Guest Post: Ali from House Vintage

September 3, 2012

Hello Mustard Ceiling readers! It is quite exciting to be here guest posting. I’m Ali from HouseVintage where I blog about DIY projects, vintage finds and how to fill your home with what you really love. Today I want to share how a broken banjo became a light. Even if you don’t have a broken banjo or a broken stringed instrument of any kind, you can basically turn anything into a light. Hopefully this will inspire you to look at everything as a possible lamp!

Making a Banjo Light

After this banjo broke (so sad, right?), I removed the strings. Be careful when discarding strings. I always put mine into an empty cereal box to make sure my pets don’t find them.

Four screws hold the back of the banjo on, also called the resonator. Once this is removed you have easy access to the inside of the banjo.

I removed the neck, as this was the broken part of my instrument, by loosening the nut and washer. You could always leave this part intact though.

Two holes are needed. One that is big enough to accommodate the hanging bulb, and one for the ribbon hanger.

Slide the cord through the larger hole and screw on the bulb. Use a low wattage bulb. I also like a cord that has an on/off switch. These can be purchased at a hardware store for about $5.

To make a hanger, form a loop from ribbon or twine. Insert the loop into the smaller hole and tie a nut to the ribbon (see photo above). I recycled the nut that was holding the banjo neck in place. This will prevent the ribbon from pulling through the hole once the banjo is hanging. Make sure to use the proper hardware when hanging this light…it is heavy. And of course, do not leave this light on if you are not home. Depending on the bulb used, it could get hot. So it is best not to leave it unattended.