How to Make a Light Out of a Copper Pot

Work out a pattern for converting your copper pot to a light fixture. Determine how big the hole will be and of what shape -- round, square or oval.

Turn the copper pot bottom up and outline the proposed opening with a pencil.

Lay the copper grid and the frosted glass over the pencil outline to be sure they conform to it with enough margin to make them stable.

Cut the hole in the bottom of the pot, using a saw with a metal-cutting blade. Smooth the cut edges with a file. Reserve the cutout for later use. Turn the pot right side up.

Drill holes evenly spaced in the rim of the pot for the number of hanging chains you want to suspend your copper pot light fixture. There should be at least three.

Thread one end of an S-hook into each hole and crimp the opening of that end gently with the pliers to hold it in place.

Fit the copper grid into the bottom of the pot. Bend and trim it as necessary with the wire cutters.

Open the lamp making kit and check the pieces against the list provided. Attach the lamp making kit to the copper pot according to the kit's instructions.

Cut the plug off the end of the electrical cord attached to the lamp socket. To use copper tubing to cover the cord, measure the distance you want your light fixture to hang from the ceiling to the socket, cut the tubing to length and slide it over the cut end. An alternative is to use chain to suspend the fixture and thread the cord through the lengths to disguise it.

Create a ceiling plate or canopy for your fixture by smoothing the edges of the pot's bottom cutout and drilling a center hole in it for the electrical cord. Drill the same number of evenly-spaced holes around its rim as you did in the rim of the copper pot.

Measure the length of copper chain needed to suspend the copper pot fixture from the canopy. Prepare the same number of equal lengths of chain as you have holes in the pot and the canopy. Count the number of links in the first length of chain and include the same number of links in each of the other lengths. Detach the lengths by using the pliers to bend open one link beyond the required number. Attach an eye bolt to each hole in the canopy and attach as S-hook to each eye bolt. Slip the last link of each suspension chain over matching S-hooks on the pot and canopy.

Install your new copper pot light fixture yourself or have an electrician install it.

Place the frosted diffuser glass inside the pot and on top of the copper wire grid once the fixture is hung and stable.