I have been wanting to try this for some time now. Thanks to Ryan, I finally got to!! I thought $14 for the jar lamp kit was outrageous, and didn't want to pay it!! Plus, the lamp kits are only for standard mouth jars and I wanted to use a wide mouth jar. I brought this idea to Ryan, who used to be the lamp and vacuum guy at his work, and he said it is possible to make this without the kit. So, here it is!I will list the price and some tips I found while making this after the instructions.
Supplies:light socket
lamp electrical cord
carriage bolt 1 1/2" long 1/4" thick
hex nut 1/4"
fender washer 1/4"
Mason Jar
lamp shade
Dremel
light bulb
1. Drill a hole in the center of the lid. (the drill "got away" from Ryan and that is why it looks so large)
2. Drill a hole in the side of the socket bottom.
3. Insert the lamp cord through the hole you just drilled in the socket.
4. Following the package directions, attach the cord to the screws on the socket.
5. Insert the bolt into the bottom of the socket base. Lightly push socket into base.
6. Put the socket cover over the socket and push until it snaps in place.
7. Place the bolt into the hole on the lid. Secure tightly with the washer and nut. Make sure it is centered (ours is not due to the large hole we messed up)
Prices and Tips
I got my socket and cord at Walmart: socket $1.97, cord $1.88. Home Depot wanted $3.88 for the socket and $5.88 for the cord.
I used a half gallon, wide mouth jar. You can use any size jar, I just liked the look of the half gallon size. I found one at Michael's for $2.99 or $3.99. If you have an Ace Hardware nearby, you can order from the site and pick it up at the store with no charge. They wanted $10.49 for 6 jars ($1.75 a jar). Here is the information: Ace Hardware
The lamp shade I used is 9"x9" and was $5.00 at Walmart. Hobby Lobby sells smaller lamp shades for a little cheaper if you used a smaller jar.
Total Cost
Socket 1.97
Cord 1.88
Jar 1.75
Bolt, nut & washer 0.39
Lamp shade 5.00
=$10.99
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