DIY Network

Bicycle Wheel Candle Chandelier Make this hip hanging candle holder. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-411

Give an old bike wheel a touch of glamour.

The wheels on the bus may go 'round and 'round, but the wheel from the bike is just fine holding candles from the ceiling.

In this project, Michele Beschen shows how to B. Original by recycling a bicycle wheel as a hanging candle holder. She completes the bicycle theme by using the bike's chain and gears to make the candle chandelier's hanging apparatus. Scroll down for the how-to, and get ready to drag that old 10-speed out of the back of the garage.

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Bicycle Wheel Candle Chandelier

Materials:

bicycle wheel
(3) 3/16" eye bolts, 2" long
nuts to fit eye bolts
awl and hammer
drill
3/16" drill bit for metals
9/64" drill bit for metals
shallow tin cans
#8 self-tapping screws – 1/2" long
bicycle chain
bicycle gear hub and gear nut
rotary tool with cutting wheel
punch
3 small S hooks
(1) 3" bolt
epoxy putty
sand
nail

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F

• Lay the bicycle wheel out on the work surface. If it’s like Michele Beschen’s wheel, you will have 36 spokes spaced evenly around the rim – making spacing a snap.

• Choose a starting point on the outside of the rim, between two spokes, and use an awl to make a small dent at this location.

• Drill a hole through the top side of the rim at the awl mark using a 3/16" drill bit suitable for metals (figure A). Install an eye bolt in through this hole and secure it with a nut on the underside of the rim (figure B).

  Safety Alert: Always wear safety glasses when using power tools, especially when cutting or drilling metals.

• Count 12 spokes in either direction to determine the spacing for the remaining eye bolts. Drill holes and install them in the same manner as the first one.

• Use shallow tin cans, the size of tuna cans, to create the candle holders. Choose whatever number and size of cans you like and decorate them with paint, beads or other embellishments, as desired.

• Determine where to place the cans on the wheel rim, spacing them evenly.

• Use a 9/64" drill bit for metals to drill a hole in the bottom of each can. Position a can on the wheel rim, mark the location of the hole and drill a hole through the top of the rim at that spot. Attach the can to the rim with a self-tapping screw (figure C). Repeat this process for all of the cans.

• Measure and mark where to separate the bicycle chain to make three equal lengths. Michele Beschen divided her chain into three sections that were each 18 links long.

• To separate the chain, place the chain in a vise and use a rotary tool with a cutting wheel to slice away the top of the rivet where the chain needs to separate (figure D). Flip the chain over and repeat the cut on the other side of the rivet. Use a punch and hammer to push the rivet pin out. Repeat for the other two "cuts" in the chain.

• Thread one end of a small S hook through the last link in one of the chain sections. Thread the other end through an eye bolt in the wheel rim. Close the loops on the S hook with a pair of pliers, and repeat for the other two chains (figure E).

• Place the bike's rear hub – with the gear mechanism – on the work surface so the smallest gear is on the bottom. Remove the gear nut from the largest gear ring, measure its diameter and set the nut aside. Use a rotary tool with a cutting wheel to cut a nail to that measurement.

• To assemble the chandelier hanger, grasp the free ends of all three chains and insert them through the gear hub, with the smallest gear facing toward the chandelier.

• Slide the gear nut over the chains and center it in the hub.

• Line up the end links in the chains and thread the cut nail through the links to hold them together.

• Use a bolt and some regular chain to hang the chandelier from the ceiling. To do this, run the bolt through an end link in the chain (figure F). Use wire to lash the bolt to the openings in the hub. Apply epoxy putty to the chain and bolt where they connect to keep the chain from sliding.

• Pour playground sand in the bottom of each can before adding candles. The sand will stabilize the candles and make them easier to level out.

• Hang it up, light it up and enjoy!