint, you can change the appearance of the structure and protect metal surfaces from rust. Features of decorating the lamp:

1. The cartridges should be unscrewed or covered with masking tape.
2. The lighting fixture must be painted before hanging it from the ceiling.
3. Before painting, it is necessary to clean the surfaces from dirt. To do this, you can use sandpaper or a damp cloth with a cleaning solution.
4. After cleaning, you need to apply a coat of primer.
5. A hard brush can be used to apply a patina effect.

The paint must be applied in two layers. After painting, you need to wait for the enamel to dry. For mounting to the ceiling, you can use special hooks, brackets or hangers. Having hung the structure, you need to connect the wires and screw the light bulbs into the sockets.

If you have no experience with wiring, it is better to call an electrician. Otherwise, poor-quality twists may ignite during a power surge.

Painted decorative elements (Photo: Instagram / market.kuzneca)

Metal viticulture and something else

The use of modern forging technologies allows us to obtain new amazing shapes of lamps. Functionally, they can be very different - wall-mounted and hanging.

Leaves, clusters, berries, the woody texture of twigs - all this is found very often, and, in general, for good reason: forged grapes look great everywhere, especially against the backdrop of brickwork - be it inside or outside.

Chandeliers that combine a heavy wrought-iron metal frame with sparkling crystal pendants look great. It is not necessary to bother with forging multi-tiered layers for pendants; you can make a primitive frame from a technological point of view with cells in which sparkling crystals will be suspended.

You will get a model that will suit anything: be it a classic living room or a high-tech kitchen.

In modern design workshops, it is not lamps of certain shapes that are very popular, but so-called “art objects”, whose shape resembles anything. There are especially many of them among street and garden lamps. It is very fashionable to place such lamps directly on the ground - they are integrated into the garden vegetation and the overall landscape.

These can be tall street lamps, or they can be located in the form of wall candelabra next to garden gazebos. The most important technical aspect of maintaining safety in the manufacture of garden lamps is the careful tightness of joints and connections of electrical wires.

Product care

Features of care:

1. Once a month you should check the security of the fastening.
2. To add shine, metal can be rubbed with wax. If it is brass, it is better to treat the surfaces with ammonia. After treatment, the product must be washed off.
3. Metal can be cleaned from dust and dirt with a damp cloth.

Any remaining moisture should be wiped off with a dry cloth. Anti-corrosion coating and paint are recommended to be renewed once a year.

Forged ceiling chandeliers can be seen in large private houses, theaters, and museums. They look massive and noble. Many people collect them themselves. To do this, you need to master the technology of cold or hot forging, prepare individual parts, and assemble them into a single structure using a welding machine.

How to make a lamp from forging

Do-it-yourself production of forged lamps (regardless of type) includes the following steps:

Each technology has its own pros and cons . Hot forging requires knowledge and experience from the performer. To acquire them, novice craftsmen should acquire basic skills; for this it is recommended to master forging operations. To gain professional knowledge, you need to learn blacksmithing at an educational institution, on your own, in master classes.

An alternative is to purchase factory-produced elements. To do this, you need to select one of the. This will save effort and time, but will not allow you to test your knowledge of metal processing techniques.

Craftsmen who are not confident in their own abilities or do not have the necessary knowledge have the opportunity to purchase a finished product. The “Where to buy, order” section presents companies specializing in the manufacture of various types of lamps.