Skull Candelabra

No coffin scene would be complete without the proper ghoulish lighting!

 

 

I had some PVC pipe and some Styrofoam skulls lying around, When I came up with this idea. Actually I haven't seen this idea on the web before. I may have come up with an original idea. But alas somebody most likely already had this idea.

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Parts list

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One 8' section of 1 1/4" schedule forty PVC pipe

Two four ways 1 1/4"

Four 90 degree 1 1/4" PVC

Six Styrofoam skulls 

(I found these at Michaels craft store for about $5.00 each)

One can of Gloss red & flat black spray paint

Six electric candles

(I found these at Michaels craft store for about $3.00 each)

Wire nuts and electrical tape

Two plastic chains

(I found these at Michaels craft store for about $3.99 each)

Two strands of rubber barbed wire

Six flicker bulbs

(I found these at Michaels craft store for about $2.50 each)

 

 

The Build

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Cut four pieces of plywood. Two 12" in diameter and two 7" diameter. Glue and nail them together. These will serve as your bases for the Candelabra's. Use a 1 1/4" spade bit to drill out the center of each base. spray them flat black and set them aside to dry.

 

Next we need to cut the 8' length of PVC. Cut these pieces :

Two 36" lengths for the main stems

Two 6" lengths for the tall skull stems

Two 4" lengths for the medium skull stems

Two 2" lengths for the short stems

put them together as seen below.

 

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Now take the skulls and drill them out with 3/4" spade bit to hold the electric candles. About one inch deep. Unscrew the electric candles from their base. I cut the cords right above the on/ off switch. I then hung them up and sprayed them with the gloss red spray paint. Set them aside to dry. 

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next I attached the long stems to the bases. I drilled a hole then at the base of the stem so that I could run an electrical cord from the bottom to the top.

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Next assemble the top of the Candelabra as seen in the pictures below. Be sure to pull the wires though the skull first then through the PVC to the PVC four way. Cut the wires to the proper length and splice them together using the wire nuts and electrical tape. Stuff the wires into the four way carefully making sure not to expose any of the wires.

 

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Now that we have all that done, wrap the skulls in a clean rag, and spray the PVC with the flat black spray paint. Mount the skulls with glue. You can glue the candles into the skulls now as well. I suggest that you use something like Elmer's glue. Model glues eat the skulls up and never really dry all the way.

 

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I then mounted the plastic chain to the bases using a hot glue gun. You can be sloppy with this part excess glue looks like spider webbing. At this point I took some red candles and melted them on the tops of the skulls to make appear to have been used for a very long time. One note don't let the candle get too close to the skulls. THEY MELT TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

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I am waiting on the rubber barbed wire to show up in the mail. Once I do get it I will twist it up the stem and arms of the piece. I will post pictures of the finished product when I get that finished.

 

 

 

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