Candlestick holder from an exhaust pipe
You might think it’s impossible to make anything elegant by upcycling a motorbike exhaust pipe – but it is, and it’s pretty easy to do.
I created the candlestick holder above quite a while ago, but I still think it’s a fun and quirky way to make use of something that many think of as being very ugly. In fact, I think many motorbike exhaust pipes have very organic shapes (much more so than car exhausts) and lend themselves to being used in some sort of sculptural way.
1) You’ll need to source an exhaust pipe from a scrap yard or motorbike workshop. I used the exhaust pipe from a trial bike, they have particularly ‘attractive’ shapes.
2) Once you have sourced a suitable exhaust pipe, use a wire brush (or coarse sandpaper) to remove loose rust. Now, simply tip it on its side so the two ‘ends’ are sticking upwards.
3) Next you’ll need to get your hands on some wire – an old wire coat hanger will do perfectly. Then, with a pair of pliers, shape the wire in order to create two holders for the candles and also a place to attach the drip trays (follow the picture above). You will also need to ensure the wire structure is connected to the exhaust pipe. You can do this be bending it around the exhaust pipe or by using any convenient bolt holes. This is the creative bit – there’s no right or wrong way to do this, just use my picture above as reference.
4) Now find an old metal paint tin or preferably an empty chocolate tin (the sort that ‘Quality Street’ chocolates are sold in). Take the pliers and ‘tear’ out square pieces of tin – we want a rough look so don’t be precious, but be careful not to cut yourself on any sharp edges. Use the pliers to form simplistic drip trays and then bend the tin around the wire at two or three points in order to hold them in position.
5) That’s almost it. When I first made the ‘exhaust pipe candlestick holder’ above, I left it in it’s natural state which was rusty. It looked really good, however, I later went through a bit of a black and white phase and decided to paint it with satin black enamel paint. The choice is yours.
wow! have you thought of selling your stuff?
this is beautiful in a strange way
I really like it!
It’s something I’ve just started to think about now – so stay tuned! Thanks for the comment, come back again
It’s something I’ve just started to think about now – so stay tuned! Thanks for the comment, come back again
Ingenious! A creation that takes a ready wit to produce as well as natural bent. [Forgive the pun in relation to this endeavour!]
Ingenious! A creation that takes a ready wit to produce as well as natural bent. [Forgive the pun in relation to this endeavour!]