Category Archives: Lamps

After a wee break from the blog…. I opted to jump back in by organizing my collection of bottles available for lamp making. Link to photos of available bottles: HERE All are available, so please let me know if interested: Navigate to my Etsy page: widgetwood.etsy.com Scroll down a bit Click on “Request Custom Order”Continue reading “Pick a bottle, any bottle!”

I don’t typically promote my lamps here in the blog, but I reached a milestone and it’s my blog! 🙂 Lamp #40 is a single malt distilled in beautiful Boulder Colorado by boulder-spirits.com. I’m always happy to get empty bottles. And I’m even happier when people check out my store at widgetwood.etsy.com. More “regular” postsContinue reading “Lamp #40: A milestone!”

Back to bourbon bottle lamps… Building the bottle hardware that fits the top of the bottle isn’t always straightforward. I try to use as much original material as possible to retain the spirit of the brand. Place a piece of painter’s tape on top of the bottle’s top for easier drawing. Use a ‘center scribe’Continue reading “You Know Where To Put the Cork*”

A small diversion… Interested in purchasing a lamp? Well, I finally made that a wee bit easier…. The ‘Lamps‘ page now includes a “Purchase a Lamp” link that opens a lamp order form. The page and form includes the date bottles (and lamps) were last added so you’ll know when to check for a newContinue reading “Psst… Wanna buy a lamp?”

Well, it had to happen sooner or later. After 9 well-drilled lamp-cord holes I managed to crack a LAWs bottle. Why? Different type of drill-bit? Maybe. Too much plastic wrap and tape causing the bottle to get hot? Probably not. Drilling too close to the bottom of the bottle? Likely. There’s nothing worse than aContinue reading “I drilled the LAWS, and the LAWS won!”

Bourbon bottles typically include some amount of paper labeling. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. Which is a problem, since I place the bottle under running water when I drill the hole for the cord (to keep the area cool). This is why I avoid full-paper bottles, like E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch and BasilContinue reading “Preparing the Bottles”

Special thanks to the West End Tavern in downtown Boulder for providing a rich haul of bottles for my next round of lamps! Ashley was so generous with her time and support. And our curbside takeaway lunch was delicious! A couple of bottles are already spoken for, but I’m thrilled to have an inventory toContinue reading “Thanks West End Tavern!”

I’m proud to announce 3 bouncing baby bourbon bottle lamps (well, maybe not bouncing). And drilling has gone well since the first two mishaps. And how does one drill a hole in a bottle? Carefully! Use a “Diamond Grit Hole Saw Drill Bit” and place the bottle in the sink under running water (to dissipateContinue reading “Lamps 7-9 & Hole Details”

Starting my next round of lamps. But the question: One of these stands out? Which one and why? In any case, these will be lamps 6 – 8. I successfully drilled holes in bottles 1-5, so wish me luck drilling these (esp. with the Blanton’s!). Hint, I just drilled the Blanton’s, and it was fine.Continue reading “One of these things isn’t like the others…”