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DIY for Homeowners

DIY El Wire Cement Lamp

7/31/2017

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​text by Steph     Sign up to get Mother Daughter Projects updates in your email!
I went to see the movie Wonder Woman a few weeks ago with my family. I didn't know much about the superhero going in, so the first time I saw the glowing rope I didn't know what it was, but it looked cool! Wonder Woman has this glowing yellow/gold rope that is called a magic lasso or lasso of truth. The first time I saw it in the movie, I thought it looked like el wire. Electroluminescent wire (el wire) produces 360 degrees of light and is often used in costumes. I have been wanting to use it in a DIY project. During the movie I came up with an idea of making a lamp out of it- inspired by the Wonder Woman film!
Materials:
  • (2) Life Water bottles(Amazon)
  • (2) El Wire (Amazon)
  • Rapid Set Cement (Home Depot)
  • 1" PVC Pipe (Home Depot)
  • 1" PVC Cap (Home Depot)
  • 6" and 8" Flower Pot (Target)
  • Silicone (Home Depot)
  • Gravel (Amazon)
  • Wood Glue (Amazon)
Learn how to cast a concrete lamp using light up el wire. This is inspired by the Wonder Woman movie Lasso of Truth.
To make the base of the lamp we used a one liter lifewater bottle and an optional 24 ounce bottle. Start by wrapping the El wire around the smaller bottle.
Learn how to cast a concrete lamp using light up el wire. This is inspired by the Wonder Woman movie Lasso of Truth.
Carefully place the bottle into the larger one. Then remove the smaller bottle. We placed two paint sticks on the sides to try to keep the El wire as close to the sides as possible. We secured them in place with clothes pins then we mixed up the concrete. We are using Rapid Set cement that sets in one hour. We though this would be a good idea so the el wire wouldn’t have to sit in the mold for 24 hours like traditional concrete.
Learn how to cast a concrete lamp using light up el wire. This is inspired by the Wonder Woman movie Lasso of Truth.
Learn how to cast a concrete lamp using light up el wire. This is inspired by the Wonder Woman movie Lasso of Truth.
Let the cement sit for one hour before removing the mold
Learn how to cast a concrete lamp using light up el wire. This is inspired by the Wonder Woman movie Lasso of Truth.
This is how it looked with the mold removed, we could see where the el wire was but needed to work on exposing it.
Learn how to cast a concrete lamp using light up el wire. This is inspired by the Wonder Woman movie Lasso of Truth.
Sand the surface to get a matte look.
Learn how to cast a concrete lamp using light up el wire. This is inspired by the Wonder Woman movie Lasso of Truth.
With a hammer, carefully expose the el wire. As we did this, we checked periodically that the wire still worked.
Learn how to cast a concrete lamp using light up el wire. This is inspired by the Wonder Woman movie Lasso of Truth.
Some of the PVC pipe is going to be exposed when the shade is on, so we taped off the base. We wanted to give it a textured look so we mixed vase gravel with wood glue and added this to the pipe. Once dry, we painted with silver spray paint.
Learn how to cast a concrete lamp using light up el wire. This is inspired by the Wonder Woman movie Lasso of Truth.
To make the lampshade, cut a 1 3/4” inch hole in a 6” pot and add a 1” pvc cap halfway into the hole. Use silicone to secure the cap in place.
Learn how to cast a concrete lamp using light up el wire. This is inspired by the Wonder Woman movie Lasso of Truth.
We used glue dots to secure the el wire to the 8”pot. Then we mixed up more rapid set cement and added it into the bigger pot.
Learn how to cast a concrete lamp using light up el wire. This is inspired by the Wonder Woman movie Lasso of Truth.
Add the smaller pot inside and finish filling the mold.
Learn how to cast a concrete lamp using light up el wire. This is inspired by the Wonder Woman movie Lasso of Truth.
Continue to fill the mold with cement, making sure to distribute it on all sides.
Learn how to cast a concrete lamp using light up el wire. This is inspired by the Wonder Woman movie Lasso of Truth.
With a hammer, carefully expose the el wire. As we did this, we checked periodically that the wire still worked.
Learn how to cast a concrete lamp using light up el wire. This is inspired by the Wonder Woman movie Lasso of Truth.
Secure the battery packs to the inside of the shade with velcro
Learn how to cast a concrete lamp using light up el wire. This is inspired by the Wonder Woman movie Lasso of Truth.
With the lights out, the el wire really glows!
Learn how to cast a concrete lamp using light up el wire. This is inspired by the Wonder Woman movie Lasso of Truth.
Learn how to cast a concrete lamp using light up el wire. This is inspired by the Wonder Woman movie Lasso of Truth.
We are both really happy with how this lamp turned out! The look is way cooler than I imagined! I really like the rough look we were able to achieve and how the el wire looks like it's part of the 'rock.' One of my favorite things is finding inspiration when I least expect it. Without fail, whenever I let myself take some time for fun or vacation, I get the best ideas! 

What do you think of this lamp? Is this something you would want in your home? Where would you put it? Let us know in the comments below!

Please note: We are not sponsored by any of the companies/products that we used. These products were picked and bought by us.

FYI: We are not professionals, and we don’t claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first!

FYI: Affiliate links are being used on this page. Purchasing via these links help support MDP!

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